History Film / MercyStreets

* DartboardOfHate: Downplayed: In John StalkerShrine, one picture of Jeremiah is affixed to the bulletin board with a single dart to the forehead.

* FishOutOfWater: After they switch places, John and Jeremiah have a fair amount of trouble adapting to one another's lifestyles. John has a somewhat easier time of it: he has no trouble ''faking'' righteousness, but Jeremiah is deeply unwilling to participate in a crime.

* JustGotOutOfJail: The film opens with the main John being released from prison. Later in the story, [[spoiler:Jeremiah [[FallGuy takes a fall for him]]]] so he won't be a two-time loser.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: {{Averted}}:
-->"If you're a priest, how come you get to have a girlfriend?"\\
"I'm Episcopal, not Catholic."

* DartboardOfHate: Almost. One of John's pictures of Jeremiah is affixed to the bulletin board with a single dart to the forehead.

The story begins with a small-time ConMan named John (David White) being released from prison, whereupon his mentor, Rome (Eric Roberts), tries to talk him into doing OneLastJob. Instead, John rips off the seed money, hoping to invest it in a legitimate real-estate deal. When Rome discovers the deception, John flees, accidentally loses the money, and desperately seeks out his estranged twin brother, Jeremiah (also played by White).

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Jeremiah's religious superior, Father Dan.

* QuickChange: While grooming Jeremiah to replace his brother, Rome tries to teach him how to do this.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* FunnyAnsweringMachine: "Leave me a message... or else."

As John improvises his way through this unfamiliar milieu, his priorities gradually change: first he's focused on raising money to go through with the land deal; then he's taken with Sam and patches things up with her on Jeremiah's behalf; then his anger at Jeremiah for abandoning him to apparant death when they were teenagers resurfaces, and he seeks revenge by verbally abusing Sam to alienate her and "confessing" to his own murder in an attempt to sabotage Jeremiah's career.

* FunnyAnsweringMachine: "Leave me a message . . . or else."

Before the brothers can meet, Rome abducts Jeremiah, believing him to be John -- and John decides to pose as Jeremiah. A few things complicate this: Jeremiah is a preacher, his housemate is a policeman, and his girlfriend, Sam, just rejected his marriage proposal.

%%* FishOutOfWater

%%* GenderBlenderName: Sam.

%%* TheMoralSubstitute

* PlethoraOfMistakes: Interesting in that even inconsequential details seen during the MissionBriefing, but never mentioned in the voiceover, go wrong in reality -- the edges of the blank paper turn out to be a slightly different color than those of the bills, and TJ's tattoos are not completely hidden.

The story begins with a small-time ConMan named John (David White) being released from prison, whereupon his mentor, Rome (Eric Roberts), tries to talk him into doing OneLastJob. Instead, John rips off the seed money, hoping to invest it in a legitimate real-estate deal. When Rome discovers the deception, John flees, loses the money, and desperately seeks out his estranged twin brother, Jeremiah (also played by White).

As John improvises his way through this unfamiliar milieu, his priorities gradually change: first he's focused on raising money to go through with the land deal; then he's taken with Sam and patches things up with her on Jeremiah's behalf; then his anger at Jeremiah [[spoiler:for abandoning him to apparant death when they were teenagers]] resurfaces, and he seeks revenge by [[spoiler:verbally abusing Sam to alienate her and "confessing" to his own murder in an attempt to sabotage Jeremiah's career]].

* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: The criminals smoke (John cigarettes, Rome cigars); the good guys don't. And [[spoiler:in the last scene the reformed John [[OralFixation chews on a toothpick]], implying that he's quit]].

%%* PolarOppositeTwins: John and Jeremiah

* QuickChange: While grooming Jeremiah to replace his brother, Rome tries to teach John how to do this.

* ActingForTwo: Both twins are played by David A.R. White.

%%* ActingForTwo
* AngstySurvivingTwin: A slight variant in the backstory; [[spoiler:Jeremiah felt guilty because he ''believed'' John to be dead]].
%%* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Father Dan.
%%* BadHabits

%%* {{Bookends}}

%%* QuickChange

%%* TattooedCrook: TJ.

* WickedCultured: Rome seems to be ''trying'' for this, particularly in his obsession with cooking.

* ActingForTwo

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Father Dan.
* BadHabits
* BloodFromTheMouth
* {{Bookends}}

* TheCon

* CriminalDoppelganger

* DoubleVision
* FishOutOfWater

* GenderBlenderName: Sam.

* GunsAkimbo

* TheMoralSubstitute

* PrinceAndPauper
* OneLastJob

* PolarOppositeTwins: John and Jeremiah
* QuickChange
* ScaryBlackMan: Tex.

* TattooedCrook: TJ.
* WhatIsEvil
* WickedCultured: Rome seems to be ''trying'' for this, particularly in his obsession with cooking.

* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: The criminals smoke (John cigarettes, Rome cigars); the good guys don't. And [[spoiler:in the last scene the reformed John [[OralFixationFixation chews on a toothpick]], implying that he's quit]].

* WickedCultured: Rome seems to be ''trying'' for this, particularly in his obession with cooking.