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The Ruthless

Name: The Ruthless
Director: Renato De Maria
Released: 2019
Duration: 111 min

Representation Score

3.0/10

Limited

2019

TV-MA

Director

Renato De Maria

Runtime

111 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film offers a sophisticated look at the socioeconomic divide in 1960s Italy. By focusing on the friction between Southern migrants and the Northern industrial landscape, it provides a meaningful critique of systemic failures and social mobility. However, the narrative is heavily skewed toward a male-dominated criminal underworld. This focus limits the scope of representation, particularly regarding gender and LGBTQ+ identities, which are absent from the established story arc. Ultimately, the work succeeds as a study of internal migration and ethnic identity. It uses the protagonist's descent into crime to explore the alienation experienced by the Southern Italian diaspora.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Ruthless have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on a male-dominated criminal underworld and familial migration. There is no evidence of LGBTQ+ or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.

How does The Ruthless portray gender?

Limited

The story centers on a male-dominated environment involving a brotherhood of crime. It lacks visible evidence of women's ability to drive the story or the subversion of masculine leadership.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Ruthless?

Good

The narrative provides depth regarding internal European migration by centering a Calabrian family in Milan. It highlights the systemic exclusion of Southern migrants.

How does The Ruthless represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film challenges traditional institutions by framing the legal system as corrupt. It portrays the family unit as a source of conflict rather than stability.

Does The Ruthless include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information available regarding the depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities within the work.

Present on Screen

Provides significant depth regarding internal European migration and ethnic identity.
Offers a nuanced critique of the legal system and systemic social failures.
Explores the complex socioeconomic pressures of the 1960s through a gritty lens.

Limited or Absent

Lacks visible women's ability to drive the story or representation within the central narrative.
Provides no evidence of LGBTQ+ or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
Focuses almost exclusively on a male-dominated criminal brotherhood.

Official Synopsis

Milan, Italy, 1967. Santo Russo, a boy of Calabrian origin, arrives north with his parents and younger brother to find better living conditions. Due to an absurd misunderstanding and his father's contempt, Santo ends up in prison, where he gets a “true education.” In 1978, he and his friends Slim and Mario embark on a 15-year criminal career, a successful and ruthless spiral of robberies, kidnappings, murders and heroin smuggling.

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