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* ChekhovsGunman: The anonymous informant who tells Lasseter that the ULTRA program is being shutdown ends up being [[spoiler:Kruger, who has to step in at the end to clean up loose ends himself]].
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* AndTheAdventureContinues: The final scene has Mike [[spoiler:(now an official CIA operative) working with Phoebe to infiltrate and take down a Japanese mob syndicate, the resolution of which plays over the closing credits]].
* TheCameo[=/=]DeadStarWalking: [[spoiler:John Leguizamo appears for a grand total of two scenes as Ice (Mike's pot dealer), who shows up once to bring Mike [[ChekhovsGun some fireworks for his proposal to Phoebe]], and the second when they hide out at his house]]. He and his associates end up being [[MauveShirt anticlimactically massacred]] when TOUGHGUY operatives assault the house.
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: "I can't remember my life before I met Phoebe..."
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: {{Foreshadowing}}:
** "I can't remember my life before I met Phoebe...""
** The fact that [[spoiler:Phoebe is a crackshot with a gun]], despite never hinting that they were trained in weapons, serves to be a tipoff for the audience shortly before it's revealed that [[spoiler:she has CIA training]].
** "I can't remember my life before I met Phoebe...
** The fact that [[spoiler:Phoebe is a crackshot with a gun]], despite never hinting that they were trained in weapons, serves to be a tipoff for the audience shortly before it's revealed that [[spoiler:she has CIA training]].
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* ImprovisedWeapon: Over the course of the film, Mike uses a spoon, a frying pan, an axe and various kitchen implements to dispatch members of the TOUGHGUY program.
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* MauveShirt:
** Sheriff Watts, who questions Mike and Phoebe when they drive back from the aborted Hawaiian vacation, [[spoiler:dies by Crane's hand after stalling her to allow both of them to escape the police station]].
** [[spoiler:Rose and his crew]] also get killed off anticlimactically after [=TOUGHGUY=] agents raid their house.
* MeaningfulEcho: Mike's analogy about the "tree and car" comes back when Phoebe relates this back to him after being captured by Yates.
** Sheriff Watts, who questions Mike and Phoebe when they drive back from the aborted Hawaiian vacation, [[spoiler:dies by Crane's hand after stalling her to allow both of them to escape the police station]].
** [[spoiler:Rose and his crew]] also get killed off anticlimactically after [=TOUGHGUY=] agents raid their house.
* MeaningfulEcho: Mike's analogy about the "tree and car" comes back when Phoebe relates this back to him after being captured by Yates.
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* NotSoStoic: Yates' reaction after seeing the other CIA personnel pull out of the town when he's failed to kill Mike yet again.
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* OhCrap: Crane's reaction after Mike catches the grenade she throws and tosses it back to her.
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* SpottingTheThread: When Mike recovers from his near-fatal dose of toxic gas, [[spoiler:he asks Phoebe how she knew what the effects of it (and the antidote were). This leads to the reveal that she was a former CIA handler who fell in love with him and gave up her career to stay by his side]]. The character's weapon proficiency when they escape the house is also a tipoff to the audience that said character has HiddenDepths.
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->''"Babe, I just killed two people"''
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->''"Babe, I just killed two people"''people!"''
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->''"No I did not call the police because I have, like, a lot of weed and mushrooms in my car..."''
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing that certain someone to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
One part stoner-comedy, one part high-octane action flick, ''American Ultra'' is a 2015 film written by Creator/MaxLandis and starring Creator/JesseEisenberg, Creator/KristenStewart, Creator/TopherGrace, and Creator/JohnLeguizamo among others.
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing that certain someone to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
One part stoner-comedy, one part high-octane action flick, ''American Ultra'' is a 2015 film written by Creator/MaxLandis and starring Creator/JesseEisenberg, Creator/KristenStewart, Creator/TopherGrace, and Creator/JohnLeguizamo among others.
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''American Ultra'' is a 2015 comedy/action film starring Creator/JesseEisenberg and Creator/KristenStewart, about a pot-smoking convenience store clerk who find his world change in an instant with the discovery of dormant abilities.
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and
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* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Phoebe was Mike's handler and was originally just his girlfriend as a cover story, and was meant to return to the CIA after she got him settled in his new life. But she fell in love with him for real and decided to stay.]]
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* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Phoebe [[spoiler:Phoebe was Mike's handler and was originally just his girlfriend as a cover story, and was meant to return to the CIA after she got him settled in his new life. But However, she fell in love with him for real and decided to stay.]]stay]].
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* BigGood: Krueger. After a fashion.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler:Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler:Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
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* BigGood: Krueger. After Krueger, in a fashion.
way. [[spoiler:Yates authorizes the hunt on Mike without his authorization, and he appears near the end of the film to clean up loose ends. However, he spares Lasseter and allows her to use Mike as an operative]].
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler:Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates byher superior: she Krueger. She points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which future... which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]her]].
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler:Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by
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* DarkActionGirl: Crane, who goes with Laughter to assassinate Mike on Yates's orders. [[spoiler:She dies, Laughter doesn't.]]
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* DarkActionGirl: Crane, who goes with Laughter Laugher to assassinate Mike on Yates's orders. [[spoiler:She dies, Laughter doesn't.]]Laugher doesn't]].
* EarnYourHappyEnding: The film ends with Mike and Phoebe braving all manner of obstacles (including each of them being injured by Yates and his group), and the former proposing to the latter before Lasseter recruits him back to the CIA.
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* TheHandler: [[spoiler:Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]
to:
* TheHandler: [[spoiler:Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]revelation]].
* ImpaledPalm: [[spoiler:Mike gets stabbed through the hand with a screwdriver during the final fight with Laugher]].
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* NotWorthKilling: In the end, after a very vicious, dragged out fight, and right when he's held at gun-point, Mike decides to let [[spoiler:Laugher]] go. They went through a lot of similar ordeals, but Mike also discovers [[spoiler:Laugher]] has a lot less control over their personal situation. Whether that's a good reason or bad reason to let them live is debatable.
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* MomentKiller: Soon after [[spoiler:Mike proposes to Phoebe, both of them get tazed and knocked out by the county police who've assembled outside the site of the final fight]].
* NotWorthKilling: In the end, after a very vicious, dragged out fight, and right when he's held at gun-point, Mike decides to let [[spoiler:Laugher]] go. They went through a lot of similar ordeals, but Mike also discovers [[spoiler:Laugher]] has a lot less control over their personal situation. Whether that's a goodreason or bad reason to let them live is debatable.
* NotWorthKilling: In the end, after a very vicious, dragged out fight, and right when he's held at gun-point, Mike decides to let [[spoiler:Laugher]] go. They went through a lot of similar ordeals, but Mike also discovers [[spoiler:Laugher]] has a lot less control over their personal situation. Whether that's a good
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* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Lasseter helps Mike, despite knowing that what she's doing could qualify as treason.
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* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight:
** Lasseter helps Mike, despite knowing that what she's doing could qualify as treason.
** Lasseter helps Mike, despite knowing that what she's doing could qualify as treason.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:Laugher disappears after the final fight with Mike, and he is nowhere to be seen when Phoebe runs back to find him in the store]].
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* TriggerPhrase: "Chariot progressive listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo Choir has been breached, we are fielding the ball." Subverted in that Mike responds only with utter bafflement. [[spoiler: DoubleSubverted when, soon after, he effortlessly kills two assassins sent after him.]]
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* FreezeFrameBonus: In her first scene, Lasseter is looking over a document that is so heavily redacted that only four words are visible on the first page. The first two words are "car" and "melon". The next two (with significant space between them) are [[Franchise/HarryPotter "Harry" and "Potter"]].
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* FreezeFrameBonus: In her first scene, Lasseter is looking over a document that is so heavily redacted that only four words are visible on the first page. The first two It's only shown briefly, so it's easy to miss that the third and fourth words on the page (which are "car" and "melon". The next two (with significant space between them) not consecutive) are [[Franchise/HarryPotter "Harry" and "Potter"]].
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* FreezeFrameBonus: In her first scene, Lasseter is looking over a document that is so heavily redacted that only four words are visible on the first page. The first two words are "car" and "melon". The next two (with significant space between them) are [[Franchise/HarryPotter "Harry" and "Potter"]].
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Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing his that certain someone to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
to:
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing his that certain someone to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
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Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing his government handlers to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
to:
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing his government handlers that certain someone to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
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Changed line(s) 48 (click to see context) from:
* TooDumbToLive: Krueger's ''other'' justification for [[spoiler:executing Yates. You can see Lasseter visibly cringing the way Yates just digs his own grave telling Krueger he should be "thanking" Yates for going off the reservation and getting so many people killed, just to take one unsecured asset off the board.]]
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* TooDumbToLive: TooDumbToLive[=/=]StupidEvil: Krueger's ''other'' justification for [[spoiler:executing Yates. You can see Lasseter visibly cringing the way Yates just digs his own grave telling Krueger he should be "thanking" Yates for going off the reservation and getting so many people killed, just to take one unsecured asset off the board.]]
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Krueger's justfication for [[spoiler:executing Yates. Lasseter escapes a similar fate by invoking CantKillYouStillNeedYou.]]
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Krueger's other justfication for [[spoiler:executing Yates. Lasseter escapes a similar fate by invoking CantKillYouStillNeedYou.]]
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* DarkActionGirl: Crane, who goes with Laughter to assassinate Mike on Yates's orders. [[spoiler:She dies, Laughter doesn't.]]
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This Film provides examples of:
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!!This Film provides examples of:
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* ScaryTeeth: Laugher. Most of his top front teeth were knocked out. He's still holding onto them, though...
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* {{CIA}}: Anyone tied to the government in the film is [=CIA=], and the ULTRA program was a CIA-backed experiment. A few scenes are even set at the headquarters in Langley, VA. Yates himself takes the nickname of "The Company" a little too literally, operating more like an ambitious, young CorruptCorporateExecutive, than a professional government agent with respect for the rule of law.
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* TooDumbToLive: Krueger's ''other'' justification for [[spoiler:executing Yates. You can see Lasseter visibly cringing the way Yates just digs his own grave telling Krueger he should be "thanking" Yates for going off the reservation and getting so many people killed, just to take one unsecured asset off the board.]]
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Kruger's justfication for [[spoiler:executing Yates. Lasseter escapes a similar fate by invoking CantKillYouStillNeedYou.]]
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Kruger's Krueger's justfication for [[spoiler:executing Yates. Lasseter escapes a similar fate by invoking CantKillYouStillNeedYou.]]
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* AxCrazy: The one major flaw of both the WISEMAN and TOUGHGUY sub-programs of ULTRA, is that they inevitably led to psychological instability, if not outright madness. One tried to shy away from this outcome, the other found subjects that actively encouraged it.
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* AxCrazy: The one major flaw of both the WISEMAN and TOUGHGUY sub-programs of ULTRA, is that they inevitably led to psychological instability, if not outright madness. One tried to shy away from this outcome, the other found subjects that actively encouraged were already profiled for it.
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* BigBad: Yates.
* CatchAndReturn: Mike does this with a grenade thrown by Crane.
* TheDragon: Laugher probably counts, being the TOUGHGUY agent we see doing most of Yates' dirty work.
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* IdiotBall: Most of the CIA operators who decide that killing Mike, a ''highly-trained, virtually nigh-unstoppable super-soldier himself'', and obliterating any property he happens to be standing in, is a good idea. Simply because he keeps trying to leave his assigned, deep-cover holding zone. As a reminder, 1) Mike's training kicks in after activation only when he is threatened with physical violence, otherwise he is very meek and 2) Mike is still a U.S. citizen... on U.S. soil. Everything being done in this movie is ''highly illegal''.
to:
* IdiotBall: Most of the CIA operators who decide that killing Mike, a ''highly-trained, virtually nigh-unstoppable super-soldier himself'', and obliterating any property he happens to be standing in, is a good idea. Simply because he keeps trying to leave his assigned, deep-cover holding zone. As a reminder, 1) Mike's training kicks in after activation only when he is threatened with physical violence, otherwise he is very meek and 2) Mike is still a U.S. citizen... on U.S. soil. Everything being done in this movie is ''highly illegal''.illegal'', something that Lasseter [[spoiler: and Phoebe]] point out to [[StupidEvil Yates]] repeatedly.
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* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Yates doesn't seem to realize when he's beaten, nor when his (very tenuous) authority for running his own field ops has eroded from underneath him. As Phoebe says, "just give me up, that's all he wants!"
to:
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Yates doesn't seem to realize when he's beaten, nor when his (very tenuous) authority for running his own field ops has eroded from underneath him. As Phoebe says, "just give me up, that's all he wants!"wants!" His military troops, on the other hand, ditch town as soon as they realize how screwed they are.
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* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Lasseter helps Mike, despite knowing that what she's doing could qualify as treason.
** [[spoiler: Her assistant, Petey, is initially threatened with treason charges of his own by Yates into going along with him, but ultimately chooses to turn on him, refusing to initiate a drone strike on Yates' orders, with a "Fuck you!" for good measure.]]
** [[spoiler: Her assistant, Petey, is initially threatened with treason charges of his own by Yates into going along with him, but ultimately chooses to turn on him, refusing to initiate a drone strike on Yates' orders, with a "Fuck you!" for good measure.]]
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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Kruger's justfication for [[spoiler:executing Yates. Lasseter escapes a similar fate by invoking CantKillYouStillNeedYou.]]
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* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Phoebe was Mike's handler and was originally just his girlfriend as a cover story, and was meant to return to the CIA after she got him settled in his new life. But she fell in love with him for real and decided to stay.]]
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* SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat: After Lasseter activates Mike's buried training, all sorts of information starts flooding back to the forefront of his brain. Which without a full explanation is a bit... disconcerting.
-->'''Mike:''' Like, do you know what an M1 Abrams tank is? Because I know ''all'' about it. I could name like 50 tanks right now. When did I learn about tanks? And guns? And-
-->'''Mike:''' Like, do you know what an M1 Abrams tank is? Because I know ''all'' about it. I could name like 50 tanks right now. When did I learn about tanks? And guns? And-
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Changed line(s) 15 (click to see context) from:
* [[spoiler:CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
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* [[spoiler:CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter CantKillYouStillNeedYou: [[spoiler:Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
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* [[spoiler:TheHandler: Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]
* TheHandler: [[spoiler:Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]
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* XMeetsY: The plot could handily be summarized as ''PineappleExpress'' meets ''[[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]]''. With bits of ''TheManchurianCandidate'' for classic genre flavor.
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* XMeetsY: The plot could handily be summarized as ''PineappleExpress'' meets ''[[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]]''. With bits of ''TheManchurianCandidate'' for classic genre flavor.flavor.
----
----
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-->'''Victoria''': Chariot Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached. we are fielding the ball.
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-->'''Victoria''': Chariot Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached. we We are fielding the ball.
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* VerbalTic: Guess what Laugher is known for doing a lot of?
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* VerbalTic: Guess what Laugher is known for doing a lot of?of?
* XMeetsY: The plot could handily be summarized as ''PineappleExpress'' meets ''[[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]]''. With bits of ''TheManchurianCandidate'' for classic genre flavor.
* XMeetsY: The plot could handily be summarized as ''PineappleExpress'' meets ''[[Film/TheBourneSeries Jason Bourne]]''. With bits of ''TheManchurianCandidate'' for classic genre flavor.
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-->'''Victoria''': Chariot Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached.
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-->'''Victoria''': Chariot Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached. we are fielding the ball.
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* AnyoneCanDie: By the end of the film, [[spoiler:8 of the named characters we've been introduced to have been killed]].
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* HowWeGotHere: The movie starts with Mike in custody, legs and hands cuffed to a table, his face bloodied and beaten up, and an agent walks with a bevy of photos of various pieces of evidence, some obviously implements of violence. The story then backtracks how we arrived at this point.
to:
* HowWeGotHere: The movie starts with Mike in custody, legs and hands cuffed to a table, his face bloodied and beaten up, and an agent walks in with a bevy of photos of various pieces of evidence, some obviously implements of violence. The story then backtracks to how we arrived at this point.
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* IdiotBall: Most of the CIA operators who decide that killing Mike, a ''highly-trained, virtually nigh-unstoppable super-soldier himself'', and obliterating any property he happens to be standing in, is a good idea. Simply because he keeps trying to leave his assigned, deep-cover holding zone. As a reminder, 1) Mike's training kicks in after activation only when he is threatened with physical violence, otherwise he is very meek and 2) Mike is still a U.S. citizen... on U.S. soil. Everything being done in this movie is ''highly illegal''.
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* TheAce: According to Lasseter, Mike is actually the best result the ULTRA program ever achieved. While every other subject inevitably failed (in some fashion), he succeeded.
* AxCrazy: The one major flaw of both the WISEMAN and TOUGHGUY sub-programs of ULTRA, is that they inevitably led to psychological instability, if not outright madness. One tried to shy away from this outcome, the other found subjects that actively encouraged it.
* BigGood: Krueger. After a fashion.
* [[spoiler:CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The proposal fireworks.
* AxCrazy: The one major flaw of both the WISEMAN and TOUGHGUY sub-programs of ULTRA, is that they inevitably led to psychological instability, if not outright madness. One tried to shy away from this outcome, the other found subjects that actively encouraged it.
* BigGood: Krueger. After a fashion.
* [[spoiler:CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The proposal fireworks.
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* Doesn'tKnowWhenToFoldEm: Yates doesn't seem to realize when he's beaten, nor when his (very tenuous) authority for running his own field ops has eroded from underneath him. As Phoebe says, "just give me up, that's all he wants!"
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* [[spoiler: CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
to:
* [[spoiler: CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like KnowWhenToFoldEm: Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]doesn't seem to realize when he's beaten, nor when his (very tenuous) authority for running his own field ops has eroded from underneath him. As Phoebe says, "just give me up, that's all he wants!"
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* NotWorthKilling: In the end, after a very vicious, dragged out fight, and right when he's held at gun-point, Mike decides to let [[spoiler:Laugher]] go. They went through a lot of similar ordeals, but Mike also discovers [[spoiler:Laugher]] has a lot less control over their personal situation. Whether that's a good reason or bad reason to let them live is debatable.
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* CreativeClosingCredits: Mike's Apollo Ape comics come to life with music and color.
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* [[spoiler: TheHandler: Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]
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* [[spoiler: TheHandler: [[spoiler:TheHandler: Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]]]
* Doesn'tKnowWhenToFoldEm: Yates doesn't seem to realize when he's beaten, nor when his (very tenuous) authority for running his own field ops has eroded from underneath him. As Phoebe says, "just give me up, that's all he wants!"
* {{Foreshadowing}}: "I can't remember my life before I met Phoebe..."
* HowWeGotHere: The movie starts with Mike in custody, legs and hands cuffed to a table, his face bloodied and beaten up, and an agent walks with a bevy of photos of various pieces of evidence, some obviously implements of violence. The story then backtracks how we arrived at this point.
* IceCreamKoan: Mike's pot-induced parable of the Tree and the Car.
* Doesn'tKnowWhenToFoldEm: Yates doesn't seem to realize when he's beaten, nor when his (very tenuous) authority for running his own field ops has eroded from underneath him. As Phoebe says, "just give me up, that's all he wants!"
* {{Foreshadowing}}: "I can't remember my life before I met Phoebe..."
* HowWeGotHere: The movie starts with Mike in custody, legs and hands cuffed to a table, his face bloodied and beaten up, and an agent walks with a bevy of photos of various pieces of evidence, some obviously implements of violence. The story then backtracks how we arrived at this point.
* IceCreamKoan: Mike's pot-induced parable of the Tree and the Car.
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Victoria''': Cherry Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached.
to:
-->'''Victoria''': Cherry Chariot Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached.
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* SuperSoldier: The ULTRA Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent OneManArmy badasses. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.
to:
* SuperSoldier: The ULTRA Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent OneManArmy badasses. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.well.
* VerbalTic: Guess what Laugher is known for doing a lot of?
* VerbalTic: Guess what Laugher is known for doing a lot of?
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* [[spoiler: CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Lasseter invokes this to save herself from being executed like Yates by her superior: she points out that because the ULTRA program is in shambles, that makes Mike valuable in the future…which in turn makes ''her'' valuable, as this project was essentially her baby in the CIA. It spares her.]]
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* [[spoiler: TheHandler: Mike's girlfriend, Phoebe, is actually this for him. He's understandably deeply upset by this revelation.]]
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Deleted line(s) 12 (click to see context) :
* SuperSoldier: The Ultra Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent super soldiers. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* TheStoner: How Mike starts out, but very quickly subverted.
to:
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Whatever is handy, Mike will use it to end you if threatened. Including the utensil he was eating with.
-->'''Otis:''' He killed two operatives with a spoon, sir.
-->'''Yates:''' A fucking- SPOON!?
* ManchurianAgent: This might be how the ULTRA program is ''supposed'' to work, but when Victoria Lasseter first makes contact with Mike at the convenience store... He doesn't register anything she says as naught but gibberish.
-->'''Victoria''': Cherry Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached.
--> [''beat'']
-->'''Mike''': ...Is that a lyric from something?
* TheStoner: How Mike starts out, but very quickly subverted. Well, he still likes to get high a lot, he just strays from the more traditional beats.
* SuperSoldier: The ULTRA Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent OneManArmy badasses. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.
-->'''Otis:''' He killed two operatives with a spoon, sir.
-->'''Yates:''' A fucking- SPOON!?
* ManchurianAgent: This might be how the ULTRA program is ''supposed'' to work, but when Victoria Lasseter first makes contact with Mike at the convenience store... He doesn't register anything she says as naught but gibberish.
-->'''Victoria''': Cherry Progressive, listen. Mandelbrot set is in motion. Echo choir has been breached.
--> [''beat'']
-->'''Mike''': ...Is that a lyric from something?
* TheStoner: How Mike starts out, but very quickly subverted. Well, he still likes to get high a lot, he just strays from the more traditional beats.
* SuperSoldier: The ULTRA Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent OneManArmy badasses. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.
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->''"Babe, I just killed two people"''
->''"Did you call the cops?!"''
->''"No I did not call the police because I have, like, a lot of weed and mushrooms in my car..."''
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing his government handlers to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
One part stoner-comedy, one part high-octane action flick, ''American Ultra'' is a 2015 film written by Creator/MaxLandis and starring Creator/JesseEisenberg, Creator/KristenStewart, Creator/TopherGrace, and Creator/JohnLeguizamo among others.
This Film provides examples of:
----
*CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Much to Mike's own surprise, he can mix it up with the best of them. It's largely involuntary at first.
*SuperSoldier: The Ultra Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent super soldiers. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.
*ImprobableAimingSkills: At one part, Mike performs "the ol' frying pan bullet trick," reflecting a shot from a seated position on the floor, onto a thrown pan, and into someone positioned behind him. Basically shooting perpendicular. Even Mike is amazed it worked.
*TheStoner: How Mike starts out, but very quickly subverted.
->''"Did you call the cops?!"''
->''"No I did not call the police because I have, like, a lot of weed and mushrooms in my car..."''
Mike Howell is an average, everyday person who works a boring job at a convenience store, likes getting high with his girlfriend and pretty much enjoys a completely unexciting life... Except Mike is also secretly a highly-trained, highly dangerous special operative. He just doesn't remember any of this. And when someone tries to quietly retire him, his buried programming comes surging back with a vengeance, causing his government handlers to pull out all the stops to put him down for good. Even if it means leveling an entire small town to do it.
One part stoner-comedy, one part high-octane action flick, ''American Ultra'' is a 2015 film written by Creator/MaxLandis and starring Creator/JesseEisenberg, Creator/KristenStewart, Creator/TopherGrace, and Creator/JohnLeguizamo among others.
This Film provides examples of:
----
*CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Much to Mike's own surprise, he can mix it up with the best of them. It's largely involuntary at first.
*SuperSoldier: The Ultra Program was designed to make ordinary people into sleeper agent super soldiers. The 'sleeper agent' part might have worked too well.
*ImprobableAimingSkills: At one part, Mike performs "the ol' frying pan bullet trick," reflecting a shot from a seated position on the floor, onto a thrown pan, and into someone positioned behind him. Basically shooting perpendicular. Even Mike is amazed it worked.
*TheStoner: How Mike starts out, but very quickly subverted.
