Ruthless People (1986)

6.9R91 minDirector: Jerry Zucker

1986 film by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker

Ruthless People is a 1986 American black comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and written by Dale Launer. It stars Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Anita Morris, and Helen Slater, with Bill Pullman in a supporting role in his film debut. The film is the story of a couple who kidnap their ex-boss's wife to get revenge and extort money from him. They soon realize he does not want her back and was planning to kill her himself. Meanwhile, the boss's mistress plans a blackmail attempt on him, which also fails to go as planned.

The film was a critical and commercial success. This was the last film released under the Touchstone Films label before Walt Disney Studios changed the name of the label to Touchstone Pictures as well as the last film directed by the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker trio together.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Ruthless People about?
Ruthless People (1986) — Sam Stone (Danny DeVito) is a clothing manufacturer who married his wife Barbara (Bette Midler) for the money that she was supposed to inherit from her dying father, but her father didn't die for another 15 years. He is now planning to kill her and he tells his girlfriend Carol D
Is Ruthless People based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Ruthless People scary?
Content rating: R. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.