After being taken in by richer neighbors he started to exhibit an obsessive and selfish urge to make more and more money, loving and leaving women at will to further this end.

At the time of its release, the staff at Variety magazine panned the film: "Despite a sextet of name players, Ruthless is a victim of clichéd and outmoded direction and of weary dialog to which no actor could do justice.

Diana Lynn, in a dual role, is wistful and appealing as a pawn in Scott’s affections.

It has excellent performances by a cast of not-quite big stars, some of them recently relieved of studio contracts.

Its main player is the biggest surprise: Zachary Scott gives the performance of his career ... Ruthless is the Edgar G. Ulmer picture that shows him operating with a decent set of cinematic Tinkertoys, and he does very well indeed.