History Film / Ricochet

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: After Styles is rescued after being drugged and kidnapped by Blake, at the hospital he is informed in the ER that he has "VD" based on his blood work. This is wrong on sooo many levels: First, the only [=STD=]s that show up on blood work are syphilis and HIV. Second, these are based on the body's antibody response, so it takes a while to turn positive, not overnight as in this scenario. Thirdly, doctors only run tests that are medically needed (or at least the ones they are sure they'll get paid for!).

* StalkerWithoutACrush: Blake

''Ricochet'' is a 1991 thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Creator/DenzelWashington, Creator/JohnLithgow, Creator/IceT and Kevin Pollak.

Nick Styles (Washington) is a young cop who is studying to became a lawyer so that he can help make his neighborhood better. Earl Talbot Blake (Lithgow) is a hitman who is taking a job to make it in the big leagues. Chance puts these against each other, and Styles walks away as a hero to the career he has sought while Blake is sent to prison with nothing. This leads to Blake becoming obsessed with Styles, and as he climbs the ladder of success, Blake follows every step, plotting his revenge. Years later, Styles has become the new District Attorney. Blake finally escapes from prison, and then starts a campaign to destroy his life.

* DrivenToSuicide: Farris' murder is staged to [[NeverSuicide look like he killed himself]], complete with a handwritten suicide note.
** [[spoiler:Styles pretends to kill himself in front of Blake, complete with a laundry list of things he was accused of doing, to lure him into a trap.]]

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Used as a plot point in-universe. Part of Blake's plan involves drugging Nick and videotaping him being forcibly raped by a female prostitute...but when he leaks the tape to the media (with dubbed-over sound), people take it as evidence of an extramarital affair. Even Nick's wife initially refuses to believe that it wasn't consensual.
** If the audience hadn't seen the original rape scene (and the completely innocent scene the dubbed dialogue came from), they wouldn't know it wasn't consensual. It isn't really a double standard since people watching the tape have no way of knowing it's rape.

'''''Ricochet''''' is a 1991 thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Creator/DenzelWashington, Creator/JohnLithgow, Creator/IceT and Kevin Pollak.

* TheCastShowoff: Early on, Nick's partner Larry Doyle (played by Kevin Pollak) does his [[Series/StarTrek James T. Kirk]] impression.

->''"I mean, there we were, both of us, at the beginning of our careers. And all of a sudden one of us took off, lit up the sky like a meteor! And why? Because he met the other."''

'''''Ricochet''''' is a 1991 thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy.

Nick Styles (DenzelWashington) is a cop who is studying to became a lawyer so that he can help his neighborhood better. Earl Talbot Blake (JohnLithgow) is a hitman who is taking a job to make it in the big leagues. Chance puts these against each other, and Styles walks away as a hero to the career he has sought and Blake is sent to prison with nothing. This leads to Blake becoming obsessed with Styles, and as he climbs the ladder of success, Blake follows every step plotting his revenge.

Years later, Styles has become the new District Attorney. Blake finally escapes from prison, and then starts a campaign to destroy his life.

* AnswersToTheNameOfGod: "Almost."
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: After Styles is rescued after being drugged and kidnapped by Blake, at the hospital he is informed in the ER that he has "VD" based on his blood work. This is wrong on sooo many levels: First, the only [=STD=]s that show up on blood work are syphilis and HIV. Second, these are based on the body's antibody response, so it takes a while to turn positive, not overnight as in this scenario. Thirdly, doctors only run tests that are medically needed (or at least the ones they are sure they'll get paid for!)
* BigBad: Blake
* BigNo: Blake lets out one when he thinks that Styles has killed himself, which would ruin his plans.
* BondOneLiner: "You got the point now, don't you [[spoiler:Blake?]]"

* TheCastShowoff: Early on, Nick's partner, played by Kevin Pollak, does his [[Series/StarTrek James T. Kirk]] impression.

* ClearMyName

* [[CrucifiedHeroShot Crucified Dragon Shot]]: Kim

* DrivenToSuicide: Farris' murder is staged to [[NeverSuicide look like he killed himself]], complete with a handwritten suicide note.
** [[spoiler: Styles pretends to kill himself in front of Blake, complete with a laundry list of things he was accused of doing, to lure him into a trap.]]

* EmbarrassingNickname: In-universe. The DA is called "Priscilla the Hun." Nick himself is "PK" (PreachersKid). Subverted with Nick, who says it's a badge of honor.
* EvilRedhead: Blake

* {{Filth}}: After killing Farris, Blake plants child pornography on his belongings.

* {{Gaslighting}}: Blake used a form of this on Nick with the sex video and the swimming pool.

* GroinAttack: Blake kicks Chekowski's groin during the fight which happens when Blake becomes his cellmate.

* ItsPersonal

* MalcolmXerox: Nick is watching a talk show on TV when a man argues with the host about an evil conspiracy that supposedly befell Styles and was meant to bring him down. Nick just chuckles. Funnier yet, considering who DenzelWashington would play [[Film/MalcolmX about a year later]]...

* OneWordTitle
* QuipToBlack: "News at eleven? Nahhh!" (Switches video camera off). Subverted after the screen goes to black: "Styles, you can't do that, we're live!" "We're live now, huh? Good. Gail, kiss my ass!"

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Larry, Nick's partner]].

* StalkerWithACrush: Blake

* WorthyOpponent [=/=] PetTheDog: Blake shows some sympathy to Styles when he eavesdrops his live call to the talk show.

* BondOneLiner: "He got the point, didn't he?"

* HeroAntagonist: Wiley (the DA's right-hand man), who doesn't seem to like Nick very much to begin with. And Gail Wallens.

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Nick's partner]].

* WorthyOpponent / PetTheDog: Blake shows some sympathy to Styles when he eavesdrops his live call to the talk show.

'''''Ricochet''''' is a thriller film from the year 1991.

Nick Styles (DenzelWashington) is a cop, who is studying to became a lawyer so that he can help his neighbourhood better. Earl Talbot Blake (JohnLithgow) is a hitman, who is taking a job to make it in the big leagues. Chance puts these against each other, and Styles walks away as a hero to the career he has sought, and Blake is sent to prison with nothing. This leads to Blake becoming obsessed with Styles, and as he climbs the ladder of success, Blake follows every step plotting his revenge.

* AndYourLittleDogToo: Blake tells a probation officer that after being released, he'd pay a visit to fuck tha man's wife, his daughter and maybe even his dog
* AnswersToTheNameOfGod: "Almost"
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: After Styles is rescued after being drugged and kidnapped by Blake, at the hospital he is informed in the ER that he has "VD" based on his bloodwork. This is wrong on sooo many levels: First, the only [=STD=]s that show up on bloodwork are syphillis and HIV. Second, these are based on the body's antibody response, so it takes a while to turn positive, not overnight as in this scenario. Thirdly, doctors only what tests are medically needed (or at least the ones they are sure they'll get paid for!)
* BigBad: Blake.

* CallBack: Blake and Styles arm wrestling each other.

* ClimbingClimax: Styles lures Blake into the unfinished child center grounds for the climax, where they start climbing the thing while fighting.
* CruelMercy: Blake's response to Styles' question "Why don't you just kill me?" is a [[AffablyEvil laugh]] and "I don't wanna kill you, I wanna kill your life!"
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Used as a plot point in-universe. Part of Blake's plan involves drugging Nick and video-taping him being forcibly raped by a female prostitute...but when he leaks the tape to the media (with dubbed-over sound) people take it as evidence of an extramarital affair. Even Nick's wife initially refuses to believe that it wasn't consensual.

* EmbarrassingNickname: In-universe. The DA is called "Priscilla the Hun." Nick himself is "PK", preacher's kid. Subverted with Nick, who says it's a badge of honor.
* EvilRedhead: Blake.

* {{Frameup}}

* HostageSituation
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Blake falls from a tower and is impaled.
* ImprovisedArmor: The combatants in the prison swordfight are given armor made of books and ducttape.
* IntercontinuityCrossover: News anchor [[Film/DieHard Gail Wallens]]
* IntoxicationEnsues: Nick became a jittery, rambling mess of a man after Blake and his minion injected him with drugs.

* MalcolmXerox: Nick is watching a talk show on TV when a man argues with the host about an evil conspiracy that supposedly befell Styles and was meant to bring him down. Nick just chuckles. Funnier yet, considering who Denzel Washington would play [[Film/MalcolmX about a year later]]...

** It's not immediately obvious, but the name probably refers to the fact that Styles' actions (taking down Blake), rebounded on him later.
* NotHelpingYourCase: Nick rambles on and on to his wife about what he did or didn't do to keep the prostitute away; comes running out of the house like a madman upon seeing Blake's video and pulls a gun in front of a bunch of kids, assaulting a clown; goes on a stammering tirade after the DA confronted him about the sex tape and the assault on the clown (watch Priscilla's face as Nick talks about "water in the pool"). He's paranoid, stressed out, intoxicated, and should be laying low during the DA's office investigation, but noooo...

* PantsPositiveSafety: Styles's hidden gun in his underwear.

* SacrificialLion: Nick's partner.

** "[[Film/WhiteHeat Made it Ma! Top of the world!]]"
** The Aryan swordfight, to ''{{Film/Highlander}}''

* SwordFight: Aryan Bortherhood arranges a swordfight between Blake and Chekowski in prison.

* VillainousBreakdown: Begins when the crackhouse blows up and continues when Kim calls him out at the end.
* WorthyOpponent[=/=]PetTheDog: Blake shows some sympathy to Styles when he eavesdrops his live call to the talk show.

* WorthyOpponent/PetTheDog: Blake shows some sympathy to Styles when he eavesdrops his live call to the talk show.

* HeroAntagonist: The DA's right-hand man, who doesn't seem to like Nick very much. And Gail Wallens.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Blake falls from a tower and is impaled.

* NotHelpingYourCase: Nick rambles on and on to his wife about what he did or didn't do to keep the prostitute away; goes on a stammering tirade after the DA confronted him about the drugs and VD in his system (watch Priscilla's face as Nick talks); comes running out of the house like a madman upon seeing Blake's video and pulls a gun in front of a bunch of kids. He's paranoid, stressed out, and should be laying low during the DA's office investigation, but noooo...

** The Aryan swordfight, to ''Film/Highlander''

* {{Gaslighting}}: Blake used a form of this on Nick with the sex video and the empty pool.

* IronicEcho: With arm wrestling instead of words for a change.

* ShootTheDog: When he escaped, Blake killed the library guy, who was harmless.

* ClimbingClimax: Styles lures Blake into the unfinished child center grounds for the climax., where they start climbing the thing while fighting.

* FakingTheDead: After escaping from prison, Blake fakes his death.

* AndYourLittleDogToo: Syles tells a probation officer that after being released, he'd pay a visit to fuck tha man's wife, his daughter and maybe even his dog

* CruelMercy: Blake's response to Styles' question "Why don't you just kill me?" is a [AffablyEvil laugh]] and "I don't wanna kill you, I wanna kill your life!"

* MismatchedEyes: Blake's bad eye.

->"I mean, there we were, both of us, at the beginning of our careers. And all of a sudden one of us took off, lit up the sky like a meteor! And why? Because he met the other."
->-- '''Earl Talbot Blake'''

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: After Styles is rescued after being drugged and kidnapped by Blake, at the hospital he is informed in the ER that he has "VD" based on his bloodwork. This is wrong on sooo many levels: First, the only STDs that show up on bloodwork are syphillis and HIV. Second, these are based on the body's antibody response, so it takes a while to turn positive, not overnight as in this scenario. Thirdly, doctors only what tests are medically needed (or at least the ones they are sure they'll get paid for!)