History Main / WhyDontYouJustShootHim

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Someone in the story [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that the above three options are stupid and that a simpler, more direct solution exists - namely, by just shooting him. The villain may or may not take their advice.

If you, the viewer, are wondering why someone won't just shoot someone else, {{Headscratchers}} is the place to ask.

Compare ThirdActStupidity, ContractualGenreBlindness. Contrast CombatPragmatist and NoNonsenseNemesis. Not to be confused with JustEatGilligan, although there can be overlap.

Compare ThirdActStupidity, ContractualGenreBlindness. Contrast CombatPragmatist and NoNonsenseNemesis.

{{Subtrope}}s include:

-> '''One-Armed Man''': I've been looking for you for 8 months. Whenever I should have had a gun in my right hand, I thought of you. Now I find you in exactly the position that suits me. I had lots of time to learn to shoot with my left.
-> ''[Tuco kills him with the gun he has hidden in the foam of his bubble bath.]''
-> '''Tuco''': When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.

Compare ThirdActStupidity, ContractualGenreBlindness. Contrast DangerouslyGenreSavvy, CombatPragmatist, and NoNonsenseNemesis.

-> '''Scott''': Why don't you just kill him?
-> Dr. Evil: ''You just don't get it, do you Scott? ''
-> '''Scott''':I have a gun, I can get it and shoot him to two seconds: BANG!
-> Dr. Evil: ''SSSSST! I've got a whole bag of SSSST! right here. ''

->-- ''Film/AustinPowers''

-> '''Scott''':'''I have a gun, I can get it and shoot him to two seconds: BANG!'''

-> '''One-Armed Man''': I've been looking for you for 8 months. Whenever I should have had a gun in my right hand, I thought of you. Now I find you in exactly the position that suits me. I had lots of time to learn to shoot with my left.
-> ''[Tuco kills him with the gun he has hidden in the foam of his bubble bath.]''
-> '''Tuco''': When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
-->-- ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''

-> ''Tuco kills him with the gun he has hidden in the foam of his bubble bath.''

There may or may not be some in-story justification for this failure to take the direct approach. [[WatsonianVersusDoylist The Doylist explanation]] will always boil down to "if he ''did'' just shoot him, the story would be much shorter, and [[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys would win]].

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Someone in the story [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that the above three options are stupid and that a simpler, more direct solution exists. The villain may or may not take their advice.

Villains frequently find themselves in conundrums that could easily be solved by [[MundaneSolution finding the right person and shooting them]] but refrain from doing so.

There may or may not be some in-story justification for this failure to take the direct approach. The {{Doylist}} explanation will always boil down to the fact that if he ''did'' just shoot him, then the story would be much shorter and would end with [[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys winning]].

There may or may not be some in-story justification for this failure to take the direct approach. The {{Doylist}} explanation will always boil down to the fact that if he ''did'' just shoot him, then the story would be much shorter and would end with the bad guys winning.

-->-- ''TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''

-> '''One-Armed Man''': "I've been looking for you for 8 months. Whenever I should have had a gun in my right hand, I thought of you. Now I find you in exactly the position that suits me. I had lots of time to learn to shoot with my left."

-> '''Tuco''': "When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

->''That's one thing I like about the bad guys -- there's always a lot of discussion before they get round to pulling the trigger.''
-->--'''Ullman''', ''VideoGame/{{Metro 2033}}''

->''That's one thing I like about the bad guys - there's always a lot of discussion before they get round to pulling the trigger.''

Villains frequently find themselves in conundrums that could easily be solved by [[MundaneSolution finding the right person and shooting them]] but refrain from doing so.

->''[[GenreSavvy That's one thing I like about the bad guys]] - [[EvilGloating there's always a lot of discussion before they get round to pulling the trigger]].''

{{SubTrope}}s include:

Villains frequently find themselves in conundrums that could easily be solved by [[MundaneSolution finding the right person and shooting them]] but reftain from doing so.

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JustShoot.jpg]]]]

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Someone in the story [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that the above three options are stupid and that a simpler, more direct solution exists. The villain may or may not actually take their advice.

Villains frequently find themselves in conundrums that could easily be solved by [[MundaneSolution finding the right person and shooting them]]. But rarely does a villain actually take this direct approach.

There may or may not be some in-story justification for this failure to take the direct approach. However, the {{Doylist}} explanations generally boils down to the fact, if he ''did'' just shoot him, then the story would be much shorter and would end with the bad guys winning.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Where's the fun]] [[VillainSong in that?]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Where's the fun in that?]]]]

->''One thing I like about the bad guys - there's always a lot of discussion before they get round to pulling the trigger.''
-->--'''Ullman''', ''Metro 2033''

[[caption-width-right:350:[[BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold Where's the fun in that?]]]]

-->--'''Ullman''', ''VideoGame/Metro2033''

->Why don't you shoot him now? I mean, come on, I'll go get a gun. We'll shoot him together. It'll be fun. BANG! Dead. Done.
-->--'''Scott Evil''', ''AustinPowers: International Man of Mystery''