History Film / RuthlessPeople

-->'''Barbara:''' It could mean the difference between life, and the chair! ''(pretends to be electrocuted violently)'' Or the gas chamber. ''(makes hissing and gasping sounds)'' You know, sometimes, the firing squad? They miss all the major arteries! BANG! ''(slumps as if shot)'' And you don't die right away, you kinda just... hang on... bleeding... BLEEDING...
-->''(Sandy screams and runs away.)''

* [[ItsXIHateX It's X, I Hate X]]: The serial killer tells [[spoiler: Barbara]] "You remind me of my mother. I ''hate'' my mother."

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: ''Constantly.'' Sam talks about the kidnapping but Carol thinks he's talking about the murder he had planned. Carol thinks she's talking about evidence that proves Sam killed his wife but Chief Benton thinks he's being blackmailed into arresting an innocent man. Sam talks about having rough sex but Carol thinks he's threatening to torture and kill her. Then you have this exchange when Sam is looking for a dog to kill Muffy and on the phone with Carol:

A modern update of O Henry's ''The Ransom Of Red Chief''[[note]]Dale Launer, the film's writer, claimed he had based the film in the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst abduction of Patty Hearst]], and that any similarities between the film and the short story were coincidental[[/note]], and the only traditional, non-RapidFireComedy by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team. It also proved to be the last time all three men would direct as a trio.

A modern update of O Henry's ''The Ransom Of Red Chief''[[note]]Dale Launer, the film's writer, claimed he had based the film in the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Hearst abduction of Patty Hearst]], and that Abby similarities between the film and the short story were coincidental[[/note]], and the only traditional, non-RapidFireComedy by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team. It also proved to be the last time all three men would direct as a trio.

A modern update of O Henry's ''The Ransom Of Red Chief'', and the only traditional, non-RapidFireComedy by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team. It also proved to be the last time all three men would direct as a trio.

* ChekhovsSkill: Early in the film, Sam describes Barbara as "meticulous". She later gives the Kesslers a detailed list of ''all'' of his assets, allowing them to extort every last penny he has in exchange for returning her to him.

** Interestingly, however, the 1987 film has some proto-TheNineties elements to it.

* YouCanKeepHer: A classic example. Given how much Sam hates Barbara and wants to be rid of her, he makes absolutely no attempt to cooperate with Ken and Sandy in the hopes that they actually Barbara.

* GilliganCut: When Barbara arrives at her kidnappers' home.
--> '''Barbara''': MY HUSBAND WORSHIPS THE GROUND I WALK ON! WHEN HE FINDS OUT ABOUT THIS, HE WILL EXPLODE!!
--> *cut to Sam, popping open a champagne bottle*
--> '''Sam''': [cackles, pours] Bye bye, Barbara!
** And the first ransom phonecall, where the kidnappers tell Sam not to contact the police or the media or his wife will die. Cut to a huge slew of TV vans and police cruisers around his house.
--->'''Ken:''' ''(incredulous)'' What did he do, ''hire a publicist''?!

* ForTheEvulz: Sam loves wrong phone numbers.

* [[ItsXIHateX It's X, I Hate X]]: The serial killer tells [[spoiler: Barbara]] "You remind me of my mother. I ''hate'' my mother."

* TheMistress: Carol

* YouCanKeepHer: A classic example.

* SicEm: "Muffy, meet Adolf. Adolf, ''eat'' Muffy."

* SicEm: "Muffy, meet Adolf. Adolf, ''eat'' muffy.

* JerkAss: You'd be questioning, why Barbara would marry someone as irredeemable as Sam? Especially since charm isn't exactly his strong suit.
** Actually, it kind of is. When Barbara is kidnapped, Sam is able to convince the police that he's genuinely grieving for her, and she angrily tells the Kesslers that Sam "worships the ground [she walks] on."

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Carol and Earl. They blanche at the ''thought'' of murder. Not that they were ever truly evil to begin with.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Carol and Earl. They blanche at the ''thought'' of murder.

->[to the kidnappers] ''"What do I have to do? Put a gun in your hand, aim and pull your finger down, you spineless wimp?! ''[[[CrowningMomentOfFunny cue Ken sagging in defeat]]]'' I dare you to kill her! ''[hangs up]'' Now ''that'' oughta do it!"''

-->'''Earl:''' ''(seeing his fish)'' [[MiamiVice Crockett and Tubbs]]... they're floatin'!

* NiceGuy: Ken, who refuses to force people to buy the biggest speakers in the store, and even ''tells'' them how the store rips people off with them by overpricing. At one point, Ken, infuriated at being manipulated into dropping the ransom ''again'' by Sam, decided to be "ruthless" and force a kid barely out of school into buying the expensive speakers even though he can't afford it ("That's the beauty of it. If you can't afford it, fuckin' finance it! Who cares if it's as big as Subaru and costs twice as much, you'll never have to upgrade it and when you die you can be buried in 'em!"), but when he sees said kid has a pregnant wife, he backs off and suggests the bargain speakers again. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Dawwwwwww...]]

--> '''Lt. Bender''': ''[in megaphone]'' This is the Los Angeles Police Department.
--> '''Earl''': ''[calling]'' Really?
--> '''Lt. Bender''': ''[in megaphone]'' [[SarcasmMode ...no! We're the National Rifle Association!]] ''[cue row of officers aiming guns at Earl, who drops his in shock]''

** Also {{Lampshaded}} by Carol, when confused by the Police Chief's reaction to the "evidence" tape. When she says, "Either the chief is a complete moron and complete morons are ''rare''... ", [[CrowningMomentOfFunny her eyes fix for a second on Earl]].

Businessman Sam Stone (Creator/DannyDeVito) is planning to murder his wife Barbara (Creator/BetteMidler), but before he gets the chance, she's kidnapped by a married couple who Sam cheated out of their life savings. Sam is overjoyed at this turn of events, since it saves him the trouble of killing her himself. Unfortunately for him, they're not very good at the kidnapping thing, and fail to be the [[TitleDrop ruthless people]] claim to be. They're incapable of harming Barbara, even as she verbally assaults them and Sam ignores their instructions, refuses their demands, and eventually tries to goad them into violence.

* NeverFoundTheBody: Subverted after the kidnapper and his car falls into the water at the pier. A short time later, [[spoiler: we see the police fishing the corpse of the Bedroom Killer (who died earlier in the kidnapper's house by accident) out of the water (the kidnappers put him there as a decoy) while the kidnapper survives thanks to SCUBA gear and makes it to the beach to be reunited with his girlfriend and Mrs. Stone before the end credits roll.]]

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: ''Constantly.'' Sam talks about the kidnapping but Carol thinks he's talking about the murder he had planned. Carol thinks she's talking about evidence that proves Sam killed his wife but Chief Benton thinks he's being blackmailed into arresting an innocent man. Sam talks about having rough sex but Carol thinks he's threatening to torture and kill her.

Businessman Sam Stone (Creator/DannyDeVito) is married to Barbara (Creator/BetteMidler), but he hates her, having wed her only for her money. In fact, Sam has decided to murder Barbara for her inheritance. But before he can kill her, she gets kidnapped by a nice young married couple, Sandy and Ken Kessler (Helen Slater and Judge Reinhold), who are trying to recoup the money Sam made off of an idea he stole from them. Unfortunately, they're not very good at the kidnapping thing, and fail to be the [[TitleDrop ruthless people]] they should be. Sam does everything they tell him not to (like calling the cops), so they will kill Barbara like they threatened to. She ends up being "marked down" several times, but he refuses to pay. Meanwhile Sam's mistress, Carol Dodsworth (Anita Morris), and her other boyfriend, the ''incredibly'' dim-witted Earl Mott (Bill Pullman, in his hilarious first role), try to blackmail Sam for the murder of Barbara, which hasn't even happened... yet...

A modern update of O Henry's ''The Ransom Of Red Chief'', and the first traditional, non-RapidFireComedy by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team. Businessman Sam Stone (Creator/DannyDeVito) is married to Barbara (Creator/BetteMidler), but he hates her, having wed her only for her money. In fact, Sam has decided to murder Barbara for her inheritance. But before he can kill her, she gets kidnapped by a nice young married couple, Sandy and Ken Kessler (Helen Slater and Judge Reinhold), who are trying to recoup the money Sam made off of an idea he stole from them. Unfortunately, they're not very good at the kidnapping thing, and fail to be the [[TitleDrop ruthless people]] they should be. Sam does everything they tell him not to (like calling the cops), so they will kill Barbara like they threatened to. She ends up being "marked down" several times, but he refuses to pay. Meanwhile Sam's mistress, Carol Dodsworth (Anita Morris), and her other boyfriend, the ''incredibly'' dim-witted Earl Mott (Bill Pullman, in his hilarious first role), try to blackmail Sam for the murder of Barbara, which hasn't even happened... yet...

A modern update of O Henry's ''The Ransom Of Red Chief'', and the first traditional, non-RapidFireComedy by Zucker Abrahams Zucker. Businessman Sam Stone (Creator/DannyDeVito) is married to Barbara (Creator/BetteMidler), but he hates her, having wed her only for her money. In fact, Sam has decided to murder Barbara for her inheritance. But before he can kill her, she gets kidnapped by a nice young married couple, Sandy and Ken Kessler (Helen Slater and Judge Reinhold), who are trying to recoup the money Sam made off of an idea he stole from them. Unfortunately, they're not very good at the kidnapping thing, and fail to be the [[TitleDrop ruthless people]] they should be. Sam does everything they tell him not to (like calling the cops), so they will kill Barbara like they threatened to. She ends up being "marked down" several times, but he refuses to pay. Meanwhile Sam's mistress, Carol Dodsworth (Anita Morris), and her other boyfriend, the ''incredibly'' dim-witted Earl Mott (Bill Pullman, in his hilarious first role), try to blackmail Sam for the murder of Barbara, which hasn't even happened... yet...

A modern update of O Henry's ''The Ransom Of Red Chief'', and the first traditional, non-RapidFireComedy by Zucker Abrahams Zucker. Businessman Sam Stone (Danny [=DeVito=]) is married to Barbara (BetteMidler), but he hates her, having wed her only for her money. In fact, Sam has decided to murder Barbara for her inheritance. But before he can kill her, she gets kidnapped by a nice young married couple, Sandy and Ken Kessler (Helen Slater and Judge Reinhold), who are trying to recoup the money Sam made off of an idea he stole from them. Unfortunately, they're not very good at the kidnapping thing, and fail to be the [[TitleDrop ruthless people]] they should be. Sam does everything they tell him not to (like calling the cops), so they will kill Barbara like they threatened to. She ends up being "marked down" several times, but he refuses to pay. Meanwhile Sam's mistress, Carol Dodsworth (Anita Morris), and her other boyfriend, the ''incredibly'' dim-witted Earl Mott (Bill Pullman, in his hilarious first role), try to blackmail Sam for the murder of Barbara, which hasn't even happened... yet...