All The Tropes

Powder Trail: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Powder Trail (view source)

Revision as of 17:43, 8 April 2014

133 bytes removed ,  10 years ago
m
Mass update links
VisualWikitext
(→‎[[Real Life]]: clean up)
m (Mass update links)
Line 23:
== [[Film]] ==
* In one of the first color movies of all time, ''[[The Black Pirate]]'', the villainous pirates use this technique to blow up ships after they have left.
* In the movie ''[[The Return of theThree Musketeers (Film1973 film)|The Return of the Musketeers]]'', the powder fuse is used to blow up a ship.
* Used in film ''The Mask Of [[Zorro]]''.
* [[B-Movie]] ''Ator The Invincible'' ("[[Cave Dwellers]]" on ''[[MST3KMystery Science Theater 3000]]'') had a character do this with rock dust. Cue the guys: "She's making flash powder out of her own filth!"
* ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]''. Freaking hilarious, Rizzo and Gonzo scared witless trying to load a gun to fend off pirates.... Kaboom!!
** Not to mention the sparks follow them as they try to escape.
Line 33:
** Although that is an actual fuse rather than a powder trail. The end result is the same.
* In ''[[Cutthroat Island]]'', the [[Mexican Standoff]] in the tavern between Dawg's men and Morgan's men is broken when Shaw removes the cork from an enemy pirate's powder-horn. Bowen sees him do this and tosses him a lit candle. The other pirate takes a few steps away, and Shaw drops the candle, literally starting off the ensuing fight scene with a bang.
* In the comedy western ''[[The Villain (Film)|The Villain]]'', Cactus Jack accidentally creates one of these, and has to be saved from being blown up by his horse [[Cool Horse|Whiskey]].
* In ''[[ItsIt's aA Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'', this is one of the many methods by which the Crumps attempt to escape from the hardware-store basement in which they have been accidently locked.
* Leon (Anthony Quinn) uses a powder trail to blow the dam and drown the attacking Indians in ''[[Guns For San Sebastian]]''.
 
== Literature ==
* Happens in the ''[[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]]'' book ''Elfangor's Secret''. The villain plans to destroy ''HMS Victory'' during the battle at Trafalgar, and uses the powder trail to give him extra time to make his escape via [[Time Travel]]. Ax [[Subverted Trope|managed to cut the]] [[Powder Trail]] [[Just in Time|in the nick of time]], using his tail blade -- {{spoiler|[[Double Subverted|only to accidentally strike a spark that ignites the rest of the trail]]}}.
* In the fourth ''[[Gotrek and Felix]]'' novel, the dwarfs lay a powder trail (and a couple kegs of powder) to collapse the tunnel leading into a dragon's lair in case they're overrun by orcs or bandits. Their engineer's rocket launcher accidentally sets it off, leading to much swearing since the dragon had quite a large hoard.
* Used by [[Sharpe|Richard Sharpe]] to destroy {{spoiler|a friendly fortress in ''Sharpe's Gold''}}.
Line 44:
 
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* Done on ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'' to open the hatch.
* [[MacGyver]] improvises a powder trail to blow up an arms shipment in "The Escape".
* A staple on the various ''[[Zorro]]'' TV series.
* The Queen uses one to set off an explosion that collapses a mine (and allows her to escape the soldiers in the ensuing confusion) in the ''[[Queen of Swords (TV)|Queen of Swords]]'' episode "Death to the Queen".
 
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In ''[[The Curse of Monkey Island (Video Game)|The Curse of Monkey Island]]'', Guybrush knocks over a keg of rum, leaving a trail of the alcohol down the grassy knoll and to the keg, which happens to be sitting next to a rubber tree. He lights the trail with a match (would work since pure rum is flammable), and proceeds to be blown right off the cliff and into town by the blast. After coming to, he drowsily declares, "Woah, my head is spinning. I gotta lay off the rum!"
* One mission in ''[[Sly Cooper|Sly 3]]: Honor Among Thieves'' has General Tsao doing this to a captive Murray. Penelope uses one of her RC cars to save the day.
* In ''[[Time Splitters]] 2'', the player character is required to do this to get an NPC out of a wild west jail. One must create a powder trail from underneath a lantern inside the jail to a wagon loaded with powder barrels pushed against the wall outside, then shoot the lantern off the ceiling.
Line 57:
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* The comedic variation happened frequently to Wile E. Coyote and Yosemite Sam in ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' shorts.
** Also to Tom of ''[[Tom and Jerry (Animation)|Tom and Jerry]]''.
** It's one of the many penalties in "Early to Bet," #36: Roll out the Barrel.
* ''[[Jonny Quest]]'' TOS episode "Riddle of the Gold". Bandit saves the day by putting out the flame with his...err, tail. :)
** Race [[Lampshade Hanging|hangs a lampshade]] on it even then: "Isn't that a bit of an old routine?"
* The Hooded Claw uses one in an attempt to dispose of Penelope in ''[[The Perils of Penelope Pitstop]]'' episode "Jungle Jeopardy". This works about as well as any of the Hooded Claw's schemes do.
* ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (Filmfilm)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'' features this. Sir Francis Haddock sets it off, Red Rackham snuffs it out, repeat, repeat...
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/902989"