Double Take is a 2001 action comedy film with Orlando Jones and Eddie Griffin in the lead.
Jones plays a successful investment banker named Daryl Chase who discovers that one of his biggest clients is a front for a Mexican drug cartel. He is then quickly framed for money laundering and the murder of two cops and is placed on the FBI Most Wanted list.
Meanwhile, he keeps getting hustled by a street-wise guy he meets on the street named Freddy Tiffany (Griffin). When Daryl needs to go on the run, he again runs into Freddy, who claims to be an undercover FBI agent, seeking to expose corrupt CIA agents, who are working with the above-mentioned cartel. Not believing Freddy, Daryl steals his passport and pretends to be Freddy Tiffany to get across the US-Mexico border, only to find out that Freddy is wanted in Mexico for the murder of a local governor. Hilarity Ensues, as the city-slicker Daryl is trying to figure out who to trust on either side of the border just to survive a manhunt.
Examples of:
- Boom, Headshot!: Freddy tells Daryl that they should move before they end up with bullets in their skulls, moments before Agent Gradney pulls out his gun and puts one in his partner's head, revealing himself as a Dirty Cop.
- The Cavalry Arrives Late: This being an action film, this is expected. By the time the authorities arrive, it's all over.
- Chekhov's Gun: The dog. It used to belong to the murdered Mexican governor, and a dog bite on CIA Agent McReady's leg tips him off that Freddy was right about rogue CIA agents being involved with the Mexican drug smuggling trade. The Dirty Cop Agent Gradney immediately suggests getting rid of the dog as the only piece of evidence linking McReady to the governor's murder. During the climactic gunfight, the dog bites McReady again, causing him to tumble down the stairs, unloading the entire clip of his gun into himself.
- Dirty Cop: It's never quite clear who the dirty agents are until the very end. Freddy turns out to be the real deal, while FBI Agent Gradney and any CIA agent we see turn out to be dirty. The Mexican cops are, surprisingly, not shown to be (too) corrupt and are honestly carrying out their task of catching "Freddy" (actually Daryl pretending to be him), who is wanted for murder. They even offer him a drink and a cigar before booking him, as arresting such a high-profile suspect will mean promotions for all of them.
- Dragon Ascendant: After Minty, who was stated as the Big Bad of the film, reveals that he's been working with the FBI all this time, his Dragon McReady, a corrupt CIA agent, shoots him and takes over.
- Falling Chandelier of Doom: Freddy takes out a corrupt agent by shooting at the chain holding a fancy chandelier above him with predictable results.
- Glass Eye: Minty Gutierrez, the head of the cartel, has one. It pops out when McReady shoots him.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Daryl's aim is horrible. During the climactic gunfight, he doesn't hit anyone. Justified, since he hasn't had any experience with guns before that.Freddy: Man, you really are from the projects. You didn't hit a damn thing.
- Morton's Fork: Freddy gives one to Daryl at one point.Freddy: If you wanna live, get in the car. If you wanna die, get in the car.
- Prince and Pauper: Played straight without being completely identical. When escaping on a train, Freddy suggests that Daryl pretend to be him (a lower-class street hustler), while Freddy pretends to be a big-shot investment banker from New York like Daryl. Using his street smarts, Freddy is able to pull off his role perfectly, while Daryl is struggling to pretend to be Freddy and mostly sticks to stereotypes.
- Redemption Equals Death: Minty Gutierrez, a Mexican drug lord, reveals that he is the one who started this whole mess as part of his deal with the FBI to expose CIA corruption in exchange for the US Government unfreezing his bank accounts. Shortly after that, McReady shoots him for the betrayal in his own mansion. They then blame it on Daryl and Freddy.
- Reliably Unreliable Guns: McReady aims his gun at the good guys, only for the dog to bite him again in the ankle, causing him to trip and tumble down the stairs, each fall resulting in the gun discharging into his own body.McReady: A real shooter never ever misses!
Falls down the stairs, unloads the gun into himself
Freddy: He wasn't lying. He didn't miss once. - Run for the Border: Daryl tries to go South of the Border to try to escape a manhunt and figure out who is trying to frame him and why. Unfortunately for him, the identity of the man he pretends to be turns out to be wanted for murder in Mexico.
- Shoe Phone: Halfway through the film, Freddy tries to prove to Daryl that he's a real undercover FBI agent by showing him an ordinary pen that is supposed to be summon a strike team at the press of the button at the end. Daryl, disbelieving him, throws the pen into a pile of identical-looking pens. During the epilogue, Freddy and Daryl are relaxing on a beach with their girlfriends. A waiter brings Daryl a receipt, and he signs it with a pen, clicking it. Minutes later, helicopters and rubber boats show up to "rescue" Freddy.
