History Film / InTheLineOfFire

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Despite the Secret Service consultation, some errors show up:
** Lilly's gown during the party scene would be inappropriate for a female Secret Service agent, as it would prevent her from performing her duties should there be an attempt on the President's life. In those situations female agents instead wear dress pants and more practical shoes. (With the gown, there is also the problem of where to hide the service weapon.)
** In the scene where the Secret Service counter-snipers attempt to get a sight on Leary, it is reported that it is too dark for them to see inside the elevator. In modern times (and certainly in the year the movie was released in and is set), Secret Service counter-snipers are equipped with night-vision goggles to allow them to see targets through darkness.
** Also, in the climatic scene where Leary is getting ready to shoot the President and Horrigan has figured out he's in the room, there's a drawn-out scene where Horrigan is trying to figure out what table he's at in order to apprehend him before he shoots the President. In reality, a scenario where there's a gunman in the area but their identity and location are unknown is something the Secret Service trains for. Upon entering the room, Horrigan would have yelled out the code phrase for this scenario, whereupon all the agents would have swarmed the President to shield him with their bodies while the rest ordered everyone to hit the floor.
*** In the same scene, after Leary assembles and loads his gun, he holds it in his hand with a napkin draped over it for concealment, then stands up to shake the President's hand. ''No one'' is allowed to approach or be near the President with their hands concealed. Period. As soon as he stood up, the Secret Service would have had their eyes on him. Seeing that he had his hands concealed would have meant at least two agents would be immediately in his face, hands on their pistols and ordering him to show his hands right now.
*** There's also no way Watts would have dismissed Frank telling him point blank that the very assassin who's been stalking the President for weeks is present, no matter what personal or professional animosity there was.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Bill Watts]] is shot by Leary during the assassination attempt on the president.

* ScaramangaSpecial: Mitch Leary smuggles a gun made out of plastic to a dinner speech by the president. The only metal parts are the two bullets that he hides in a rabbit's foot keychain and two barrels disguised as a pen and pencil set. He trains himself to put it together without looking too, so he can appear even more non-threatening as he assembles it under the table. In an interesting twist, in real life, the ATF had the actual (fully functional) weapon destroyed, because it violated the Undetectable Firearms Act (this law is why the modern Liberator pistol contains a 3 ounce chunk of metal that serves no actual function). The prop one was left intact, and IIRC is on display.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Despite being fully prepared to be shot by the police or Secret Service once he's killed the President, when his plan is thwarted, Leary kills himself rather than surely face the death penalty for his actions throughout the movie.

* BadassGrandpa: Frank. The film makes it clear that getting older hasn't made Clint Eastwood any less awesome.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Harry Sargent and Bill Watts seem to want to do anything they can to stop Horrigan from protecting the president, and refuse to even give his benefit of a doubt.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted. When Al announces his intention to quit as he can't deal with the stress of the job, Frank tells him that the agency has counseling to help agents deal with this. Al mentions that he's been to the counselors, but it hasn't helped.
** On the villain's side, it's also averted: it's mentioned that one of Mitch Leary's friends stopped by his place in Phoenix to convince Leary to seek counseling. Leary responded by slitting the man's throat. [[spoiler: Although in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it, you'll notice in a picture of the dead friend, he was carrying a gun under his jacket. Also, the man who explains all this could have been lying and using the photos to manipulate the Secret Service into killing Leary instead of capturing him. Leary did say that his friend was sent there to kill him.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: Bill Watts is arrogant and behaves like an ass to just about everyone, not to mention being an ObstructiveBureuacrat.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Harry Sargent

* DudeWheresMyRespect: "Do you know how easily I could kill you Frank? ... So you show me some '''GODDAMN RESPECT!'''"

* CriminalMindGames: Leary becomes obsessed with Horrigan on account of his history as one of Present Kennedy's bodyguards, regularly calling him to talk about his personal philosophies and motives, and leaving him clues so he can figure out when and how Leary plans to kill the new President.

* CriminalMindGames