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If Looks Could Kill: Difference between revisions
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{{
[[File:If_Looks_Could_Kill_movie_poster_6815.jpg|frame|Male teen fantasy wish-fulfillment story #1,991]]
Mostly forgotten 1991 film in which (barely) high school graduate Michael Corben of Detroit goes on a class trip to France and winds up being mistaken for an American CIA agent of the same name who is killed at the airport. Upon arrival he is immediately shanghaied into service by British Intelligence and tasked with stopping a [[Big Bad|madman]] from conquering all of Europe.
Has nothing to do with the song by band [[
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Air Vent Passageway]]
* [[Affectionate Parody]]: Of spy films in general, but obviously James Bond films more specifically.
* [[Artificial Limbs]]: Zigesfeld's [[Red Right Hand|golden robotic hand]].
* [[Axe Crazy]]: The word "subtle" isn't in Zigesfeld's vocabulary - in fact, [[Silent Bob|very little is in his vocabulary]]. For example, sent to kill Michael ({{spoiler|and Areola}}) at his hotel, {{spoiler|he just walks in and blows the place up with a rocket launcher}}.
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* [[Bottomless Magazines]] - Averted. Michael reloads his machine gun multiple times.
* [[Brilliant but Lazy]]: Michael is consistently shown to be a bright and clever young man, however never lives up to his full potential due to his desire to slack off.
* [[Death
▲* [[Death By Cameo]]: Singer Roger Daltrey appears as superspy Blade long enough to get his butt handed to him by [[Kindergarten Cop|Linda Hunt]] as Ilsa, who kills him using a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|necklace that unfurls into a whip]].
* [[Chase Scene]]
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: [[Hot Scientist]] Vendetta Galante presents Michael with a tuxedo fitted with "standard hands-up protection." Later, upon being cornered by two of Steranko's goons while in the tux, Michael is told, "Put up your hands." He complies. [[Hilarity Ensues]] as knockout gas sprays from the armpits of the tux.
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* [[He Knows Too Much]]
* [[Hellish Copter]]: Steranko's getaway helicopter randomly crashes, and then the entire rotor section comes off and, still spinning, ''[[Helicopter Blender|chases after the heroes]]''.
* [[Hey,
** Steranko is [[Robin Hood: Men in Tights|The Sheriff of Rottingham]].
** Ilsa is the principal from ''[[Kindergarten Cop]]''.
** [[Land of the Dead|Kaufman's butler]] appears as Agent Kramer.
** Mariska is [[Burn Notice|Fiona Glenanne]] meaning Mr. Corben would not be the last spy named Michael she'd be working with.
* [[Hoist
** Also Steranko, who ends up dying by {{spoiler|being buried alive by the tons of gold coins he just ''had'' to overload his helicopter with}}.
* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: Steranko's goons.
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* [[Inferred Holocaust]]: Although the immediate problem of the villain is handled by the film's climax, there's the somewhat major issue of all the gold he stole from France, Germany and other European countries and melted down. Namely, that it was in his mansion when it exploded. There's a strong possibility that Europe could suffer economic crises as a result.
** There is also the matter of the "other" Michael Corben and what will happen to our young hero when his true identity is found out. The movie ends with him basically implying he isn't the Corben they thought all along. When (and if) it is eventually discovered that the ''real'' Agent Corben was killed in Detroit, Michael could potentially face serious consequences for willfully duping the intelligence agencies of no less than three different countries.
*** Consequences that would certainly be entirely mitigated by his saving the day, because that's the sort of world that the movie takes place in. And the gold is a logistical problem but can be solved, they just have to figure out the weight of what was stolen from each country and return that same weight, either in gold that hadn't been melted down or plain ingots. The worst that would happen there is some countries trying to inflate the amount of gold that was stolen and thus some arguing over getting the appropriate amount (worse comes to worse, they just have to split it evenly and live with that).
* [[Ironic Echo]]: Both Michael's father and Steranko scold Michael for having "No follow-through."
* [[Load
* [[Mistaken for Badass]]
* [[Murder the Hypotenuse]]: What Ilsa has Zigesfeld do to {{spoiler|Areola}} for her.
* [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine]]
* [[Not Afraid to Die]]: Michael tells himself this. Or at least he tries.
{{quote|
* [[Ordinary High School Student]]
* [[Punch
* [[Psychopathic Manchild]]: Zigesfeld.
* [[Scary Black Man]]: Agent Kramer.
* [[Short
* [[Sigil Spam]]: Steranko's awesome-looking scorpion emblem is on literally ''everything'' associated with him, from the coins he mints to his helicopter.
* [[Teen Superspy]]
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*[[The Unfavorite]]: Michael's parents (his father especially) clearly prefer his younger brother Brad. However, they don't treat him and his father tells him he loves him and just wishes he'd be more productive.
* [[Thrown From the Zeppelin]]: During the [[Board to Death]] scene at the beginning, Steranko and French finance minister Lafevre have this exchange, leading to the latter's demise:
{{quote|
'''Steranko''': Well, I'm very sorry you feel that way. }}
* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: Michael's classmates. They continually ignore their constantly changing bus drivers and ultimately wind up caged over a giant vat of molten gold.
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* [[Utopia Justifies the Means]]
* [[Victimized Bystander]]: The [[Acceptable Targets|snobby French doorman]].
* [[Villain
* [[You Killed My Father]]: Mariska, Blade's daughter, says this to Steranko, although it was actually Ilsa who killed him, and in an example of [[Bond Villain Stupidity]], Ilsa ''tells'' her.
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[[Category:Films of the 1990s]]
[[Category:If Looks Could Kill]]
[[Category:
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