History Film / IfLooksCouldKill

* ChekhovsGun: HotScientist Vendetta Galante presents Michael with a tuxedo fitted with "standard hands-up protection." Later, upon being cornered by two of Steranko's {{Mooks}} while in the tux, Michael is told, "Put up your hands." He complies. HilarityEnsues as knockout gas sprays from the armpits of the tux.

* XRayVision: Built into the sunglasses. He uses it to cheat at the casino to see the next card, before being told to stop looking degenerate.

* HellishCopter: Steranko's getaway helicopter randomly crashes, and then the entire rotor section comes off and, still spinning, ''[[HelicopterBlender chases after the heroes]]''.

* ProvisedWeapon: A tea tray is used to murder the French finance minister.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Michael fires around a corner without looking and hits one of the villain's {{Mooks}} ''dead center'' in the chest. Somehow.

-->'''Michael:'''I'm not afraid to die. I'm not afraid to die. Who am I kidding?

--->'''Lafevre''': France's gold must remain in France.\\

* YouKilledMyFather: Mariska, Blade's daughter, says this to Steranko, although it was actually Ilsa who killed him, and in an example of BondVillainStupidity, Ilsa ''tells'' her.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Michael fires around a corner without looking and hits a goon ''dead center'' in the chest. Somehow.

* PsychopathicManChild: Zigesfeld. He's very feral and violent (to the point of having an AmbiguousDisorder) and rarely speaks except to growl, and also behaves like a little boy around Ilsa, who he seems to regard as some kind of mother figure.

* PsychopathicManChild: Zigesfeld.

* ChekhovsGun: HotScientist Vendetta Galante presents Michael with a tuxedo fitted with "standard hands-up protection." Later, upon being cornered by two of Steranko's goons while in the tux, Michael is told, "Put up your hands." He complies. HilarityEnsues as knockout gas sprays from the armpits of the tux.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Steranko's goons.

** Additionally, the German finance minister, upon learning of Steranko's evil plan (because ''[[EvilGloating Steranko tells him]]''), boldly threatens, "I'll tell the world!" While ''in Steranko's house''. Surrounded by ''Steranko's goons''. Small wonder he's last seen getting dragged off to an implied offscreen demise.

* InferredHolocaust: Although the immediate problem of the villain is handled by the film's climax, there's the somewhat major issue of all the gold he stole from France, Germany and other European countries and melted down. Namely, that it was in his mansion when it exploded. There's a strong possibility that Europe could suffer economic crises as a result.
** There is also the matter of the "other" Michael Corben and what will happen to our young hero when his true identity is found out. The movie ends with him basically implying he isn't the Corben they thought all along. When (and if) it is eventually discovered that the ''real'' Agent Corben was killed in Detroit, Michael could potentially face serious consequences for willfully duping the intelligence agencies of no less than three different countries.
*** Most likely they'll offer him a job since this is Martini-flavored spycraft.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Steranko is [[Film/RobinHoodMenInTights The Sheriff of Rottingham]].
** Ilsa is the principal from ''Film/KindergartenCop''.
** [[LandOfTheDead Kaufman's butler]] appears as Agent Kramer.
** Mariska is [[BurnNotice Fiona Glenanne]] meaning Mr. Corben would not be the last spy named Michael she'd be working with.

* BrilliantButLazy: Michael is consistently shown to be a bright and clever young man, however never lives up to his full potential due to his desire to slack off.

* [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Stung By Her Own Scorpion]]: Steranko, who ends up dying by [[spoiler: being buried alive by the tons of gold coins he just ''had'' to overload his helicopter with]].

* DiabolicalMastermind: Augustus Sterano.

* [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Stung By Her Own Scorpion]]: Areola
** Also Steranko, who ends up dying by [[spoiler: being buried alive by the tons of gold coins he just ''had'' to overload his helicopter with]].

Mostly forgotten 1991 film in which (barely) high school graduate Michael Corben of Detroit goes on a class trip to France and winds up being mistaken for an American CIA agent of the same name who is killed at the airport. Upon arrival he is immediately shanghaied into service by British Intelligence and tasked with stopping a [[BigBad madman]] from conquering all of Europe.

* BigBad: Augustus Steranko.

* CreatorCameo: Director William Dear as a scientist.

* DeathByCameo: Singer Roger Daltrey appears as superspy Blade long enough to get his butt handed to him by [[KindergartenCop Linda Hunt]] as Ilsa, who kills him using a [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome necklace that unfurls into a whip]].

** Steranko is [[RobinHoodMenInTights The Sheriff of Rottingham]].
** Ilsa is the principal from ''KindergartenCop''.

* CoolCar: The red Lotus Esprit.

*TheUnfavorite: Michael's parents (his father especially) clearly prefer his younger brother Brad. However, they don't treat him badly and his father tells him he loves him and just wishes he'd be more productive.

* FauxActionGirl: Blade's daughter Mariska. She displays some skill and intelligence early only, only to revert to helpless damsel mode the minute she and Michael are nabbed, including allowing a perverted goon to feel her up. She does later grab a machine gun to shoot at Steranko's helicopter but by then the damage has been done.

* BrokenAesop: Michael gets the credit for his French class because he rescued his teacher, not because of any actual schoolwork. He never learns a single word of French despite spending almost the entire movie ''in France''.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: Areola Canasta's pet scorpion is portrayed by an emperor scorpion, which are harmless enough to be sold in pet stores throughout the world. The movie asks us to believe it is in fact a deadly poisonous one.
** YMMV and FridgeLogic: Who in their right mind would pay the money for and use a poisonous scorpion for only one scene in a movie when the scene is "someone gets stung"?