Ruthless People (1986)
Danny DeVito: Sam Stone
Photos
Quotes
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[Introducing his wife's toy poodle to his new Doberman pinscher]
Sam Stone : Muffy, meet Adolph. Adolph, EAT MUFFY!
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[first lines]
Sam Stone : Carol, did I ever tell you why I married her?
Carol : Yes, Sam, you told me many, many...
Sam Stone : Her father was very, very rich, and very, very sick. The doctors assured me he'd be dead any minute. There wasn't a second to lose! I rushed right out and married the boss's daughter. He was so sick, it was like the Angel of Death was sitting in the room with him, watching the clock. They pulled the plug on him... he wheezed and shook for about an hour... and then... he stabilized. The son-of-a-bitch just got older and sicker. And older, and sicker, and older and sicker...!
Waiter : More coffee, sir?
Sam Stone : No!
[the waiter leaves]
Sam Stone : I couldn't wait any longer, so I went out and made my own fortune. The old fart hung in there for 15 years. Finally died of natural causes. I want the rest of that money! His money, her money, it's my money!
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[about his wife and his plan to murder her]
Sam Stone : I had to live with that squealing, corpulent little toad all these years. God, I hate that woman. I - I - I hate the way she licks stamps! I hate her furniture! And I hate that little sound she makes when she sleeps.
[Sam imitates a whining nasal sound]
Sam Stone : Ugh! And that filthy little shitbag dog of hers... "Muffy"!
Carol : Aren't you scared?
Sam Stone : Scared? Hell, no. I'm looking FORWARD to it. My only regret, Carol, is that the plan isn't more violent.
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Ken Kessler : She's in bad shape, Sam. We've been torturing her.
[He holds the phone to the stove, Sandy presses a tofu-burger, making a sizzling sound]
Barbara : AAAAAH!
[presses again]
Sam Stone : Don't kill her! Don't kill her! I'll pay the ransom!
Ken Kessler : Good, because not only we heard about your legal troubles, we also just found out your wife is worth quite a bit more than ten thousand.
Sam Stone : What do you mean?
Ken Kessler : We just changed our minds since you really now want your wife back, so we've upped the ransom.
Sam Stone : To what?
Ken Kessler : We're up to two million dollars.
Sam Stone : TWO MILLION DOLLARS? Are you out of your fucking mind? Where'd you get an incredible figure like that?
Ken Kessler : Oh, you'd be surprised at the quality and quantity of information a lit cigarette can provide.
[Sandy presses again]
Barbara : AAAAAH!
Ken Kessler : WHAT ELSE?
Sam Stone : [into phone] Shh! Shh! Shh!
Barbara : Gems! He's got rare gems in a safe...
[choking]
Barbara : Oh Sam, forgive me!
Ken Kessler : WHAT KIND OF GEMS? HOW MANY?
Barbara : I don't know!
[Sam raises a fist as the sizzling comes again]
Barbara : AAAAH! AAAAH! AAAAAAAAAHHH!
Barbara : [stops Sandy] Four flawless one-carat diamonds!
Sam Stone : [puts phone to shoulder] The bitch blabbed!
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Sam Stone : [sees Muffy and Adolph with his tuxedo] My tux. My silk tux. Et tu, Adolf? Et tu?
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Sam Stone : What's this phone call about?
Ken Kessler : We called to make you an offer. An offer even you can't refuse.
Sam Stone : Oh?
Ken Kessler : Yeah, $10,000.
Sam Stone : Fat chance!
Ken Kessler : Mr. Stone, this is no joke! We're desperate people! We...
Sam Stone : I believe this is a joke pal and you're it! The last time we spoke you said my wife would be in the morgue if I didn't pay. Well, I didn't pay and today I was at the morgue and she wasn't there. You lied to me! You know what I think of you?
Ken Kessler : [beat] No.
Sam Stone : You got no nuts! What do I have to do? Put a gun in your hand, aim and pull your finger down, you spineless wimp? I dare you to kill her!
[Sam hangs up]
Sam Stone : Now that oughta do it.
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[Sam, seeing the police will let Ken go, grabs the briefcase with the ransom money in it]
Sam Stone : [struggling with Ken] Gimme back my money!
Ken Kessler : What are you doing? Let go!
[to the police]
Ken Kessler : Tell him to let go! If he doesn't let go I give the order to kill Mrs. Stone!
Sam Stone : Go ahead! Give the order!
Ken Kessler : She's a dead woman if he doesn't!
Sam Stone : [pulls out a gun and points it at Ken's chin] All right... drop it! Punk!
[Ken lets go of the briefcase when a nearby payphone rings. Sam takes the briefcase and goes to answer the phone]
Sam Stone : [into the phone] Hello?
Lt. Bender : [into the phone] This is Lieutenant Bender. What are you doing?
Sam Stone : What does it look like? I'm taking back my money! You've got your man. The rest is your problem!
Lt. Bender : Mr. Stone, you may be guilty of obstruction of justice, aiding and abetting a known felon, accomplice to a kidnapping and possibly murder. If you really want to clear yourself, my advice to you is to drop your gun and give him back the bag. We have 140 police officers, 75 police cars and two helicopters. I promise you, he WON'T get away!
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Ken Kessler : Apparently, you have over a million-two built up in equity on Sam's Sportswear, another three hundred fifty thousand in your pension plan, General Dynamics closed at seventy five and three fourths today which brings another hundred and seventy five thousand to the party, forty five thousand for the Excalibur and now there's the four one caret diamonds in the safe.
Sam Stone : YOU INHUMAN SLIME!
[hangs up]
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Barbara : [on the phone with Sam] Do you have it all? 2.2 million dollars in unmarked, non-sequential bills?
[screams]
Barbara : You miserable, scum-sucking pig!
[normal voice]
Barbara : Oh, honey, I'm so sorry! They made me say that.
Sam Stone : Yeah, it's all here.
Barbara : And you have it all in a briefcase?
[screams]
Barbara : You scumbag, you low-life motherfucker!
[normal voice]
Barbara : Oh, dear. They made me say that too!
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[Detective Walters notices a puddle on the floor of the mansion and takes a taste. Sam quickly explains]
Sam Stone : It's the dog. She's not properly house-trained.
[the other policemen look disgusted]
Lt. Walters : No. It's sweet.
Sam Stone : The dog's a little diabetic.
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Sam Stone : [answers phone] Hello?
Ken Kessler : [voice] Mr. Stone, listen very carefully. We have kidnapped your wife. We have no qualms about killing her and we'll do so at the slightest provocation. Do you understand?
Sam Stone : Who the hell is this? Is this some kind of a joke?
Ken Kessler : [voice] I have no patience for stupid questions, Mr. Stone, and I don't like repeating myself! Do you understand?
Sam Stone : [face lights up] All right. I'm sorry, please continue.
Ken Kessler : [voice] You are to obtain a new, black, American Tourister briefcase, Model Number 8-1-0-4. Do you understand?
Sam Stone : Yes.
Ken Kessler : [voice] In it, you will place $500,000 in unmarked, non-sequentially numbered $100 bills. Do you understand?
Sam Stone : Sure.
[as the conversation goes on, a smile appears on Sam's face, and gets wider and wider...]
Ken Kessler : [voice] Monday morning at 11:00 a.m., you will proceed with case in hand to Hope Street Plaza, and wait for a phone to ring. You will receive further instructions then. Do you understand?
Sam Stone : Yes, I do.
Ken Kessler : [voice] You will be watched at all phases of execution. If you fail to appear at the designated time, or if any phase is not carried out to our complete satisfaction, it will be considered an infraction of the rules, and your wife will be killed. Do you understand?
Sam Stone : I believe so.
Ken Kessler : [voice] If you notify the police, your wife will be killed. If you notify the media, she will be killed. If you deviate from our instructions in any way whatsoever, she will be killed. Do you understand?
[Sam's grin is about to split his face open]
Sam Stone : Perfectly.
[Cut to later, outside the Stone mansion, as fleets of police cars and news vans pull up!]
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Policeman : Sam Stone, you're under arrest.
Sam Stone : For mixing cotton with silk?
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Sam Stone : I'm not asking you to screw the dog, Carol. It's for me!
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Sam Stone : Hello?
Ken Kessler : All right, Mr. Stone. We came very close to killing your wife. But she begged us, repeatedly, for just one more chance. So in the spirit of compassion and mercy, we decided not to kill her just yet.
Sam Stone : "Compassion and mercy?" What the hell's going on over there? I thought you people were ruthless!
Ken Kessler : We are, Mr. Stone!
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Sam Stone : I fed em a banquet of bullshit. I threw 'em off by miles!
