- No One is Safe
The FBI Files is a Discovery Channel Docudrama. Narrated by Anthony Call and hosted by James Kallstrom, a former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York City office, the show covers cases from around the United States in which the FBI assisted in the local investigation, covering a wide range of cases both famous and unknown.
The show ran for seven seasons from 1998 to 2006. The show is available in its entirety
on YouTube.
This series contains the following tropes:
- As Himself: Many of the law enforcement professionals play themselves in the re-enactment footage.
- Chekhov's Gun: It's established early that John Magosh, the victim in "Silent Strike", is a smoker. This initially seems to just be a humanizing character detail until it turns out that him opening the armored car's door slightly to let the smoke ventilate is what gives the robbers the chance to murder him and steal the vehicle.
- Cop Killer: A lot of cases begin with the criminal attempting to murder a police officer, sometimes successfully. This is usually what escalates the case from a local matter to something that needs the FBI's full attention
- Dirty Cop: A few episodes focus on investigations of police corruption: "Shattered Shield" and "Deadly Influence" are broader looks at the New Orleans and Miami Police Departments, while "Brothers Betrayed", "Above the Law" and "Master Plan" look at specific cases in Puerto Rico, California and Chicago.
- Docudrama: The show's presentation leans towards this. The episodes closely follow real events with frequent interviews with the people involved in investigating the case, but the majority of the footage comes from re-enactments.
- Fun with Acronyms: The front company used to deliver the bomb to the casino in "Deadly Payout" is named Westbay Office Equipment. There doesn't appear to be a basis for this detail in reality.
- Heroic Sacrifice: A variation in "Death Pact": Palatine Police officer Kevin Marr unknowingly pulled over one of the bank robbers for driving with expired tags while a dispatcher-in-training shadowed him. When the bank robber opened fire, he focused on shoving the dispatcher to safety, and is hit in the shoulder while doing so. Given the way Marr leaned over to protect his co-worker, the act of saving the dispatcher likely also saved his own life.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: "Human Prey" centers on the case of Thomas Dillon, a hunter who suddenly developed a compulsion to start murdering people in a similar manner.
- I Take Offence to That Last One: In "Death in Alaska", when Kirby Anthoney is arrested on the Alaska-Canadian border for murder, sexual assault and kidnapping, he acts with confusion as to why he is being charged with kidnapping. The sinister explanation for this is that under Alaskan law, "kidnapping" applies to restraining a victim during an assault.
- Infraction Distraction: In "Domestic Terror", the Western Terrorists' MO is to plant a bomb at a local business or institution in order to divert law enforcement away from a subsequent bank robbery.
- Jurisdiction Friction: It is common for serial criminals to exploit this, committing crimes in different counties to muddle the investigation.
- This actually backfires in "Human Prey", when Thomas Dillon ends up committing a murder on federal land while attempting to ensure each of his kills are in different areas. This is what draws the FBI to the case, who are less restricted by what jurisdiction subdivision a crime takes place in.
- Justice by Other Legal Means: In "Human Prey", confident that Thomas Dillon is the prime suspect but unable to find any definitive evidence to confirm it, he is arrested for the minor offence of illegally buying a silencer in the hope that he will subsequently confess to the murders. This actually almost backfires when he does the smart thing and asks for a lawyer, and it takes a lucky discovery of his shell casings and a new witness coming forward for his guilt to be proven.
- Lovable Rogue: In "The Murdering Cowboy", Claude Dallas attempted to paint himself as an outlaw fighting against federal and legal encroachment on the simple rural way of life. This did earn him a fanclub who attended his courtroom sessions, and his ability to charm the jury actually managed to later get him acquitted from a prison escape.
- Mad Bomber: Famous examples of such, including the Unabomber and John Birge of the Harvey's Resort Hotel bombing, are covered on the show.
- Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: It is common for evasive criminals to be discovered after committing a relatively minor or passive crime.
- New Old West: "The Murdering Cowboy", about contemporary mountain man Claude Dallas after his murder of two game wardens in a heated argument, is essentially a real world story about a western outlaw transplanted into the early 1980's.
- Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers: This is actually Averted; many criminals are happy to talk to the police, and it often doesn't end well for them. In cases where they actually do refuse to talk and request early legal representation, it slows down the investigation but doesn't prove their guilt.
- Our Lawyers Advised This Trope: The show opens with both a This Is a Work of Fiction notice and a Content Warning:SOME SCENES IN THIS PROGRAM HAVE BEEN REENACTED, DUE TO THE SENSITIVE NATURE OF THIS SHOW, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
- Plea Bargain: "Human Prey" has an interesting example of one. Thomas Dillon claimed five victims, but investigators only had definitive evidence for two of them. As his actions would've carried the death penalty, he accepted a plea bargain where he would plead guilty to all five murders in exchange for a life sentence.
- Red Baron: In "The Shootist", that title is given to bank robber Johnny Madison Williams Jr. by the FBI themselves. It turns out to be an Exploited Trope: It is hoped that by giving a wanted criminal a snappy and marketable name, that will increase media attention on the case.
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Spoiled by the Format: It's not uncommon for the suspects to be arrested and charged with there being ten or twenty minutes left in the episode, indicating that the story isn't over yet. - The Stakeout: A very common method of evidence gathering, as to be expected. A constant among the many criminals documented on the show is that they all seem to operate within view of an empty room that's available to rent.
- True Crime: One of the Trope Codifiers for the documentary side of the genre.
- Western Terrorists: The subject of a few episodes.
- "Domestic Terror" focuses on a Phineas Priesthood cell, who commit bank robberies in the name of a mix of religious extremism, white supremacy and right-wing militia beliefs.
- "Radical Agenda" is about the United Freedom Front, an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist group responsible for multiple bombings and bank robberies. The FBI's campaign against them began in full after they murdered New Jersey State Trooper Philip J. Lamonaco in a traffic stop.
