Tropescilloscope: Artistic License – Law

Law and legal proceedings are presented in a way that isn't factually accurate. (read more at tvtropes.org)

More Tropes Unresolved Sexual Tension Fingore Diabolus ex Machina Badass Normal Danny Peary Cult Movies List Curb-Stomp Battle Credits Gag Offscreen Teleportation Reckless Gun Usage Jerk with a Heart of Gold The Cavalry Sole Survivor Cruel and Unusual Death Offscreen Moment of Awesome Evil Counterpart Karma Houdini Crucified Hero Shot Spell My Name with an "S" Epic Movie Famous Last Words Outrun the Fireball Bait-and-Switch Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Amusing Injuries Kill 'em All Award-Bait Song Unusually Uninteresting Sight Non-Indicative Name Animal Title Index Anti-Hero Shut Up, Hannibal! Bond One-Liner Nice Guy Dark Reprise Chekhov's Gun Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Made of Explodium "Shaggy Dog" Story Big Bad Evil Brit Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Bilingual Bonus Obstructive Bureaucrat Translation Convention Chiaroscuro Only Sane Man Show Within a Show Hypocrite Reality Has No Subtitles No OSHA Compliance Insistent Terminology Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Ascended Extra The Alcoholic Alliterative Name Tranquil Fury Sci-Fi Horror After the End Parental Incest Disguised in Drag Early Installment Weirdness Eureka Moment Properly Paranoid Sir Swears-a-Lot Ominous Latin Chanting Nothing Is Scarier The Vamp Cluster F-Bomb Not What It Looks Like Psycho for Hire The Mole Missing Mom Take a Third Option Affably Evil Jerkass Has a Point Not Using the "Z" Word Adaptational Badass Hell Is That Noise Film Noir Romantic Comedy Contrived Coincidence I'm a Humanitarian Logo Joke Mighty Whitey The Stoner This Is Gonna Suck Suspiciously Similar Substitute Tap on the Head The Dog Bites Back The Hero Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Irony Cat Scare Fun with Acronyms Badass Boast Not Even Bothering with the Accent Blood from the Mouth Darker and Edgier Vomit Indiscretion Shot Rule of Cool No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Face–Heel Turn Serial Killer Bar Brawl How We Got Here Red Shirt Advertised Extra Due to the Dead Psychological Thriller Agony of the Feet Spiritual Successor Karmic Death Redemption Equals Death Hero of Another Story It Can Think Room Full of Crazy Obviously Evil All There in the Manual Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Woman Scorned Italian Films Leave the Camera Running Gone Horribly Right Camera Abuse The Brute Evil-Detecting Dog Our Zombies Are Different Captain Obvious Setting Update Double-Meaning Title Ass Shove Cool Shades Would Hurt a Child Ms. Fanservice Token Minority Evil Sounds Deep The Voiceless Almost Kiss Shower Scene Jerk Jock Ax-Crazy Be Careful What You Wish For Pragmatic Villainy Fanservice No Antagonist Animated Credits Opening Children Are Innocent Eagleland Romantic False Lead Breaking the Fourth Wall The Sociopath Fanservice Extra Rule of Three Bittersweet Ending Humiliation Conga Auto Erotica Overprotective Dad Fish out of Water Based on a True Story Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Black Best Friend Sanity Slippage Conspicuous CG Cain and Abel Ungrateful Bastard Bi the Way Artistic License – History Bowdlerise Pragmatic Adaptation Needs Wiki Magic Love Greater-Scope Villain Crazy-Prepared Motor Mouth The Bully Establishing Character Moment Silent Movie Retired Badass Revenge Boom, Headshot! Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies My Greatest Failure No Ending May–December Romance Documentary As Long as It Sounds Foreign Dark and Troubled Past Downer Ending Gorn Gender Flip Mythology Gag I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Bloodier and Gorier Pimped-Out Dress Hoist by His Own Petard Handicapped Badass Deconstruction Empathic Environment Genre Throwback I Did What I Had to Do Mugging the Monster Scenery Gorn Male Gaze Training Montage Hollywood Darkness Only a Flesh Wound Only Known by Their Nickname Drugs Are Bad Friend to All Children Crazy Jealous Guy Science Fiction Films N-Word Privileges Smug Snake Fan Disservice Tempting Fate Heroic BSoD What You Are in the Dark Covers Always Lie Dying Moment of Awesome Dies Wide Open The Smart Guy Darkest Hour Action Survivor Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking She's Got Legs Gilligan Cut Artistic License – Geography Zombie Stories Action Girl Adaptational Villainy Time Skip Accidental Misnaming Toplessness from the Back Small Name, Big Ego Catapult Nightmare Victoria's Secret Compartment Stealth Pun Intergenerational Friendship Shout-Out I Need a Freaking Drink Parental Abandonment Off-into-the-Distance Ending Body Horror Not Quite Dead Together in Death Red Herring Bottomless Magazines Neck Snap Insult Backfire Bland-Name Product Film Series Chewing the Scenery Big Bad Duumvirate Ship Tease In Name Only Action Prologue Country Matters Put on a Bus The '70s Fire-Forged Friends Implacable Man Foregone Conclusion Ambiguous Disorder Evil vs. Evil For the Evulz Brother–Sister Incest Mundane Made Awesome Villain Protagonist Adaptation Expansion Evil Laugh Calling the Old Man Out Car Fu Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Badass Bookworm Christmas Movies Index Pet the Dog And Starring You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Call-Forward Does Not Like Shoes Improvised Weapon Moment Killer Twist Ending Peek-a-Boo Corpse Disney Villain Death Drowning My Sorrows Immune to Bullets Vomit Discretion Shot Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Paper-Thin Disguise Call-Back Historical-Domain Character Monumental Damage Casting Gag Those Two Guys Arc Words In the Back Dwindling Party Bury Your Gays The Stoic Last-Name Basis The Atoner Fat Bastard Intrepid Reporter Killed Mid-Sentence Rasputinian Death Evil Is Hammy One-Word Title Works Set in World War II A.I. Is a Crapshoot It's All About Me Dirty Coward Bavarian Fire Drill Worthy Opponent Dogged Nice Guy Defiant to the End Hate Sink Madness Mantra Television Movie Index Rousing Speech The Musical What the Hell, Hero? Half the Man He Used to Be Super Strength The '80s Drives Like Crazy Artistic License – Physics Public Domain Feature Films Card-Carrying Villain Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Well-Intentioned Extremist Butt-Monkey Gainax Ending The Stinger Dark Action Girl Belligerent Sexual Tension Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Cool Guns Market-Based Title The Un-Reveal Important Haircut Big-Bad Ensemble Truth in Television Arch-Enemy Villain with Good Publicity The X of Y Totally Radical Psychopathic Manchild Authority Equals Asskicking Biopic A Minor Kidroduction Fainting Back from the Dead Abusive Parents Bare Your Midriff An Aesop Military and Warfare Films Kubrick Stare Our Vampires Are Different Punny Name Mind Screw Anachronism Stew Funny Background Event Alpha Bitch Naïve Newcomer Fiery Redhead Mood Whiplash Japanese Films The Great Depression Historical Hero Upgrade Four-Temperament Ensemble Genre Savvy Death Glare Up to Eleven Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Horror Comedy Domestic Abuse Fatal Flaw The Alleged Car 20 Minutes into the Future Only One Name Antagonist Title Large Ham Adaptational Heroism Apocalypse How You Have Failed Me Shoot the Shaggy Dog Police Brutality Fourth Date Marriage The Lost Lenore Accidental Murder All Just a Dream Took a Level in Jerkass Those Wacky Nazis Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Death by Sex All Men Are Perverts Slasher Movie Heel Realization Left the Background Music On Mystery and Detective Films A Father to His Men Coming-of-Age Story No-Sell Badass Longcoat The Place Unwitting Instigator of Doom Taking You with Me Race Against the Clock Expository Hairstyle Change Noodle Incident Pyrrhic Victory Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Woman in White Green-Eyed Monster Vampire Fiction World of Ham Parental Neglect Defrosting Ice Queen timeperiod Soft Glass Artistic License – Military Heroic Sacrifice Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Batman Gambit '80s Hair Bloody Hilarious Aluminum Christmas Trees La Résistance Frame-Up Sinister Minister Dramatic Irony Death of a Child Rewatch Bonus Big Brother Instinct Meet Cute Eldritch Abomination Damsel in Distress Gold Digger Age Lift Unusual Euphemism The Starscream Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Undying Loyalty Rape as Drama Babies Ever After Chekhov's Gunman Anyone Can Die Lampshade Hanging Maybe Ever After Slap-Slap-Kiss The Ace Never My Fault Suspiciously Specific Denial Big "NO!" Silence Is Golden Dramedy Final Girl BFG Redshirt Army Blood Knight I Have Your Wife Face Death with Dignity Recycled IN SPACE! Determinator aka: The Determinator Cool Old Lady Shell-Shocked Veteran Instant Death Bullet Big Damn Heroes Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Historical Villain Upgrade Badass Grandpa O.O.C. Is Serious Business Author Appeal Does This Remind You of Anything? Plucky Comic Relief Double Entendre Attempted Rape Exact Words For Want of a Nail Morality Pet Adaptational Attractiveness Bald of Evil Humans Are Bastards Beta Couple Hidden Depths Idiot Ball Mr. Fanservice Composite Character Faux Affably Evil Department of Redundancy Department Real Life Dramatic Gun Cock Make It Look Like an Accident Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Historical In-Joke Precision F-Strike The Power of Love Papa Wolf Man on Fire Laughing Mad Soundtrack Dissonance Red Eyes, Take Warning Manchild Parental Substitute Sexy Discretion Shot Pretty Little Headshots The Faceless Cool Old Guy Ambiguous Ending Smoking Is Cool Knife Nut Pay Evil unto Evil Blatant Lies Big Applesauce Kick the Dog The Smurfette Principle Kick the Son of a Bitch Scary Black Man Superhero Arranged Marriage French Films Disney Death Retcon NO INDOOR VOICE Reality Is Unrealistic The Ditz Driven to Suicide Your Cheating Heart My Beloved Smother Getting Crap Past the Radar Alas, Poor Villain Death Seeker Costume Porn Black Comedy Brutal Honesty Ambiguously Gay Canon Foreigner Would Hit a Girl Enemy Mine Black Comedy Rape Loads and Loads of Characters Leaning on the Fourth Wall Bunny-Ears Lawyer Self-Deprecation Protagonist Title Continuity Nod Decoy Protagonist Martial Arts Movie Only in It for the Money The Dreaded Male Frontal Nudity Horror Films Wicked Cultured Every Car Is a Pinto Hooker with a Heart of Gold Flashback Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Sports Stories Mad Scientist Hong Kong Films Manic Pixie Dream Girl Pre-Mortem One-Liner Catch-Phrase Chekhov's Skill Beauty Is Never Tarnished Grievous Bottley Harm German Films Stalker with a Crush Australian Movies An Axe to Grind The Reveal Mr. Exposition Shipper on Deck Actor Allusion No Good Deed Goes Unpunished British Films Wounded Gazelle Gambit Informed Ability Ironic Echo He Who Fights Monsters Developing Doomed Characters Cool Car Awesome, but Impractical Word of God Rated M for Manly Your Head A-Splode Dressing as the Enemy As Himself Artistic License – Gun Safety The Load As You Know He Knows Too Much Get Out! Plot Hole The Hero Dies Creepy Child Punch-Clock Villain Daddy's Girl You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Foil Wretched Hive Betty and Veronica Hope Spot "The Reason You Suck" Speech Henpecked Husband Straight Gay "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Vitriolic Best Buds Mexican Standoff Broken Bird Mooks Mistaken for Gay Berserk Button Eye Scream Say My Name Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Creator Cameo You Killed My Father Made of Iron True Companions Anti-Villain Wrong Genre Savvy Same Language Dub Lighter and Softer Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor The End... Or Is It? Running Gag It Will Never Catch On The Bad Guy Wins Annoying Younger Sibling Broken Aesop Cat Fight Dual Wielding Manipulative Bastard B-Movie Affectionate Parody Not So Above It All Bond Villain Stupidity Married to the Job Kids Are Cruel Ripped from the Headlines Disappeared Dad Didn't Think This Through Fantastic Racism Funny Foreigner The Casanova Throwing Your Sword Always Works Playing Gertrude War Is Hell Whole Plot Reference Comically Missing the Point Posthumous Character Lock and Load Montage Yandere Black Dude Dies First Big Fancy House From Bad to Worse Pretty in Mink Cowboy Cop The Dragon Let's Get Dangerous! Reality Ensues Shown Their Work Eyepatch of Power The '90s Early-Bird Cameo She Cleans Up Nicely Stylistic Suck Broken Pedestal Very Loosely Based on a True Story Demoted to Extra Guile Hero Death by Adaptation And the Adventure Continues Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Hollywood Law Stealth Hi/Bye Gory Discretion Shot The Chessmaster Deus ex Machina Re-Cut Brick Joke Curse Cut Short Dumb Blonde Extreme Doormat Creative Closing Credits Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Spared by the Adaptation Happily Married Combat Pragmatist Easily Forgiven Animal Motifs Scenery Porn Adaptation Name Change Despair Event Horizon It's Personal Naked People Are Funny Line-of-Sight Name Red Oni, Blue Oni Expy As the Good Book Says... Laser-Guided Karma Actually Pretty Funny Central Theme The Mafia All Girls Want Bad Boys More Dakka Interrupted Suicide The Big Guy Camp Gay Canadian Movies Asshole Victim Death by Irony Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Those Two Bad Guys Evil Is Petty Police are Useless Red Right Hand Vacation Films Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Good Is Not Nice The Film of the Book Sassy Black Woman Drill Sergeant Nasty Dropped a Bridge on Him Honor Before Reason Improbable Aiming Skills Adults Are Useless Nice Hat Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Jitter Cam Disproportionate Retribution Freudian Excuse Kill It with Fire Thriller Meaningful Echo Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Anachronic Order Heel–Face Turn Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Author Avatar Roaring Rampage of Revenge Here We Go Again! Bring My Brown Pants Cold-Blooded Torture Love Triangle Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Determinator Distracted by the Sexy Genre Shift Stock Footage Daylight Horror "Awesome McCool" Name Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Visual Pun Jump Scare Mercy Kill One-Man Army Not So Different "Well Done, Son!" Guy Badass in a Nice Suit Older Than They Look Hair-Trigger Temper Match Cut Eiffel Tower Effect Stuff Blowing Up Adult Fear The Ghost Never Found the Body MacGuffin Shirtless Scene Taking the Bullet I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Artistic License – Law Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Guns Akimbo Narrator Hypocritical Humor Faking the Dead Villain Opening Scene Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Foreshadowing Neck Lift Abhorrent Admirer Riddle for the Ages Corrupt Corporate Executive Oh, Crap! Chase Scene Rich Bitch Everyone Has Standards Cloudcuckoolander Rule of Symbolism Ghost Fiction Meaningful Name In Medias Res Music Stories Beard of Evil A Date with Rosie Palms Framing Device Slashed Throat Earn Your Happy Ending Homage Destination Defenestration Manly Tears Becoming the Mask Retirony All There in the Script Black and Gray Morality Character Development Deliberate Values Dissonance Artistic License – Biology Index of Film Westerns Overly Long Gag Once More, with Clarity! My God, What Have I Done? Bullying a Dragon Break the Haughty Mama Bear Wham Line Break the Cutie Race Lift Title Drop Sacrificial Lion Five-Man Band Rule of Funny Loophole Abuse Crapsack World Names to Run Away from Really Fast Bound and Gagged Villain Ball Anguished Declaration of Love Bitch in Sheep's Clothing All for Nothing Bad "Bad Acting" Cassandra Truth Better to Die than Be Killed Have a Gay Old Time Fake Shemp The '50s Men Are the Expendable Gender Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Leitmotif One Steve Limit No Celebrities Were Harmed Adaptation Distillation Closed Circle Not So Stoic Sadistic Choice Off with His Head! The Lancer There Is No Kill Like Overkill Failed a Spot Check No Name Given Adapted Out Demonic Possession Did Not Get the Girl From Nobody to Nightmare Hero Antagonist Sealed Evil in a Can Russian Films Serious Business Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Adorkable Spiteful Spit Really Gets Around Freeze-Frame Bonus Fate Worse than Death Exactly What It Says on the Tin Bolivian Army Ending Novelization Storming the Castle Dirty Old Man Beware the Nice Ones Heroes Want Redheads Stepford Smiler An Arm and a Leg Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer The Chick The Quiet One Fantasy Films Bad Boss Blackmail Love at First Sight The '60s Air-Vent Passageway Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Captain Ersatz Flipping the Bird Never Trust a Trailer Deadpan Snarker Celebrity Paradox Book-Ends Major Injury Underreaction A God Am I Wham Shot Unreliable Narrator Sequel Hook What Happened to the Mouse? Gratuitous English Adaptation Dye-Job Big Eater Malevolent Masked Men Heterosexual Life-Partners Tagline Bloodless Carnage folderlabel Villain Song Film Noir Index Star-Crossed Lovers Femme Fatale Evil Plan Light Is Not Good Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Knight Templar Facial Horror Corpsing Deal with the Devil Suddenly SHOUTING! Product Placement Brainless Beauty Action Genre The Cameo Jerkass Even Evil Has Loved Ones Insane Troll Logic Slasher Smile Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Epic Fail Unspoken Plan Guarantee Reasonable Authority Figure Improbable Weapon User Aside Glance Dark Is Not Evil Even Evil Has Standards Dissonant Serenity Sequel Escalation Villainous Breakdown Armor-Piercing Question Refuge in Audacity Politically Incorrect Villain Trailers Always Spoil Scare Chord Dirty Cop The Remake Spanner in the Works The Oner Deliberately Monochrome Depraved Bisexual Take That! Took a Level in Badass Obfuscating Stupidity Meaningful Background Event Too Dumb to Live Amoral Attorney Poor Communication Kills Skewed Priorities And I Must Scream Groin Attack Real Life Writes the Plot Video Credits Extremely Short Timespan Dull Surprise The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Imagine Spot Grey and Gray Morality Random Events Plot Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Dutch Angle Fatal Family Photo