History Main / ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind

** In ''Film/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'', Lurtz (the [[EliteMooks Uruk-Hai]] captain) is about to finish off Boromir when Aragorn appears to fight him off. [[spoiler:It's too late for Boromir, though.]]
** ''Film/TheTwoTowers'' has a similar scene twice. After Merry and Pippin are captured, one of the orcs is about to kill a helpless Pippin, when he's suddenly stabbed from behind by a Rider of Rohan. A short time later, the same orc has Merry at his mercy ... and is promptly [[WhenTreesAttack stepped on from behind by Treebeard.]]
** ''Film/TheReturnOfTheKing'' features a scene where it seems Frodo (captured, naked, bound, weaponless, and Ringless) is about to be killed by an Orc:

* ''Franchise/MavelCinematicUniverse'':

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Fanfic ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

* Happens in the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', during the ''Battle of New Caprica''. ''Galactica'' is cornered by four Baseships, taking a heavy pounding, its point defence batteries failing and its FTL offline. The crew even realise that this is it. Camera zooms out...and shows a barrage of torpedoes heading for the nearest Baseship, the source being the Battlestar ''Pegasus''.

* The ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "Orpheus" has Faith do this to Connor before he gets to stab Angelus.

* "[=EscApe=] From New York," the season five premiere of ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'', sees [[spoiler: ''Aria'', of all people, doing this when Shana has Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Alison at gunpoint and is about to kill them in revenge for the Jenna thing; Aria hits Shana with [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Rifle]], and hits her again sending her off the stage to a DisneyVillainDeath]].

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* ''VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception''- [[spoiler: Young Drake is on a roof, his back to a corner. There's nowhere for him to run and one of Marlowe's men has him at gunpoint. Before the minion can shoot our hero, in comes Sully from behind who shoots him, takes Drake to a tavern and begins the lasting friendship we see in the series.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' Part 1 combines this with SurprisinglySuddenDeath, when KOS-MOS blasts through a wall to save Shion in the nick of time.

* Elain attacks Lechuck this way with the cursed cutlass of Kaflu in ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland: Rise of the Pirate God'', but doesn't work as Lechuck had already absorbed so much power it didn't affect him.

* Played with in ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' Neo doesn't actually need help, but the Witch NPC shows up and shotguns some mooks to death with a few [[BackStab back shots]].
* In ''VideoGame/FableI'', the young Hero of Oakvale is saved from a bandit in his DoomedHometown when Maze, the Heroes Guild leader, shows up to hit him with a lightning bolt from behind. [[spoiler:Maze is later revealed to have invoked this: he is TheMole who led the bandit raid and had a last-second change of heart, killing the bandit to LeaveNoWitnesses and ensure the Hero's [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan complete]] [[IOweYouMyLife loyalty]].]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]
* ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' combines this with PrettyLittleHeadshots at one point.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}'', Veithel [[spoiler: attacks Rowasu just before he kills her father. Soveshei isn't as pleased as he should.]]
* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' Jean saves Bob from KingMook of the [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bigfeet]] with a [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20090530.html floorlamp.]]

* When Ren from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' has Androssi and Anak cornered and is about to kill them, he gets a pebble thrown at his head. Enter [[LadyOfWar Yuri Zahard]].
* An interesting variation happens in ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'', where it wasn't completely clear if the person being saved, [[spoiler:Bastion Winallis]], was going to be killed [[spoiler: ([[FateWorseThanDeath or]] [[YourSoulIsMine worse]])]] or not, (at least immediately), and that the person saving them [[spoiler: (an Efheby, a type of immortal Naga)]] is the boss of the people threatening them. This boss also doesn't kill the person with the weapon [[spoiler:(a knife embued with its venom)]], but rather the person next to them. By [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling]] [[BadBoss them]] [[spoiler: on it's forearm]]. It has the same effect, though, thoroughly disuading the attacker from continuing.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Tellurion}}'' one such attack by their shipmates is the only thing that keeps the Guy and Girl from being done in by a Guard.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', Boo does this to [[TheDragon Randall]] while he's trying to get Sully to fall.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' this serves as MysteriousProtector Cheetara's DynamicEntry, saving young [[KingIncognito Prince Incognito]] Lion-O from a headlock by rapping his mugger in the [[TapOnTheHead back of the head]] with her staff.

* Handled much more conservatively in the newer adaptation ''Film/{{Dredd}}''. The timing is a little off here, so Dredd has to stall his intended killer for a few seconds before Judge Anderson can show up from behind and blow the guy away.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'', Russ Cargill is about to shoot Homer when a boulder falls on his head and knocks him out, [[LittleMissBadass courtesy of little Maggie]].
* Done in ''Film/BladeRunner'' when Deckard has lost his HandCannon, Leon picks him up and says, "Time to die..." ...only to get [[BoomHeadshot shot in the head]] by Rachel from behind, who has picked up the gun.
* ''Film/{{Thunderball}}''. As Largo is about to shoot Film/JamesBond, Domino shoots him from behind with [[HarpoonGun a speargun]].
* Another Bond film to feature this is ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', which has Bond kill Silva with a throwing knife to the back while the latter is about to kill M and himself.
* In ''Film/DragonballEvolution'', Mai is chasing Bulma and about to deal a killing blow when [[spoiler: Yamcha shoots her from behind]]. A deleted, alternate version of that scene actually has her [[spoiler: impaled by shrapnel, but still taken out by Yamcha]].
%%* ''Film/TheCrazies2010'' has this happen. Again and again.
* Inverted in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', when [[spoiler:Loki stabs Agent Coulson in the back, killing him and sparking the Avengers Initiative]].
* In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', Kurse has Thor on the ropes, and then [[spoiler:Loki]] impales Kurse from behind with his own spear and [[spoiler:[[HoistByHisOwnPetard activates the black hole grenade on his belt]].]]
* ''Film/JohnnyEnglish'', two mooks hold Johnny and Bough at gunpoint and are knocked over the head by Lorna with a fire extinguuisher.
* Near the end of ''Film/TheHungerGames'', Clove managed to get the best of Katniss and was just about to kill her when Thresh pulls her off Katniss and beats her to death against the Cornucopia, before leaving without attacking Katniss.
-->'''Thresh:''' Just this time, Twelve. For Rue.
* At the end of the 1973 story in ''Film/CloudAtlas'', when Smoke has Luisa and Napier cornered at gunpoint, the latter having run out of ammo. Just before he pulls the trigger, the Mexican woman [[LaserGuidedKarma whose dog Smoke had shot]] [[TapOnTheHead hits him over the head with a large tool]].

* ''Film/MazeRunnerTheScorchTrials'' has one of the guys in the hideout attempting to shoot Thomas and the gang, only to dramatically fall forward, revealing that he'd been shot in the back by Brenda.
* The climactic action scene in ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'' ends with Taggart shooting Karla in the back before she can shoot Axl.
* In the 1994 French film ''La fille de d'Artagnan'' ("[=D'Artagnan=]'s Daughter") the Big Bad has the titular heroine (Sophie Marceau) at his mercy and is about to deliver the ''coup de grâce'' when he suddenly notices a sword-point emerging from his own chest -- courtesy of [[PapaWolf her father]] [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers d'Artagnan]] (Philippe Noiret).
* In the 2016 remake of ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016 The Magnificent Seven]]'', this trope is combined with a BaitAndSwitchGunshot. While Chisholm is monologuing and prolonging Bogue's strangulation, Bogue is busily fishing a derringer out of his pocket with which to shoot Chisholm. Emma shows up just in time to shoot Bogue before Bogue can shoot Chisholm. Played with in that [[ActionGirl Emma]] comes up behind Chisholm and not Bogue in order to deliver the fatal shot.
* In ''Film/UnderSiege'', as [[TheHero Ryback]] is lying wounded on the deck of the ''USS Missouri'' after disabling the enemy sub, [[TheDragon Daumer]] walks up towards him and levels his gun. Of course, he just HAS to take the opportunity to gloat and deliver his PreMortemOneLiner...
-->'''Daumer:''' You're incredible, Ryback. It's a shame you weren't working for us...\\
''[Gunshots ring out. Daumer falls dead, and [[{{Sidekick}} Jordan]] [[DoesNotLikeGuns Tate]] is seen behind him holding a sub machine gun.]''\\
'''Ryback:''' [[BrickJoke Next thing I know, you'll be dating musicians]].
* At the end of ''Film/TheCatcher'', Terry is being strangled by the Johnny when Johnny is cracked over the head with a baseball bat. The camera pulls back to reveal Beth; who had been knocked unconscious and stuffed into a washing machine earlier in the film.
* ''Film/ISawWhatYouDid'': During the climax, Steve has pulled a DangerTakesABackseat on Libby and is choking her to death from behind. Suddenly there is a gunshot, the rear window of the car shatters, and Steve slumps forward: dead. Appearing behind the car is the state trooper from earlier, who has returned after being summoned by Mr. Austin after Kit came clean to him about what was really going on.

* In one of the few real fight scenes in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' Kai which isn't just a CurbStompBattle, one of the girls is cornered by a bad guy, and then Keiichi hits him from behind. Of course, [[spoiler: that was just part of act one of the fight, and in act two they all die, [[GroundhogDayLoop ''again''.]]]]

* The Council likes to do this to the heroes in ''Manga/FairyTail''. They make a point of showing up ''right after'' the villain has been defeated, ''twice''. One time just to question the guild, another to issue a life sentence to two people who just helped save the day.
* In ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', when the anachronic storyline finally gets around to showing us some context on [[AwesomeMcCoolName Jacuzzi Splot]] it's to see him in an alley, reasonably enough but a little overeffusively cowering and weeping in front of three guys with guns, begging them to put the guns down. They're rather puzzled because they were expecting a badass. Then it gets weird.
-->'''Jacuzzi:''' Please, ''I don't want to kill you!''
-->'''Mook:''' Huh? Isn't it, you don't want to be killed by us?
-->'''Jacuzzi:''' No...I don't want you to be killed! So please...Donny...I'm sure they're going to put the guns down now...there's no need...
** And then a giant crushes one of them and an ActionGirl cuts their throats, from behind. Jacuzzi has pals.
* In the movies of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', during the Zeon infiltration of White Base, Amuro has just been sprung from his holding cell by Ryu Jose and is on his way to take control of the Gundam when he is waylaid by a Zeon soldier. Things look bad, as the two fight over a gun, a shot it heard and the soldier drops. Standing behind him with the smoking gun is Bright Noa.
* In ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', Cromwell uses his hypnotic ring to take control of Kirche and Tabitha. Cromwell starts gloating that as long as he has the ring, nobody can oppose him... then Guiche smashes a stick over his head from behind and knocks him out.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' does this in almost every big fight.

* {{Comicbook/Hitman}}: How do you out-shoot the fastest gun in the world? [[spoiler: Have your buddy sneak up behind him and blow his head off.]]
* In the third issue of {{Monstress}}, Kippa draws attention away from the friendly human woman Emilia just before the Cumaea can kill her baby for harboring Arcanics. Master Ren draws attention away from Kippa, but the Cumaea surround them both. Kippa is backed up against a tree, surrounded by Cumaea mooks. She fights back, but is no match for them. Then suddenly, one of the Cumaea's unicorn steeds comes running at them, bleeding, in pain, and frenzied, and it soon becomes clear that someone ''tore off its horn''. Cue the Cumaea Elite Mook being [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome gored through the neck]] [[BigDamnHeroes by the horn Maika ripped from the unicorn's forehead and threw like a javelin.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheTaintedGrimoire'': During the climax of the St. Galleria arc, Auggie is saved from three members of the [[spoiler: Archbishop Guard]] like this.

* During the fight on top of the [[RecycledINSPACE space drill]] in ''Film/StarTrek2009'', Kirk is hanging off the edge with a Romulan standing over him, trying to stomp on Kirk's fingers. Sulu comes to the rescue by running the Romulan through with his sword.
* ''Film/JudgeDredd'':
** An extreme example occurs where this trope occurs not once, but twice ''in the same scene.'' During the confrontation with the desert cannibals. Toward the end of the fight, Dredd is about to be speared by the patriarch of the cannibal clan, when the bad guy is killed by a shot from the "cleanup team" sent to make sure that Dredd didn't survive. After the ensuing shoot-out, Dredd is again cornered only to have his attacker shotgunned by Judge Fargo, Dredd's mentor. Fargo is then literally skewered seconds later after saying hello by the cyborg cannibal.
** And at the climax of that same movie, Dredd is hanging by his fingertips, with the recently-deceased BigBad's mad scientist henchman standing over him with a gun, gloating about shooting him. Cue the BaitAndSwitchGunshot as Judge Hershey, Dredd's partner, shoots the scientist from behind, saving his life. Using this trope three times in one movie may well qualify for some sort of record.

* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'':
** Marion Ravenwood knocks out a mook from behind with a burning log during the bar fight near the beginning just as he's about to shoot Indiana Jones.
** She does this sort of thing again later during the fight on and around the Nazi plane. A German pilot is about to shoot Indy when he's hit over the back of the head, and we see Marion Ravenwood lifting some airplane wheel chocks triumphantly.

* Multiple times in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** In ''Film/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'', Lurtz (the [[EliteMooks Uruk-Hai]] captain) is about to finish off Boromir when Aragorn appears to fight him off. [[spoiler:It's too late for Boromir, though.]]
** ''Film/TheTwoTowers'' has a similar scene twice. After Merry and Pippin are captured, one of the orcs is about to kill a helpless Pippin, when he's suddenly stabbed from behind by a Rider of Rohan. A short time later, the same orc has Merry at his mercy ... and is promptly [[WhenTreesAttack stepped on from behind by Treebeard.]]
** ''Film/TheReturnOfTheKing'' features a scene where it seems Frodo (captured, naked, bound, weaponless, and Ringless) is about to be killed by an Orc:
--->'''Orc:''' I'm gonna bleed you like a stuck pig!
--->[Orc [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice gets run through]] with [[CoolSword Sting]], wielded by Sam]
--->'''Sam:''' [[DodgeThis Not if I stick you first.]]
* In ''Film/TheMatrix'', Trinity does this twice for Neo during the RooftopConfrontation:
** First she saves him by throwing a knife at a mook who sneaked up behind him with a gun.
** Shortly after she performs her the famous DodgeThis on one of the agents who is about to shoot Neo from close range.

** Does it again in the non-serial movie ''Anime/TheReturnOfCooler'' when he saves Goku from being choked to death by Cooler.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', Obi-wan and Dutchess Satine have a terrorist leader at the point of their weapons, the villain gloats that they can't do anything before he pulls the trigger on some bombs, less the pacifist Satine become a hypocrite, or the lovestruck Obi-wan be made a monster in his love interest's eyes... cue Anakin running him through with his lightsaber, with a few chords of "March of the Empire" playing as he does.

* In ''Fanfic/KarmaInRetrograde'', the story starts when a civilian shoots Dabi in the back with a [[FountainOfYouth deaging Quirk]] from behind, causing him to revert back to being Ryouta Todoroki.

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]
* In FanFic/TheTaintedGrimoire, during the climax of the St. Galleria arc, Auggie is saved from three members of the [[spoiler: Archbishop Guard]] like this.

* During the fight on top of the [[RecycledINSPACE space drill]] in ''Film/StarTrek'', Kirk is hanging off the edge with a Romulan standing over him, trying to stomp on Kirk's fingers. Sulu comes to the rescue by running the Romulan through with his sword.

--> '''Dredd:''' Wait.
--> '''Lex:''' "Wait?" Are you kidding me? Did you just say, "Wait"? Judge Dredd -- ''[[TheDreaded the]]'' [[TheDreaded Judge Dredd]] -- finally gets on the wrong end of a gun and all he says is, "Wait." You know what? [[EvilGloating I expected more from you. I mean, wait for what?]] Wait for me to change my mind? Wait for another two or three seconds of life because you are so fucking weak you can't stand to see it end?

* In the 2016 remake of ''[[TheMagnificentSeven2016 The Magnificent Seven]]'', this trope is combined with a BaitAndSwitchGunshot. While Chisholm is monologuing and prolonging Bogue's strangulation, Bogue is busily fishing a derringer out of his pocket with which to shoot Chisholm. Emma shows up just in time to shoot Bogue before Bogue can shoot Chisholm. Played with in that [[ActionGirl Emma]] comes up behind Chisholm and not Bogue in order to deliver the fatal shot.

* In the third issue of {{Monstress}}, Kippa draws attention away from the friendly human woman Emilia just before the Cumaea can kill her baby for harboring Arcanics. Master Ren draws attention away from Kippa, but the Cumaea surround them both. Kippa is backed up against a tree, surrounded by Cumaea mooks. She fights back, but is no match for them. Then suddenly, one of the Cumaea's unicorn steeds comes running at them, bleeding, in pain, and frenzied, and it soon becomes clear that someone ''tore off its horn''. Cue the Cumaea Elite Mook being [[MomentOfAwesome gored through the neck]] [[BigDamnHeroes by the horn Maika ripped from the unicorn's forehead and threw like a javelin.]]

-->'''Pirate:''' SAY GOODBYE!
-->'''*A sign's chain conveniently breaks, causing it to smash the pirate.*'''
-->'''Will:''' [[BondOneLiner ...Goodbye!]]

-->'''Orc:''' I'm gonna bleed you like a stuck pig!
-->[Orc [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice gets run through]] with [[CoolSword Sting]], wielded by Sam]
-->'''Sam:''' [[DodgeThis Not if I stick you first.]]

* In the final season of ''Series/{{Lost}}'', Jin is about to be attacked by some guys when [[spoiler:the long-lost Claire]] shows up out of the jungle and shoots them.

** Occurs during the attack on Port Royal at the beginning of [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl first film]].

-->'''*pirate is incapacitated*'''

-->( Shot of Millennium Falcon coming out of sun.)

-->'''Tie Fighter Pilot:''' Look out! (Tries to turn but crashes into Vader's ship sending Vader spinning out of control and killing the tie fighter pilot).

* Near the end of ''Film/HungerGames'', Clove managed to get the best of Katniss and was just about to kill her when Thresh pulls her off Katniss and beats her to death against the Cornucopia, before leaving without attacking Katniss.

--> [[spoiler: Raynor]]: Change of plans, Arcturus.

* In ''VideoGame/FableI'', the young Hero of Oakvale is saved from a bandit in his DoomedHometown when Maze, the Heroes Guild leader, shows up to hit him with a lightning bolt from behind. [[spoiler:He's later revealed to have invoked this: he is TheMole who led the bandit raid and had a last-second change of heart, killing the bandit to LeaveNoWitnesses and ensure the Hero's [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan complete]] [[IOweYouMyLife loyalty]].]]

* The 2010 remake of ''Film/TheCrazies'' has this happen. Again and again.

* Occurs in the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Courage the Cowardly Dog}}''. Katz manages to tire out Courage by defeating him in a gane of squach before grabbing him by the throat and preparing to feed him to his one of man-eating spider pets. However, as he is distracted [[EvilLaugh laughing uncontrollably]], Muriel knocks him out with a tennis racket saving Courage.