Richard Benedict was often cast as a threat, but his vulnerable Leo Minosa in Ace in the Hole is the performance we would seek out. We are more cautious about calling him a distinctive television director.
Fi1m perspective
Trapped in the cave in Ace in the Hole (1951), Richard Benedict gives Billy Wilder’s reporter something his cleverness cannot excuse: a man who needs help. As Leo Minosa, he makes vulnerability matter in a film so ready to enjoy a cruel remark. We were distressed by his confinement, because the reporter’s excitement keeps running up against the plain fact of Leo’s suffering. Benedict is a strong reason to recommend the film, even when its insistence on greed grows too sweeping.
The effect depends on more than the performance. Cinematographer Charles Lang makes the cave physically unpleasant, and editor Arthur P. Schmidt keeps the exchanges brisk without letting the man trapped there become incidental. The sharp dialogue could easily make the reporter too entertaining, but the cave and the man inside it keep us aware of what his excitement means for someone who cannot simply leave. Kirk Douglas makes the reporter’s cruelty frighteningly persuasive; Benedict gives us someone to worry about while Douglas talks. We would not credit an actor alone for that balance, but Benedict supplies the vulnerability on which it depends.
That helplessness is worth setting beside the tough-guy and henchman parts Benedict often played. His supporting work extended through the 1950s and early 1960s, including Ocean’s Eleven (1960), before he began directing in 1962. Most of that directing was for television, with Impasse (1969), starring Burt Reynolds, among the comparatively few feature films.
We recommend Mission: Impossible (1966) for its ingenious deceptions and the cast’s composure, with a caveat about how readily its formula shows through repeated viewing. Benedict directed for the series; we would not credit him alone with what makes it work. The same caution applies to a television career that also includes The Fugitive and Hawaii Five-O. Start with Ace in the Hole, where there is no difficulty seeing what he contributes.
Biography
Richard Benedict was an Italian-American actor and director. He appeared in numerous films and television programmes from the 1940s to the 1960s.
His film roles included Leo Minosa in Ace in the Hole (1951) and "Curly" Steffans in Ocean's Eleven (1960). He also acted in Crossfire (1947) and It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958). From the 1960s he directed episodes of series including Get Smart, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O and Charlie's Angels.
Benedict was the father of actor Nick Benedict.
