History Film / ColdInJuly

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Freddy Russell.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Jim Bob dresses rather colorfully, drives a car with bull horns on the front (it’s Texas) and has a rather boastful personality. But he’s a Korean War veteran, a skilled gunfighter and a crack private detective who helps uncover the full extent of [[spoiler: Freddy Russell’s crimes]].

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: Freddy]] may be a torturer and murderer, but he takes issue with one of his subordinates using an offensive term towards British people.

* FireForgedFriends: In an odd way, [[spoiler: Ben and Richard after Richard saves him from being hit by a train and proves he didn't kill his son.]]
* FromCamouflageToCriminal: Ben Russell is a Koran War veteran who ended up serving a pretty lengthy prison sentence. However, the film never tells us exactly what he went to jail for. [[spoiler:He makes use of his combat experience during the film’s climax.]]

* {{Irony}}: Russell, who's looking to avenge his son's death, [[spoiler: ends up killing him when he finds him in the end.]]

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Ben's son Freddy turns out to be alive and under the Witness Protection program.]]
* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler: After learning of his son’s heinous crimes, Ben swears that he will personally kill him. He succeeds. A rare occasion when this trope is portrayed in a somewhat positive light.]]

* RiddleForTheAges: the true identity of [[spoiler: the intruder Richard shot and killed]] is never discovered by any of the protagonists.
* SnuffFilm: [[spoiler: Freddy, who's under the Witness Protection program, films himself killing illegal immigrant prostitutes and sell the tapes with such labels as ''Batting Practice'']].
* SupportingProtagonist: The second half of the film has Richard mostly helping [[spoiler: Ben find out and ultimately kill his scumbag son.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse?: We never do find out [[spoiler:the identity of the burglar that Richard shot dead at the beginning of the film.]]

* BunnyEarsLawyers: Jim Bob dresses rather colorfully, drives a car with bull horns on the front (it’s Texas) and has a rather boastful personality. But he’s a Korean War veteran, a skilled gunfighter and a crack private detective who helps uncover the full extent of [[spoiler: Freddy Russell’s crimes]].