History Film / Ricochet

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

* FauxAffablyEvil: Earl Talbot Blake.

* PlayingGertrude: Victoria Dillard, who played Alice Styles, was just 21 during filming. Depending on how old her on-screen daughters were (in-universe), Alice should be well into her 20s after the TimeSkip. Likewise, Denzel Washington, who played Nick Styles, was just 26 during filming. Nick, like Alice, should be well into his 20s after the TimeSkip.

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

* AdultFear: Blake goes into Nick's house disguised as a power company technician, drugs the babysitter, takes Nick's sleepy daughters to bed, then shoots a video of himself threatening the little girls. When Nick sees the video, he goes paranoid quickly. Of course, that's just the reaction Blake wanted.

* HoodFilm: It's one of those 1990s films that mostly set in the inner-city slums and crime-ridden streets and involves African-American characters.

** Farris' murder is staged to look like he killed himself, complete with a handwritten suicide note.

* NonIndicativeName: Ricochets don't come into play at all. 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...

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The DA and her right-hand man Wiley are this to Styles once they viewed him as a BrokenPedestal to them after Blake's {{Gaslighting}} made the latter appear to be a HeroWithBadPublicity undergoing SanitySlippage, resulting in Styles' suspension.

* PantsPositiveSafety: Styles' hidden gun in his underwear.
* PlayingGertrude: Victoria Dillard, who played Alice Styles, was just 21 during filming. Depending on how old her on-screen daughters were (in-universe), Alice should be well into her 20s after the TimeSkip. Likewise, Denzel Washington who played Nick Styles, was just 26 during filming. Nick, like Alice, should be well into his 20s after the TimeSkip.

* SlippingAMickey: Blake drugs Styles's nanny and his kids cocoa. Thankfully, he doesn't do anything to either.

Nick Styles (Washington) is a young cop who is studying to become 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 into 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 risen to become a star Assistant District Attorney. Blake finally escapes from prison and then starts a campaign to destroy his life.

* PlayingGertrude: Victoria Dillard, who played Alice Styles, was just 21 during filming. Depending on how old her on-screen daughters were (in-universe), Alice should be well into her 20s after the TimeSkip.

''Ricochet'' is a 1991 thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Creator/DenzelWashington, Creator/JohnLithgow, Music/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 into 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 risen to become a star Assistant District Attorney. Blake finally escapes from prison, and then starts a campaign to destroy his life.

* AdultFear: Blake goes into Nick's house disguised as a power company technician, drugs the babysitter, takes Nick's sleepy daughters to bed, then shoots video of himself threatening the little girls. When Nick sees the video, he goes paranoid quick. Of course, that's just the reaction Blake wanted.
* AndYourLittleDogToo: Blake tells a probation officer that, after being released, he'd pay a visit to fuck the man's wife, his daughter and maybe even his dog.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: After Styles is rescued after being drugged and kidnapped by Blake, he's informed about having gonorrhea due to 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 actually medically needed (or at least the ones they are sure they'll get paid for!). Since they didn't know he'd been raped, or had unprotected sex, there would never have been a test for that (only whatever drugs he had).

* BondOneLiner: "You got the point now, don't you, [[spoiler:Blake?]]"
* BrokenPedestal: Thanks to Blake's {{Gaslighting}} and {{Frame Up}}s, Styles' friends and family along with the rest of the public who once looked up to him began to quickly lose faith in him, the DA and his wife Alice in particular. After clearing his name, he becomes a RebuiltPedestal at the end.

* [[CrucifiedHeroShot Crucified Dragon Shot]]: [[spoiler:Kim, Blake's right-hand man, after Blake shoots him]].
* 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 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, simply due to the fact he got it up.

* EmbarrassingNickname: In-universe. The DA is called "Priscilla the Hun." Nick himself is "PK" (PreachersKid), but in his case the trope is subverted, as he feels that it's a badge of honor.

* FakingTheDead: After escaping from prison, Blake fakes his death. [[spoiler:Nick stages his own death at the end to draw Blake out.]]

* {{FrameUp}}: Part of Blake's plan. First he makes it appear like Styles is a child molester and stole the money raised for a children's center. Then he kills Styles's former partner, throwing the gun to him so his prints are on it.

* HostageSituation: During Styles and Blake's first meeting.

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

** [[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.]]

* 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...

* RoomFullOfCrazy: Blake's cell has a wall covered with Styles' pictures and clippings from newspapers and magazines.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Blake starts to have one when the crackhouse blows up. It 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.

* BrokenPedestal: Thanks to Blake's {{Gaslighting}}, Styles' friends and family along with the rest of the public who once looked up to him began to quickly lose faith in him, the DA and his wife Alice in particular. After clearing his name, he becomes a RebuiltPedestal at the end.

** The DA starts out as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure holds Styles, but once the latter ends up a BrokenPedestal to her for his publicized alleged SanitySlippage and other {{Frame Up}}s caused by Blake, she swings to being an ObstructiveBureaucrat who suspends him.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The DA and her right-hand man Wiley are this to Styles once they viewed him as a BrokenPedestal to them after Blake's {[Gaslighting}} made the latter appear to be a HeroWithBadPublicity undergoing SanitySlippage.

* TookALevelInJerkass: In her depiction in this film in contrast to her appearance in ''Film/DieHard'', Gail Wallens becomes no different from the nosy {{Jerkass}} reporter colleague of hers Richard Thornburg, given she meddled with Styles for being a HeroWithBadPublicity similar to how Thornburg messed things up for John [=McClane=] in his appearances.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: At first, Styles doesn't remember who Blake is.

* 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.

* HoodFilm: It's one of those 1990s films that mostly set in the inner-city slums and crime-ridden streets and involves African-American characters..

* PreachersKid: Styles's father is a minister, and he doesn't attend church often enough for his old man (or stay long enough while he does). He still wears a cross at all times though.

* {{Frameup}}: Part of Blake's plan. First he makes it appear like Styles is a child molester and stole the money raised for a children's center. Then he kills Styles's former partner, throwing the gun to him so his prints are on it.

* NonIndicativeName: Ricochets don't come into play at all.
** It's not immediately obvious, but the name probably refers to the fact that Styles' actions (taking down Blake) rebounded on him later.

* {{Frameup}}: Part of Blake's plan.

* AdultFear: Blake goes into Nick's house disguised as a power company technician, drugs the babysitter, takes Nick's sleepy daughters to bed, then shoots video of himself threatening the little girls. When Nick sees the video, he goes paranoid quick.

* 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 actually medically needed (or at least the ones they are sure they'll get paid for!). Since they didn't know he'd been raped, or had unprotected sex, there would never have been a test for that (only whatever drugs he had).

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 into 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.

* NeverSuicide: Farris' murder is staged to look like he killed himself, complete with a handwritten suicide note.