Tropescilloscope: Mugging the Monster

Criminal targets someone much more dangerous than they appear. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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