i think it's been quite some time since i gone done a "forgotten cinema" post. no, i am not going to search here for the last instance, look you see, for all that matters (i would suppose) is here we are. and where that is (here), exactly, is with the film Ruthless People. yes, i have been trying to watch only films what i have not seen before, but chance came to watch this one again. probably (or most likely) for the "first" time in close to 30 odd years, if not longer.
whereas it's not unusual (with apologies to Mr Jones of Tom) for a film to turn out to be better than you remember it is reasonably rare for a film you remember as being really good to seem even better than that when revisited. such is what happened with Ruthless People, i am delighted to say. fondly i could recall watching this one several times, mostly on a 14" portable tv via a video i had shamelessly pirated off of a rental copy.
plot? a sleazy, unscrupulous businessman (Danny DeVito) is planning to kill his wife (Bette Midler) so as to inherit a vast fortune (despite already being filthy rich) and be permanently with his mistress. unbeknownst (obviously) to him his mistress and her boyfriend (Bill Pullman, making what i believe was his film debut) intend to blackmail him. before he (DeVito) can kill his wife a young couple (Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater) kidnap her, threatening to kill her if the ransom is not paid. and so of course he has no intention of paying the ransom........
quite possible i have given away more than i wished in that summary, and i apologise if this is (even by my usual standards) somewhat vague. i would rather anyone chancing on this post and seeking a superb comedy, perhaps lost in the mists of time, watch and enjoy it. this was one fiendishly funny film and has somehow, despite being totes 80s in style, held up over the years.
just what makes Ruthless People so good? it is a "perfect storm" of an outstanding cast, a complex yet straightforward plot, superb pacing, a quite frankly hilarious script and excellence in filmmaking. appreciating that someone somewhere will find the whole premise "offensive" or just too dark to be funny, it really is a comedy masterpiece.
lots and lots of credit to Danny DeVito. i believe (or it's my understanding) that when he saw the finished film he feared his career was over, only to be pleasantly surprised by the good reviews and very decent box office. his character in this film is deviously evil, and perhaps served as an inspiration for other short, rotund (or if you like plump) characters being used to convey evil comedy genius, such as George out of Seinfeld and of course Cartman out of South Park.
despite wishing to avoid spoilers as far as possible, here's an example of DeVito in action, presented of course in VHS mode. this is a "throwaway" scene not crucial to the plot, but (at least as my humour finds it) illustrates the comedy gold in the film. a warning, though, for the clip features some adult language and what have you.
but know that all of the cast are superb. it's "easy" to forget how big Bette Midler, for example, was in the mid to late 80s. thinking on it, between this, Down & Out In Beverly Hills (which i now wish to watch again), Beaches and a few others, she gave great performances and (as far as i am aware) helped make movies which made money.
each and every one of the "supporting" characters (actors and actresses) have been cast to perfection and work wonders with a brilliant script. allowing for the fact that i have just clearly singled out two it really is that all of the people in this give stellar performances.
how this film came back to my mind is a series of chance finds. firstly, and i was surprised that i'd never owned it before, i found a copy of the soundtrack on tape (actual) still sealed for all of 99p in a charity shop. an instant purchase, of course, even if i haven't gotten around to opening it. then, more recently, i found the video (disc) down the market as part of a "3 for £2" deal. no, i can't remember what else i picked up with it, mostly just wanted this one of course.
above is the clearest image what i could gone done do of the tracklist of the tape. yes, that is actual, real Mick Jagger (that one) doing the theme, a theme which musically sounds a bit like the theme off of another beloved 80s film, Weird Science. of interest to some would be the Bruce Springsteen track which, once upon a long ago, was "rare". the song was only a b-side (i think the Glory Days single) but has featured on a couple of box sets since, and, well, there's no "rare" or "hard to get" music now, not in this day and age of "internet".
much of the reason i found Ruthless People so funny on re-watching came from the bits i had forgotten about. like, for instance, the "hidden" gags, or what get called easter eggs i suppose. as this was made by the people what did Airplane! and Top Secret! (with some of them going on to do The Naked Gun) there are some absurd, hilarious background jokes. also (again, at the risk of spoilers) i had completely forgotten about one or two "sub plots" in particular the accidental blackmailing of a detective.....
yet i also revelled in scenes i remembered well. like, for instance, the below video (indeed in VHS mode for you) of what i call the "speaker scene". with again a warning that some "adult" language features. so don't press play if that sort of thing upsets you.
quite likely that i have, once again, uploaded (or added) far too many pictures (and videos) for what words i have to offer in regards of the film. bit stuck with that expressed wish not to say all that much of the plot or what happens. oh dear.
just how would anyone interested in Ruthless People go about seeing it in the present day? well, whatever day it is you read this. i would imagine it is "online" somewhere, with some streaming service or other having it. or one of them less ("fewer") that official sites having it available to borrow. i would as you may well expect recommend a physical copy of it. obviously VHS preferred, but the disc, from a quick search, seems reasonably easy to pick up.
not at all sure how easy a physical copy of the soundtrack is to find. i did not check on that, alas, and yes i am only adding that bit in here so as to put some extra words in.
right, that's about that. i really do have no idea at all who(m) actually reads what i do here, doesn't appear to be much in the way of my family or (limited number of) friends. for a rare instance, though, i do quite hope this catches the random attention of someone and, as a consequence, they either enjoy a great comedy film or enjoy watching it again.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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