Review of Ruthless People (1986) by Thescarlatescu R — 04 Jul 2010

When a rich fashion designer's wife is kidnapped by innocent middle-class couple the Kesslers, Sam Stone does the only thing he can do- celebrate! Sam, who had previously been trying to murder his wife for the insurance money (and to be with his mistress), now finds himself free & clear. But his mistress Carol has schemes of her own. And all the while something strange happens between the Kesslers & Sam's despicable wife - they become friends.

Twenty-four years old & you can still get a kick out of these "Ruthless People." Aside from the music & fashion (the former serving as a minor plot point) there really isn't anything keeping this film from being called a timeless classic comedy. Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, & Helen Slater all bring their A-game for this brilliant comedy of errors brought to you by the team who made "Airplane." The characters are all acted perfectly, and I honestly doubt you could have picked a better line-up. DeVito is Sam Stone, the greedy millionaire you love to hate. And Bette Midler makes you laugh out loud with her change from devilish to decent while Reinhold & Slater pull you right in as people just trying to keep up with this ruthless world & do what's right... or wrong, rather. The plot moves swiftly & seamlessly from plot-thread to plot-thread & does a fine job balancing them all out to the end. The script is excellent for the most part, but there are a few awkward lines that spoil the otherwise sharp comedic edge. But the brilliance of the film lies in the movement of the plot as it plays against our characters. Our characters aren't quite as deep or explored as I would personally like, but it works because of the quick plot movement. It's a dark comedy with a brilliant plot, finely-acted characters & spot-on direction. I'll give this one 8.5 "ruthless people" out of 10.

"My only regret, Carol, is that the plan isn't more violent." -Sam Stone.

"I mean, what the hell's the point of being a decent person when no-one else is?" -Ken Kessler.