1 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/exception_to_the_rule_300x396.jpg]] |
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3 | ''Exception to the Rule'' is a Canadian DirectToVideo {{Thriller}} movie directed by [[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003941 David Winning]] and released in 1997. It was produced/distributed by Artisan Entertainment (later acquired by Creator/LionsGate) and Shavick Entertainment. |
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5 | Tim Bayer (Creator/EricMcCormack) is a diamond trader unhappily married to Angela (Creator/SeanYoung), who also happens to be the daughter of his boss Larry Kellerman (Creator/WilliamDevane). Despite seeking advice from his co-worker Ron and psychiatrist Dr. Beeson, Tim still feels his marital relationship is getting worse. |
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7 | When Tim meets the beautiful Carla Rainer (Creator/KimCattrall) it quickly leads to a passionate one night stand. Unfortunately for Tim, his "chance encounter" was not an accident. Carla turns out to be a scheming criminal intent on stealing a collection of diamonds from Larry's firm. And she will stop at nothing - including blackmail and murder - to achieve her goal. |
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9 | Screenshots and a spoiler-heavy trailer can be viewed on the film's [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119085 IMDB page]]. |
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11 | ---- |
12 | !!''Exception to the Rule'' contains examples of: |
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14 | * AndImTheQueenOfSheba: A literal example, used by Burt in response to Carla when she claims Tim is a willing participant in her scheme. |
15 | --> '''Carla:''' We're lovers, and the point of this is to clean out the father-in-law Larry. |
16 | --> '''Burt:''' Yeah, right. And I'm the Queen of fucking Sheba. |
17 | * AwfulWeddedLife: Tim and Angela's relationship is anything but happy. |
18 | * BigBad: [[FemmeFatale Carla Rainer]] is out to get a collection of diamonds from Diamond trader Tim Bayer's firm and is using him to do so. |
19 | * {{Blackmail}}: Carla videotapes a steamy encounter with Tim, and later uses it to blackmail him into doing her dirty work. |
20 | * BoomHeadshot: Carla's preferred method of execution. |
21 | * CaughtOnTape: |
22 | ** Carla uses video footage of Tim's affair to coerce him. Since this is a 1990s movie, an actual VHS tape is used. |
23 | ** A microcassette example late in the film: Tim [[spoiler: secretly records a conversation between himself and Carla using a HiddenWire to provide evidence to the police]]. |
24 | * ChekhovsGun: Several examples. |
25 | ** During a conversation with Carla, Angela mentions her fear of snakes. Guess what Carla leaves as a nasty surprise for Angela later on. |
26 | ** During another conversation in a women's restroom, Carla tells Angela about her half-heart tattoo on her leg, and mentions her lover has the other half. Later on [[spoiler: Angela notices an identical tattoo on Ron's chest, tipping her off he's in cahoots with Carla.]] |
27 | ** Angela's sculpture ''Blind Justice'' - a grotesque metal statue of a woman - appears in several scenes, with more than one shot focusing on a raised vertical arm. At the climax, [[spoiler: Carla falls onto the statue and is impaled on the sharp hand.]] |
28 | ** Subverted with Tim's dog, which repeatedly appears in scenes leading the viewer to think it will later play an important role. This never happens. |
29 | * ComeOutComeOutWhereverYouAre: The climax has the sadistic Carla searching for Angela in a darkened workshop. This comes with the obligatory taunts. |
30 | * CrazyPrepared: Carla has several plans to steal the diamonds |
31 | ** She murders an acquaintance in order to steal them in Johannesburg, but the local dealer has already passed them onto an employee of Larry's firm. |
32 | ** It's possible she attempts to steal them from Ferguson also, but Tim didn't bring the stones to the meeting. |
33 | ** Before she even meets Tim, Carla has already involved several men in her scheme - her blackmail of Tim was in effect a backup plan. |
34 | ** Or perhaps Carla just likes screwing the men in her life. She practically admits as much. |
35 | * DisneyVillainDeath: Diamond broker Ferguson falls to his death in San Francisco, pushed from a balcony by Carla (though we don't actually see her perform the deed). |
36 | * EvilAllAlong: Both [[spoiler: Dr. Beeson]] and [[spoiler: Ron]] turn out to be in league with Carla. Perhaps Tim should have chosen better friends. |
37 | * FemmeFatale: Carla is a particularly deadly one. |
38 | ** Her plot to blackmail Tim - and what follows - is the central focus of the story. |
39 | ** Ferguson - the San Francisco diamond broker - mentions he's expecting a "special kind of room service" moments before Carla bumps him off. This implies the two know each other, though it's possible Ferguson was referring to a third party. |
40 | ** Carla was one of [[spoiler: Dr. Beeson's patients]], and uses this relationship to blackmail him. |
41 | ** Carla and [[spoiler: Ron]] are secret lovers. |
42 | * GoryDiscretionShot: Happens during the opening sequence, when the screen fades to black just before Carla shoots a diamond dealer in the head. This also happens when she murders [[spoiler: her accomplice Ron]], though some blood spatter is shown. |
43 | * HellBentForLeather: Carla spends much of the movie wearing a leather jacket and gloves. |
44 | * HollywoodSilencer: Carla uses a silenced pistol to off several victims. And the silencer sound pre-empts a change of shot more than once. |
45 | * IHaveYourWife: When Carla's blackmail scheme doesn't work on Tim, she breaks into his house and [[HostageForMacGuffin holds Angela at gunpoint in exchange for the diamonds]]. |
46 | * ImprovisedWeapon: Happens several times during the climax. |
47 | ** Angela grabs a golf club to knock a pistol from Carla's hand. |
48 | ** Angela grabs a blowtorch during a struggle. And after the flame goes out, [[spoiler: she uses it as a club to knock Carla over a ledge.]] |
49 | * InertialImpalement: At the climax, Carla [[spoiler: falls onto a metal statue with a sharp upward-pointing hand]]. |
50 | * JackOfAllTrades: Burt Ramsey. In addition to being a nightclub owner and LoanShark, he also works as a PrivateDetective. |
51 | * MacGuffin: The collection of diamonds that Carla wants to steal from Tom and Larry. |
52 | * MsFanservice: In an early scene Carla is seen naked (from the rear and side), though the actress playing her is a body double. |
53 | * MyGodYouAreSerious: Late in the movie Carla shows up at Angela's house. The terrified wife manages to escape only to run into Ron. |
54 | --> '''Angela:''' There's a woman in the house. |
55 | --> '''Ron:''' Is she single? |
56 | * NotQuiteDead: An interesting subversion / example of misdirection when [[spoiler: Angela checks Carla's body]]. The shot implies the person will turn out to still be alive, but nothing happens except for a brief finger twitch. |
57 | * OhCrap: The diamond dealer in Johannesburg assumes Carla has shown up at his office for a dinner appointment. Until she pulls out a silenced pistol, and he makes a futile run for the exit. |
58 | * PlotArmor: At one point Carla has a clear shot at the pregnant Angela yet somehow misses - despite being portrayed as an expert markswoman prior to that. Lampshaded by her accomplice. |
59 | --> [[spoiler: '''Ron:''']] You're a lousy shot. |
60 | * PoisonIsEvil: Carla injects two victims with paralysing sea snake venom. The first time, we see only a sinister black gloved hand holding a syringe. The second time, we see Carla perform the injection ''and'' her sadistic reaction. |
61 | * PoliceAreUseless: Subverted with Detective Garcia, who quickly sees through Tim's lies and Carla's (admittedly rather poor) attempt to make a death look like an accident. |
62 | * PregnantBadass: Despite bearing a child ''and being taunted about it'', Angela puts up a real fight against the murderous Carla. |
63 | * PsychoticSmirk: Carla on several occasions. |
64 | ** During her late night meeting with Burt she smiles throughout the conversation - shortly before she injects him with snake venom. |
65 | ** She smiles evilly while listening in to a telephone conversation between a terrified Angela and her husband. |
66 | ** When Angela grabs a lit blowtorch to defend herself, Carla seems visibly worried. Then the flame goes out, and Carla smirks in triumph. [[spoiler: Which gives Angela the opportunity she needs to deliver the killer blow.]] |
67 | * {{Sadist}}: Carla definitely qualifies as one. |
68 | ** She has two methods of paralysing her victims: |
69 | *** A gunshot to the shoulder, then execution by headshot. This happens to an unnamed Johannesburg diamond dealer in the opening scene and [[spoiler: Ron]]. She later attempts to kill [[spoiler: Tim]] by the same method. |
70 | *** Injection with sea snake venom. This is the fate of diamond broker Ferguson and Burt Ramsey. |
71 | ** After she injects Burt with venom, she waves goodbye, douses him in alcohol, and licks the bottle. |
72 | * SnakesAreSinister: Carla really has a thing for serpents. Besides injecting victims with sea snake venom and wearing a glove bearing a shiny snake-like motif, she leaves a ''live snake'' as a 'present' for Angela. |
73 | * TheseGlovesAreMadeForKillin: [[FemmeFatale Carla Rainer]] has a fondness for wearing black leather gloves [[HellBentForLeather as well as a leather jacket]] whenever she's going to murder someone. |
74 | * TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Like most direct-to-video movies, most of the action sequences (and the fates of many characters) feature in the trailer. |
75 | * TrappedByGamblingDebts: Ron is heavily in debt to Burt, who sends thugs around to his office to remind him of this. |
76 | * TooDumbToLive: For such a streetwise man, Burt should have known better than to meet a leather-clad gloved woman at the edge of a cliff. Particularly since she's wearing a sinister smile and has her hands behind her back. |
77 | * TookALevelInBadass: Angela goes from being a whimpering wife to a real fighter at the climax. Tim also qualifies to an extent - an ordinary guy not afraid to take risks to save her. |
78 | * VillainOverForDinner: After Carla blackmails Tim, he attends a business meeting between him, Angela, Larry and a businesswoman name Suzanne from Saudi Arabia. This woman turns out to be Carla using an alias, which leads to a somewhat awkward conversation (as Tim doesn't want to reveal he knows Carla). |
79 | * WhamShot: After a late-night rendezvous Tim follows Carla to a motel, where she receives a visit from her co-conspirator [[spoiler: Dr. Beeson]]. |
80 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: |
81 | ** When [[spoiler: Dr. Beeson]] has a change of heart and decides to contact Tim, he's drowned in a bathtub by a masked assailant [[spoiler: later revealed to be Ron]]. |
82 | ** After [[spoiler: Ron]] fails to lure Angela out of hiding, Carla decides she no longer needs his help, shoots him in the shoulder, and then finishes him off with a headshot after first delivering a PreMortemOneLiner. |
83 | ---> '''Carla''': You're too much of a fuck up. I'll take it from here. |
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