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