A Title That Promised Fire
The very mention of Straight Ruthless and the slaying of Ruth Less carries a type of primal ferocity. It’s a title that intrigues almost immediately. The trailers lean into that intensity. There’s footage of smokey alleyways,cut to the neon-lit darkness of night and the closeups of a number of delicate yet vicious rivals. People across the globe slowly started to break down the milliseconds of the frames and piecing them together and started contributing to forums. They’re quite certain that this film will go beyond the typical prediction of a simple action packed movie, and would instead, dive into a complex depiction of ambition, survival and the everlasting consequences of power.
When the full-length trailer was released and accompanied by the pulsing hip hop beats mixed with whispers saying “Loyalty is just another weapon,” the anticipation had reached its zenith. People had started to speculate wildly on social media. Would the movie be a gangster drama? A psychological analysis of a character? Or perhaps a cultural statement disguised in street-level noir?
On the surface, Straight Ruthless is a youthful hustler’s ascent through the treacherous underbelly of the city. The protagonist starts as a nameless and faceless gopher with the title of a small-time fixer. Through treachery, empty alliances, and the overwhelming lure of power, he sheds his former skin and becomes a highly revered and widely feared individual.
The story here is more than an empty vessel of crime and violence; it is a mute individual in desperate need of an identity. Every character represents a different protective instinct to the story’s scenario. The rival, devoid of any emotional intelligence, is the embodiment of ruthless ambition. The mentor figure, however, is bound to archaic principles of honor. And the protagonist’s love interest represents the unapologetically unattainable life he aspires to.
The last act concludes with neither a victory nor a defeat, but rather with an image: the protagonist gazing at the reflection of himself on a broken mirror. This image metaphor provoked arguments in the audience regarding whether the protagonist gained the world or lost himself in the process.
Symbols Within the Disorder
The film was the topic of much discussion due to the use of symbols. Mirrors were used in almost every major scene: in the toilet, the bathroom, and the walls of the night club. This was to show that in the film, identity is not a fixed entity but is always fractured.
Another motif was fire. Whether it be the cigarette lighter that flickers before a major decision or the fire that engulfs the warehouse in the middle of the film, fire signifies change. Destructive, but also cleansing. Fans on Reddit noted how the protagonist’s outfits were increasingly darker as the film went on. This, along with the story, represented the descent into morality.
The soundtrack also played symbolically. A recurring, bass-heavy track that was used during moments of betrayal was slowed down, making it seem as if the very rhythm of the world collapsed under the lies he was telling himself.
The Performers Shouldered Their Own Battles
What makes these images so raw and relatable is the extent to which the cast infused their personal stories into the parts. The primary actor used Straight Ruthless to break the stigma that his public image was ‘just another pretty face.’ He confessed that his being passed over for roles was the genesis of the character’s ravenous desire for fame. It was easy to tell that for the audience this was not just a gangster role. It was a violent expulsion of his deepest insecurities.
The love interest was played by an actress who also had her battles. This ethereal and gentle actress who was more known for tabloid television than cinema was open about the sensation of being caught in the middle of two worlds. She- in an effort to remain untypecast- fought the in-built soft, yet firm, boundaries of an emotionally unfeeling, loving character. She often being the subject of audience’s scrutiny, was noticed for a subtle yet fierce resisting disposition, as if reconquering her character’s and her profession’s lost autonomy.
The portrayal of the character mentor by an accomplished actor returning for the first time in years added an emotional gravity the film otherwise would have lacked. Critics remarked that the actor’s weariness felt less like a performance and more like a reality for a gentleman who had undergone the extreme highs and lows in the industry. It was the trademark sign of a man who had been in the industry for long.
Hype highlights and the audience feedback
A limited number of clips and early screenings have the potential to spark a sort of frenzy that only a few films are able to achieve. One of the clips that did the rounds on the internet and even went viral before the film’s release was the lead character in rain drenched in an alley and dressed in a crimson glow as a strange song recited the lines ‘Everything has a price’ in a whisper. There was a flood of memes on Instagram, chaotic TikTok edits depicting and even debates on Twitter concerning the film’s portrayal of romance and critique of violence.
Upon release, the audience interaction was electrifying. While a section of the audience appreciated the effort by the film to avoid spoon-feeding its viewers, it, the rest of the audience labeled it weak for its lack of plot. Nevertheless, discussions were fervent. There was a surge of fan theories on the use of mirrors and in particular, younger audiences related to the hostile world and the need to define oneself.
Choices Behind the Camera
The director’s indomitable vision led to a number of bold decisions that defined Straight Ruthless. Apart from the handheld cameras which added a jittery, restless energy to the protagonist, the director also employed the use of real locations for the films, at a point even at the expense of shooting in dangerous locations that real locals would sometimes interfere with shootings.
Backstage, things weren’t exactly a walk in the park. Disrupting the flow of the production were issues that arose from the major casting change. This included the replacement of the actor that had been originally cast to play the role of the rival, who backed out of the filming just a few weeks prior to its commencement. Although the cast replacement was a big risk, it was indeed a gamble; the actor’s sly intensity was a highlight in the film.
There were also concerns that the lead actor and the director had a rocky relationship. Internal sources revealed that the two would get into screaming matches over how likable the main character would be. The irony in this situation is that is those differences would actually be the ones that drove the performance – the actor’s smoldering vengeance added to the character an edge that no writer could dream up.
What Lingers After the Credits
The uniqueness of Straight Ruthless comes from the fact that it does not seek to artistically tie together its themes. It rather leaves the audience with questions to ponder. Does ambition corrupt inherently? Is there any form of loyalty in a world of power struggles? At what point does survival become a form of betrayal to oneself?
The film lingers because it captures not only gangsters and the underworld. It speaks to the common plight of people: to the struggles of young people seeking to make their mark; of aged mentors desperate to remain relevant; and of women struggling to breathe in a world that seeks to stifle their voice.
And perhaps that is the reason why Straight Ruthless, in its imperfect form, feels like more than just a movie. There is a certain quality in it that feels like a confession from its characters and actors. Perhaps it is the confession of the director himself. ‘I’ he seems to say, ‘I dared to create something jagged and unresolved in a world beset with an addiction to tidy conclusions.’
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