Tropescilloscope: Mystery and Detective Films

nan (read more at tvtropes.org)

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