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