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A 2004 flim directed by Ernest Dickerson and based on the 1974 novel by Donald Gaines. King David(DMX) comes back to New York City to make amends after ripping off a drug dealer Moon(Clifton Powell) He runs into a journalist at a bar named Paul(David Arquette). David is shortly murdered by one of Moon henchmen named Mike(Michael Ealy), before dying he leaves Paul his last wish for a proper burial. Paul learn more about the life of King David through his audiotapes and the real reason he came back into town.
Tropes in Never Die Alone
- Asshole Victim: Moon who sent henchmen to kill Mike & Blue for ruining the deal with David ends up shot to death by Mike. King David for how he gets women hooked on heroin and spike it if they threaten to call the cops on him. David is stabbed to death by Mike as one of the women he gave a hotshot to was his mother Edna.
- Bait-and-Switch: During a flashback David goes to see Edna after her threats and her wanting heroin, David opens his arms for a hug, but when Edna comes close he slaps her hard to the ground. While listening to the last audio of David recording, Paul is ambushed by one of Moon's henchmen at gunpoint. As Paul begs for his life the camera cuts to Paul shirt when a gunshot is fired and blood splatters on it, but it's the henchmen blood who is shot by Mike from a distance which saves Paul life.
- Boom, Headshot!: Blue is killed in this manner while wounded from being stabbed in the eye by David. His head explodes from a shotgun blast by Moon's henchman.
- Break the Cutie: Juanita as she's a attractive 20 year old who was going to college to become an social worker, David wanted a life with her but she insulted him on how retiring on a quarter million dollars isn't enough, so he switches her cocaine with heroin and three months later she comes back to him strung out. To pay for her fix she lets David sodomize her while crying in pain, and later threatened to call the cops if he doesn't pay for rehab. He spiked her heroin with battery acid and in a flashback montage with the aftermath of the on screen characters she's in the bathroom dead from an overdose with foam coming from her mouth and her eyes wide open with a syringe in her arm.
- Cool Car: David drives a Stutz Blackhawk, and he leaves it to Paul through the gurney who doesn't give it to the police for evidence along with his jewelry and cash. And Paul gives it to Mike as the cops are responding to the gunshots of two Moon henchmen Mike shot.
- Dead Star Walking: David played by DMX the opening scene is him in the casket.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Ella dies in Mike's arms after being shot when she ran and stop in the middle of a parking lot garage, when Moon gunmen turned his gun on her from aiming at mike.
- Drugs Are Bad: How heroin destroy lives from Janet, an actress on a TV Show who was fired for being unreliable due to her heroin use which David intentionally switch out her cocaine and he ends up ditching her for Juanita a college student with a good family who became strung out, and Edna in a flashback and later in the reveal as Mike & Ella's mother.
- Dying Wish: When being driven to the hospital by Paul, David wish is to be buried properly. At the end of the movie after learning how horrible David was he has him cremated and the flames of the oven representing him going to hell as his corpse in the box descends down.
- Eye Scream: Blue is stabbed in the eye by David with a dropped ice pick after Blue stops Mike from continuing stabbing David cause of witnesses at the bar are watching.
- Faux Affably Evil: David turns on the charms on women he's attracted to, but he gets them addicted to his drugs, and ditch them when he has no use for them.
- Flashback: David recorded several of audiotapes and the audience get a picture version of them as he narrates his experiences.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Mike has a noticeable scar on his face when Moon reveals that David is back in town. In a flashback later in the movie David smashed a bottle across his cheek when he came to Edna defense when David slapped her.
- I Warned You: Before the deal with David, Moon warns Mike & Blue not to harm David but knows this upsets Mike and Blue calls Moon out for this. In Moon words he wanted to see how Mike do under pressure, and tells him don't make him regret this.
- Leave No Witnesses: Paul unknowingly gets a hit put on him by Moon cause he drove David to the hospital, Moon henchmen are looking all over the city for him.
- Missed Him by That Much: Paul goes back to the bar for a drink after David death. The bar owner alerts Moon hitmen that Paul is there, but Paul doesn't stay long as he drives off while the hitmen arrive a second later.
- Redemption Equals Death: David who came back to New York to settle a debt with Moon and to get to know his son is stabbed to death by Mike. In the reveal it is Mike who is grown up was his son all along as Paul who revealed it to him.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Moon put a hit out Mike and Blue which gets Blue and his sister Ella killed in the crossfire. He follows Moon to a bathhouse and kills him there.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: David leaves New York for Los Angeles after not paying Moon and later in the movie for spiking Edna heroin that causes a fatal seizure.
