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The Big Carnival
Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    It's dark, funny, ferocious, and vintage Wilder all the way.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    100
    A searing example of writer-director Billy Wilder at his most brilliantly misanthropic. An uncompromising portrait of human nature at its worst, the film was so far ahead of its time in its depiction of a media circus and the public's appetite for tragedy that it was a commercial disaster when first released, but now stands as one of the great American films of the 1950s.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    80
    Ace in the Hole is an acquired taste -- and an unforgettable one.
  4. Variety
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    80
    Billy Wilder's direction captures the feel of morbid expectancy that always comes out in the curious that flock to scenes of tragedy.
  5. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    50
    Ace in the Hole is a movie about the fascination of disaster that is itself a fascinating disaster.
  6. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    40
    So ham-handed and relentlessly overbaked that it is easy to see why audiences initially stayed away from it. Just when and how did anyone come to see this as a classic?
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