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Reindeer Games

 Reindeer Games
type
TVTItem
 Reindeer Games
label
Reindeer Games
 Reindeer Games
page
ReindeerGames
 Reindeer Games
comment
Reindeer Games is a 2000 action thriller film, directed by John Frankenheimer.Rudy Duncan (Ben Affleck) is a former car thief who gets released from prison after six years so he can come home to his family during the Christmas season. His cellmate and friend, Nick Cassidy (James Frain), is also getting out and while spending time with Rudy, he brags to him about the female pen pal he writes to, Ashley Mercer (Charlize Theron). One day, Nick gets stabbed to death during a prison riot and once Rudy was released, he assumes Nick's identity and meets Ashley for the first time. While their relationship heats up, Ashley's criminal brother Gabriel (Gary Sinise) and his group of thugs unknowingly drag Rudy down by bringing them to a casino where Nick used to work so they can steal some money. Things, however, are not what they appear to be.
 Reindeer Games
fetched
2024-04-24T00:47:11Z
 Reindeer Games
parsed
2024-04-24T00:47:11Z
 Reindeer Games
processingComment
Dropped link to Fanservice: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Reindeer Games
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Reindeer Games / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Reindeer Games / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop:
 Reindeer Games / int_18d15922
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 Reindeer Games / int_18d15922
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_18d15922
 Reindeer Games / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Reindeer Games / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: A literal one. Rudy ends up getting a squirt gun that looks like a real pistol, which ends up getting filled with rum. During a struggle for freedom, Rudy and Merlin each grab a gun from the floor, and Rudy ends up with the water pistol. Too bad Merlin decides to light up a smoke before shooting Rudy - high proof liquor fired through a flame quickly causes the tables to be turned.
 Reindeer Games / int_22cf536c
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1.0
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_22cf536c
 Reindeer Games / int_3d29fed
type
NoKillLikeOverKill
 Reindeer Games / int_3d29fed
comment
No Kill like Overkill:Ashley goes over the cliff on the hood of a car in the climax ... so when she lands, the car's land on her!
 Reindeer Games / int_3d29fed
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_3d29fed
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_3d29fed
 Reindeer Games / int_4712bc4f
type
Exact Eavesdropping
 Reindeer Games / int_4712bc4f
comment
Exact Eavesdropping: While going around the hotel, Rudy stumbles onto the supposedly closed pool where he soon learns that Ashley and Gabriel aren't related at all but rather lovers and Ashley has been setting up "Nick" all this time.
 Reindeer Games / int_4712bc4f
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Reindeer Games / int_4712bc4f
 Reindeer Games / int_4aaffbd5
type
I Never Said It Was Poison
 Reindeer Games / int_4aaffbd5
comment
I Never Said It Was Poison: When Ashley mentions Nick was stabbed with a shiv, even though Rudy never told her how her penpal was killed.
 Reindeer Games / int_4aaffbd5
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_4aaffbd5
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_4aaffbd5
 Reindeer Games / int_4b7ff688
type
Fake Identity Baggage
 Reindeer Games / int_4b7ff688
comment
Fake Identity Baggage: Rudy impersonates his cellmate Nick who was killed in a prison riot two days before they were to be released from prison. Using Nick's identity, Rudy enters into a relationship with Ashley, a woman Nick was exchanging letters with in prison. At first it seems like Rudy has finally caught a break in life, but it turns out that Ashley is league with a gang of thieves who were using her to rope Nick into a plan to rob a casino Nick used to work at. The climax reveals that Nick faked his death and that the idea to rob the casino was his, with Rudy taking his identity being exactly what Nick counted on.
 Reindeer Games / int_4b7ff688
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_4b7ff688
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_4b7ff688
 Reindeer Games / int_4bfcfa7c
type
Kansas City Shuffle
 Reindeer Games / int_4bfcfa7c
comment
Kansas City Shuffle: Gabriel thinks that the con is that he and his girlfriend trick an ex-security guard into giving away the secrets to the casino he used to work for in order to "rescue" her from her "brother", after which they kill off the patsy and run off with the money. The real con is that Nick (who faked his death in prison) tricks Gabriel and his gang of gun-running truckers into robbing the casino for him, after which he and his girlfriend dispose of all the surviving patsies and run off with the money. Too bad Rudy wasn't willing to die.
 Reindeer Games / int_4bfcfa7c
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Reindeer Games / int_4bfcfa7c
 Reindeer Games / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Reindeer Games / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: The big turn.
 Reindeer Games / int_4e7c4536
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_4e7c4536
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1.0
 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_4e7c4536
 Reindeer Games / int_6bda9a30
type
Meaningful Name
 Reindeer Games / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: the three main male characters all have names related to Christmas: Rudy note Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, Nick note St. Nicholas, later known as Father Christmas or Santa Claus and Gabriel note the angel who told Mary "Unto you a child is born". Which makes you wonder if Ashley was originally supposed to be named Mary, or even Natalie note  'Natal' means christmas or Noelle.
 Reindeer Games / int_6bda9a30
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_6bda9a30
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Reindeer Games / int_6bda9a30
 Reindeer Games / int_7286e96d
type
Idiot Ball
 Reindeer Games / int_7286e96d
comment
Idiot Ball: Openly lampshaded by Rudy:
 Reindeer Games / int_7286e96d
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_7286e96d
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_7286e96d
 Reindeer Games / int_80251be3
type
How We Got Here
 Reindeer Games / int_80251be3
comment
How We Got Here: The film opens with a montage of four dead Santa Clauses, before flashing back to "Six Days Before." It turns out one of the Santas is Rudy, the only one of the main characters to survive the movie.
 Reindeer Games / int_80251be3
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_80251be3
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1.0
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Reindeer Games / int_80251be3
 Reindeer Games / int_928ca2cc
type
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
 Reindeer Games / int_928ca2cc
comment
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Gabriel, shot by Ashley when he realizes she was conning him as much as she was Rudy.
 Reindeer Games / int_928ca2cc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_928ca2cc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Reindeer Games / int_928ca2cc
 Reindeer Games / int_987be393
type
Gambit Roulette
 Reindeer Games / int_987be393
comment
Gambit Roulette: Nick's plan depends on all five Santas getting killed. Five men in Santa outfits rob a casino, five men are found dead soon afterward, the cops assume all five robbers died and stop looking for them, leaving all the loot (assumed to be lost in a burning car crash) in the hands of the hidden sixth criminal. Too bad Rudy was able to kill Nick, leaving the cops to assume that Nick was the fifth man while Rudy got off scot free. Rudy openly lampshades how "a thousand things could have gone wrong with this" but Nick waves it off as he was confident Ashley would find a way to roll with the punches and keep the plan moving.
 Reindeer Games / int_987be393
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_987be393
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_987be393
 Reindeer Games / int_9ce6492a
type
Taking the Bullet
 Reindeer Games / int_9ce6492a
comment
Taking the Bullet: Nick takes a shiv for Rudy in the beginning. Turns out to have been part of a (dangerous) Batman Gambit.
 Reindeer Games / int_9ce6492a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_9ce6492a
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_9ce6492a
 Reindeer Games / int_a6c99b08
type
Shoot Out the Lock
 Reindeer Games / int_a6c99b08
comment
Shoot Out the Lock: Santa does this to a door.
 Reindeer Games / int_a6c99b08
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_a6c99b08
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_a6c99b08
 Reindeer Games / int_acecb17d
type
Chekhov's Skill
 Reindeer Games / int_acecb17d
comment
Chekhov's Skill: Rudy is an ex-car thief. His experience in hot-wiring cars comes in handy when Nick and Ashley try to kill him in a faked car crash.
 Reindeer Games / int_acecb17d
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_acecb17d
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 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Reindeer Games / int_acecb17d
 Reindeer Games / int_b3fc9d55
type
An Ass-Kicking Christmas
 Reindeer Games / int_b3fc9d55
comment
An Asskicking Christmas: As if the title and premise weren’t obvious enough.
 Reindeer Games / int_b3fc9d55
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1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_b3fc9d55
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_b3fc9d55
 Reindeer Games / int_b53077b3
type
Take That!
 Reindeer Games / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: When Rudy finds out Ashley's true relationship with Gabriel, he tells her, "I had better sex in prison." OUCH.
 Reindeer Games / int_b53077b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Reindeer Games / int_b53077b3
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_b53077b3
 Reindeer Games / int_b9c673a6
type
Market-Based Title
 Reindeer Games / int_b9c673a6
comment
Market-Based Title: Released in Britain as Deception.
 Reindeer Games / int_b9c673a6
featureApplicability
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 Reindeer Games / int_b9c673a6
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 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Reindeer Games / int_b9c673a6
 Reindeer Games / int_d2c0e2ed
type
Schmuck Bait
 Reindeer Games / int_d2c0e2ed
comment
Schmuck Bait: The Pow-wow Safe. Criminals are meant to assume that it stores special loot. It actually holds fully automatic weaponry so that the manager can defend himself against anyone who forces him to open the safe.
 Reindeer Games / int_d2c0e2ed
featureApplicability
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 Reindeer Games / int_d2c0e2ed
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 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Reindeer Games / int_d2c0e2ed
 Reindeer Games / int_d397657d
type
Hoist by His Own Petard
 Reindeer Games / int_d397657d
comment
Hoist by His Own Petard: Ashley and Nick put Rudy inside of a car with the intent of making it look like he lost control and fell down a cliff. Instead Rudy (a car thief) manages to hotwire it in a hurry and use it to run them both over. Lampshaded by Rudy as a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner.
 Reindeer Games / int_d397657d
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 Reindeer Games / int_d397657d
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 Reindeer Games
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Reindeer Games / int_d397657d
 Reindeer Games / int_e431c24c
type
Not Quite Dead
 Reindeer Games / int_e431c24c
comment
Not Quite Dead: Nick, who turns out to be alive and well and the real mastermind behind it all.
 Reindeer Games / int_e431c24c
featureApplicability
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 Reindeer Games / int_e431c24c
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 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Reindeer Games / int_e431c24c
 Reindeer Games / int_f9876f7e
type
Faking the Dead
 Reindeer Games / int_f9876f7e
comment
Faking the Dead: Nick, and in a way Rudy at the end.
 Reindeer Games / int_f9876f7e
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 Reindeer Games / int_f9876f7e
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Reindeer Games / int_f9876f7e
 Reindeer Games / int_name
type
ItemName
 Reindeer Games / int_name
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 Reindeer Games / int_name
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Reindeer Games / int_name
 Reindeer Games / int_name
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Reindeer Games

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Dead Person Impersonation / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
"Die Hard" on an X / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Exact Eavesdropping / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Fake Identity Baggage / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
In Medias Res / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Kansas City Shuffle / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Money to Throw Away / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Out of Holiday Episode / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Saying Too Much / int_4a9655a1
 Reindeer Games
hasFeature
Shoot Out the Lock / int_4a9655a1