History Film / RomancingTheStone

* HeelFaceTurn: At the end, some of Omar's guards are seen celebrating the eponymous Jewel's return. A number of them even dance hand in hand with the Sufis.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The Jewel of the Nile is stated to be able to perform miracles and does a number of extremely implausible things as well as magic tricks (some of which are similar to stories Jesus of all people). However, we never find out if he's actually capable of doing supernatural actions. Either way, he's a good decent man.

* DeathTrap: The villain puts our heroes in one, then describes how it works in lingering detail. Jack asks what kind of depraved mind comes up with such a monstrosity. Joan diffidently informs him it's from one of her novels.

* ComicallySerious: Al-Juhara is TheStoic Nice Guy. When Ralph is hanging by his feet, Al-Juhara sighs, "Ralph, this is not the Sufi way."

--->'''Joan:''' What was that?
--->'''Omar:''' [[BlatantLies Cats.]]

--->'''Al-Juhara:''' Dry rot.

--> Joan: What was that?
--> Omar: Cats.

--> Joan: It's a miracle.
--> Al-Juhara: Dry rot.

** Ralph is also blatantly uncomfortable with Ira’s kidnapping plot, and is genuinely disgusted by Jack trying to con Joan into giving him El Corazon.

* TookALevelInBadass: ''Joan''. She starts out the movie as a mousey, cringing DamselInDistress, but by the end of it she's throwing switchblades, burning Zolo with his own cigar, bashing him with a broken board right in his handless stump, knocking him [[KillItWithFire onto a lantern]], and dodging so that [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill he falls into a pit of crocodiles]]. How far she's come is first hinted at during the start of hostilities at the fort: when the guns start going off, Elaine (who Joan had initially thought was the stronger sister) screams and cowers on her knees, but Joan doesn't even bat an eye, simply helping her up and dragging her off to safety elsewhere. Later, when Joan's knife gambit doesn't work, Elaine faints.

* TreasureMap
* VerbingNouny

* PragmaticVillainy: Ira. He is perfectly willing to kill if he doesn't get what he wants, but if you play by his rules, he is actually fairly AffablyEvil and keeps the promises he makes, and has an extreme distaste for people who are pointlessly cruel for no reason. Bad for business, you see.

* InevitableWaterfall

* InsistentTerminology: ''Mondo dismal'', which Joan and her publisher call men who take advantage of women.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Joan's publisher Gloria warns her against going to Columbia, saying "Do you have any idea what it's like in Colombia? I do. Your books do very well in these macho countries." [[spoiler:Drug lord Juan loves reading her books to his henchmen on Sundays.]]

* BilingualBonus:
** Ralph calls his cousin Ira "maricon", which is Spanish slur roughly translated as "faggot."
** The original theatrical cut and Creator/{{HBO}} exhibition of the film had English subtitles for the Spanish dialog. Subsequent versions have ditched the subtitles, which invoke this trope.

* FakeOutOpening
* {{Fanservice}}: The sex scene.

* ShapedLikeItself: Hotel Carthagena, in Carthagena.

* ShesGotLegs: Jack takes a few chances to ogle Joan's legs in the jungle.

->'''Jack Colton:''' Wait a minute, he's after you? Who the hell are you?
->'''Joan Wilder:''' Well, I'm a romance novelist.
->'''Jack Colton:''' You're what? What are you doing here?
->'''Joan Wilder:''' I told you, my sister's life depends on me.
->'''Jack Colton:''' Ah, don't give me that shit. I thought you were donating a kidney or something.

* GroinAttack: Ouch, poor Jack.

* JustDesserts: Zolo's hand is bitten off by a crocodile, and then he drops into a pit of them.

* KnightOfCerebus: Zolo. When he's around there's always a sense of threat and fear particularly where Ira speaks about 'em.

* RiddleForTheAges: who hid the Stone in the bunny statue?

* StabTheSalad: A slight variation, since no prop is involved. After bringing Ira the map he wanted in exchange for her kidnapped sister, Joan Wilder has nothing of value left to keep said villain from eliminating her. With the music playing menacingly, the villain growls "Joan Wilder ... you and your sister........are free to go!"

-->'''Ira:''' ''TheButcher'' who killed your husband. A very powerful man with his own private army to back him up. And whether he calls himself "Dr. Zolo, Minister of Antiquities", "Deputy Commander of the SecretPolice", he's still just ''a butcher''.

* Fanservice: The sex scene.

* RunningGag: Everyone seems to have photocopiers, no matter how remote in the Colombian wilderness.