“The Ruse” Lives Up to Its Title

The Ruse (Steven Mena, 2024) 2 out of 5 stars

Titling a movie is a delicate endeavor. When I was in film school, I often found the most difficult part of the production was coming up with its title. How can one possibly find just a few words—or, in some instances, just one word—to describe a series of numerous events? If I had struggles coming up with titles for short films, I can only imagine how hard it could be to create one for a feature.

That said, there are a few helpful tips that have guided me and others in giving the perfect title to a film. It should attempt to describe the overall plot, but for some films—most notably, those that have many twists and turns—it’s generally a good idea not to reveal those in the name. A subtle title that seems to mean nothing on the surface but then is later revealed to connect to the plot could work. However, an on-the-nose title that gives away a major twist in the story is seldom a bright idea.

Why so much talk about titles? Well, director Steven Mena’s The Ruse offers a curious title on the surface. When one reads the plot synopsis, however, one can imagine how things might turn out; and they’re right, until they aren’t, until they are again. We’ll get into a bit of that later. From a general viewpoint, the filmmakers do deceive the audience into believing that The Ruse will play out in a different manner than they initially thought, but in the end, it doesn’t.

Dale (Madelyn Dundon, Lucky Louie) is a down-on-her-luck caregiver with a poor professional track record. She jumps at an opportunity her agency gives her to oversee the care of an elderly woman named Olivia (Veronica Cartwright, of 1970s and ‘80s horror-movie fame). Once Dale arrives at the remote seaside home in which Olivia resides, she begins to experience strange phenomena: odd noises, doors opening and closing around the house, and other bumps in the night.

Dale begins to fear for her life when she learns that the last caregiver has mysteriously disappeared, leaving many of her belongings at the home. With no trace of Olivia’s previous caretaker, and rumors about a ghost that lives in the house, Dale begins to worry. Will she meet the same fate as the previous caregiver? 

Where The Ruse undeniably succeeds is in presenting the difficulties of taking care of an elderly, senile person. Cartwright turns in an exceptional performance as Olivia, a sometimes sweet, other times bitter old lady who has severe memory loss. She is occasionally lucid, but often incoherent. Dale’s task of performing her duties is made all the more challenging by Olivia’s constant needs and faltering grip on reality.

Unfortunately, while Olivia is quite the compelling character, our protagonist is not. As Olivia mentions early on, Dale is quite plain. She’s not very emotive; in fact, she is monotone and downright dull. We only know a little of her past, but that doesn’t add anything interesting to her character. Dundon’s performance is fine, as are the other performances in the film.

For the majority of its runtime, The Ruse is plain and run-of-the-mill, just like Dale. There’s some intrigue in the mystery of a few strange happenings around the house, but the characters outside of Olivia are so one-dimensional that you don’t quite care about them enough. The third act reveals a few twists that definitely raise some eyebrows, but it is here that the film falters most of all.

As The Ruse goes through its motions, it will keep most viewers’ attention, even if just minimally, by the promise of the title and the notion of an upcoming twist. There are certainly a few twists that help the audience stay invested, and then a large reveal that wholeheartedly captivates. The filmmakers should have stopped there, though. Sadly, they do not, as another larger twist is revealed near the film’s conclusion that undoes everything the earlier (better) twist set up, accompanied by an overly long, completely unnecessary exposition-dump akin to the ending of a Scooby Doo episode.

Overall, The Ruse fools the audience. The driving force of the film is the false promise of an inventive, original turn in the plainly laid-out events. We even think for a moment that we are right and that the payoff is worth the wait. Instead, we get a more ordinary and unexciting conclusion. In the end, the film’s final twist is as obvious as they come. The Ruse lives up to its name for all the wrong reasons.

Matt Patti

Matt Patti has enjoyed voicing his opinions on films from a young age. He has lived in the Baltimore, Maryland, area since 2015 and is a graduate of Stevenson University’s Film & Moving Image program. Matt is currently back at Stevenson University, working as the School of Design, Arts, and Communication's Studio Manager.