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