History Film / TheAbyss

* IdiotBall: Let the mining team disconnect the cable connecting them to the surface so it neither yanks them off the cliff edge or snaps loose to fall on them? Nah! Take the Idiot Ball and head to the submarine to retrieve a nuclear weapon because evidently, [[DeusExNukina decommissioning a nuclear submarine is much more important]] [[TooDumbToLive than being alive to do it]]! Of course, Coffey is already starting to mentally deteriorate at this point, and isn't thinking clearly - he's probably focusing entirely on his orders, regardless of how much sense it makes to continue following them at this point.

* WhatTheHellHero: You could easily throw a ''massive'' one of these at the StarfishAliens, as they decided it was the best way to send their peaceful message to humanity to [[SpaceWhaleAesop grow up and stop trying to kill each other]] by threatening to ''hurl worldwide giant tsunamis at them''. Perhaps justified by the fact that the humans, in their bickering, had tried to attack ''them''. Further justified with the tsunami being a demonstration of their power - it's easier to show that humanity would be ''totally'' outclassed if they tried to start something with the aliens. "We want to live in peace - bear in mind what we can do if you force us into defending ourselves..." Then again, this entire situation is happening because the aliens accidentally crashed a nuclear submarine and ''killed 159 people''... While trying to prevent a nuclear exchange.

* AWizardDidIt: The ending, more or less.

* SomeoneHasToDie: Bud and Lindsey are trapped underwater with one set of breathing equipment, which Bud is already wearing. Bud offers the gear to Lindsey, which would doom him. Lindsey presents what she calls "[[TheSpock the logical option]]", which gives ''both'' of them a chance of survival: she drowns, and Bud drags her body to safety, and hopes she can be revived. Bud is the stronger swimmer, so Lindsey has to drown. Bud's initial response is "Fuck logic!", but he soon comes round.

* WeddingRingRemoval: Following an argument with his estranged wife Lindsey, Bud tosses his titanium wedding ring down a toilet. He quickly runs back into the head and fishes it back out. [[ChekhovsGun It would later save his life]] when a bulkhead closes on it, allowing him to escape one of the flooding compartments of Deep Core after the crane crashed on the rig.

* MouthTapedShut: Throughout the film, Lindsey Brigman and Navy SEAL Lieutenant Coffey have been arguing and verbally sniping at each other. Finally, when it's revealed that the SEALS are planning to detonate a nuclear weapon to destroy a disabled U.S. submarine (which will kill everyone on Deep Core One), Coffey takes over and threatens Brigman's team. Coffey tells Brigman "This is something I've wanted to do since we first met.", indicating that he's going to kill her, but instead he pulls off a strip of tape and puts it over her mouth to shut her up.

--->'''Bud:''' No! No, she has a strong heart! She wants to LIVE! C'mon, Linds! C'mon baby! Zap her again! Do it!... Do it!... Come on baby, come on baby!... Come on, breathe baby. Goddamn it, BREATHE! ''Goddamn it, you bitch, you never backed away from a thing in your life! Now fight! FIGHT! FFFFIIIIIIIGHT!!

* DroppedInTheToilet: Bud, in a moment of temporary spite about his ex-wife coming to his underwater rig, tosses his wedding ring inside of the chemical toilet he just vacated, but instantly regrets it and fishes it back and puts it back on. [[ChekhovsGun This decision ends up saving his life later on]] when his hand is trapped on a closing hatch and the ring stops the hatch from crushing it.

* ChekhovsSkill: "They used to call me 'The Hammer'."