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