- "I've been police chief here for, hell, going on six years. I've never even drawn my gun."—Dale "Hurricane" Dixon
One False Move is a 1992 crime thriller directed by Carl Franklin and starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Cynda Williams.
Police Chief Dale "Hurricane" Dixon has been the only real law enforcement in Star City, Arkansas, for many years. Despite his love for the job, Dale has long felt that his potential for police work is wasted in such a quiet town, and yearns for some excitement. But when Star City becomes the destination of a group of ruthless criminals, Dale's eagerness for some "real" policing turns into a classic case of Be Careful What You Wish For, as old demons rear their heads and violence erupts in his peaceful little town.
One False Move contains examples of the following tropes:
- Anti-Hero: While Dale is a good person at heart, he's driven in a lot of his actions by ego and the reveal that he cheated on his wife with a 17 year old girl who he had a glaring power imbalance with does nothing but darken his overall character.
- Anti-Villain: Fantasia is an accessory to mass murder and a killer in her own right, but she's also a scared young woman just trying to make it home to be with her son, who is treated as arguably the most sympathetic character in the story.
- Bittersweet Ending: Dale gets his long sought-after moment of glory, but at the cost of being viciously stabbed while Lila is shot dead. Though the film ends on a bright note as Dale seems finally ready to accept Byron as his son, it comes at a heavy cost and is indicated to be something that could very likely threaten Dale's current family.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Pluto is bespectacled, as well as a complete psychopath who thinks nothing of stabbing multiple people to death.
- Glory Seeker: Dale has a major desire to take down big league criminals and be part of larger operations than his small town offers, in a quest for admiration from his peers as much as for genuine altruism.
- Hidden Disdain Reveal: In a key scene, Dale overhears what the LA detectives really think of him and his chances of joining their department and when his presence is identified by a waitress, he has to approach them pretending he didn't just hear them drag him through the mud.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ray and Pluto are both cold-blooded killers, but conduct themselves in very different ways. Ray is an arrogant hick and drug addict who approaches every situation with peak aggression, while Pluto is an icy blank who rarely raises his voice yet is just as threatening as Ray in his soft-spoken dominance.
- The Reveal: Dale not only knows Lila personally, but is the father of her son Byron, having slept with Lila when she was only 17 over 5 years ago.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Fantasia goes out of her way to protect a young boy from Ray and Pluto during their initial massacre, perhaps in heavy part because she herself has a child around his age.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Dale thinks he's a Cowboy Cop in an Action Movie, and thinks this case will bust him into the big leagues of being a Los Angeles cop. In reality, he's completely out of his league dealing with career criminals Ray and Pluto, and his big plan to ensnare them gets Lila (the mother of his child) killed.
