Purgatory: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted

Inline

Latest revision as of 00:50, 14 March 2017

A 1999 made for TV Western about a ruthless band of outlaws who end up in the town of Refuge. At first it seems to be a bandit's dream come true, where even the Sheriff won't use a gun. Of course nothing is as it seems, and it turns out that Refuge is a last chance town for the marginally good to redeem themselves after they die by living peacefully for ten years.

Tropes used in Purgatory include:

The Atoner: Everyone in Refuge, though Lefty Slade fails.
Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Wild Bill Hitchcock can do it while firing one handed.
Bolt of Divine Retribution: Special delivery from God.
Broken Masquerade: It slowly falls apart due to Sonny recognizing the townspeople.
Divine Intervention: Shockingly, God isn't too pleased with Blackjack & Co. screwing around with his town.
Fate Worse Than Death: Death is nothing compared to the penalty for violence.
Fire and Brimstone Hell: The entrance to Hell is a river of fire.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: The Indian and the Coachman are angels.
God: Running the whole show.
God Is Good: Gives people a second chance and understands the need to defend your home.

Coachman: "The Creator may be tough, but He ain't blind."

Hooker with a Heart of Gold: - Dolly Stone, though she says the dime novels exagerate it.
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: People die, but it takes a lot of firing to do it. Except when the plot calls for it, of course.
- Being fair, Wild Bill Hickock was legitimately a legendary marksman in real life. If this trope is ever invoked for anyone he's shooting at, you're doing it wrong.
Insult Backfire: At the final shootout.

Blackjack: "Your mother's a whore."
Wild Bill: "I have no mother."

Knife Nut: Betty McCullough, though her victim deserved it.
Magical Native American: More specifcially, St. Peter in Indian form.
- No, that's the Angel of Death. The Coachman is St. Peter.
The Masquerade: None of the townspeople will admit to who they were.
Martial Pacifist: The entire cast, at first, as fighting is a violation of the rules of Purgatory and will damn them. Particularly noteworthy when Blackjack's hulking deputy tries to push around the unarmed 'pacifist' sheriff in a fistfight, and Bill defeats him by ducking and sidestepping every punch he throws but never actually raises a hand back.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Lightning hits the knife thrower.
Mugging the Monster: No, Blackjack, that's not some pacifist Quaker you're bullying around. That's Wild Bill Hickock. And the men next to him are Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Doc Holliday. Nice knowing you!
Redemption Equals Death: Granted he was never really bad, but Sonny did want to join Blackjack's band, knowing fully what they did. Of course, he doesn't have too far to go once he dies.
- Being fair, Blackjack's lieutenant is Sonny's uncle and was encouraging the kid to do it, and Sonny had vastly misestimated the amount of killing the gang actually did. He thought it would be like the dime novels.
Resigned to the Call: The townspeople decide to take up arms even though (they think) it'll mean going to hell.
Retirony: The Sheriff, who is a few days from going home when Blackjack shows up. Inverted in that "retiring" means dying, and subverted in that he gets to go to heaven anyway.
Romantic False Lead: Dolly is set up as the romantic interest for Sonny, especially when she ends up in Refuge, but he ends up with Dolly.
Sherlock Scan: Blackjack's initial glib lie that he and his men are a gang of cattle drovers that got lost in a storm doesn't survive Bill's observation that only a few of Blackjack's men actually have lassos slung on their saddles, when a real group of cow herders would of course all be equipped with them.
The So-Called Coward: The entire town, who are actually some of the most dangerous people in The Wild West.
Villain Protagonist/Decoy Protagonist: Blackjack's gang.
The Western: With supernatural elements.
When It Rains, It Pours: The only rainstorm in the movie is a massive downpour, though it wasn't natural.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{work}}
-A 1999 made for TV Western about a ruthless band of outlaws that end up in the town of Refuge. At first it seems to be a bandit's dream come true, where even the Sheriff won't use a gun. Of course nothing is as it seems, and it turns out that Refuge is a last chance town for the marginally good to redeem themselves after they die by living peacefully for ten years.
+A 1999 [[Made for TV Movie|made for TV]] [[Western]] about a ruthless band of outlaws who end up in the town of Refuge. At first it seems to be a bandit's dream come true, where even the Sheriff won't use a gun. Of course nothing is as it seems, and it turns out that Refuge is a last chance town for the marginally good to redeem themselves after they die by living peacefully for ten years.
 {{tropelist}}
 * [[The Atoner]]: Everyone in Refuge, though Lefty Slade fails.
@@ Line 12: / Line 13: @@
 * [[God]]: Running the whole show.
 * [[God Is Good]]: Gives people a second chance and understands the need to defend your home.
-{{quote|'''Coachman''': "The Creator... now He's a hard man, but He ain't blind."}}
+{{quote|'''Coachman''': "The Creator may be tough, but He ain't blind."}}
 * [[Hooker with a Heart of Gold]]: - Dolly Stone, though she says the dime novels exagerate it.
 * [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: People die, but it takes a lot of firing to do it. Except when the plot calls for it, of course.
+** Being fair, Wild Bill Hickock was legitimately a legendary marksman in real life. If this trope is ever invoked for anyone ''he's'' shooting at, you're doing it wrong.
 * [[Insult Backfire]]: At the final shootout.
 {{quote|'''Blackjack''': "Your mother's a whore."
@@ Line 21: / Line 23: @@
 * [[Magical Native American]]: More specifcially, St. Peter in Indian form.
 ** No, that's the Angel of Death. The ''Coachman'' is St. Peter.
-* [[The Masquerade]]: None of the townspeople will admit to who the were.
+* [[The Masquerade]]: None of the townspeople will admit to who they were.
+* [[Martial Pacifist]]: The entire cast, at first, as fighting is a violation of the rules of Purgatory and will damn them. Particularly noteworthy when Blackjack's hulking deputy tries to push around the unarmed 'pacifist' sheriff in a fistfight, and Bill defeats him by ducking and sidestepping every punch he throws but never actually raises a hand back.
 * [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane]]: Lightning hits the knife thrower.
 * [[Mugging the Monster]]: No, Blackjack, that's ''not'' some pacifist Quaker you're bullying around. That's ''Wild Bill Hickock''. And the men next to him are Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Doc Holliday. Nice knowing you!
 * [[Redemption Equals Death]]: Granted he was never really bad, but {{spoiler|Sonny}} did want to join Blackjack's band, knowing fully what they did. Of course, he doesn't have too far to go once he dies.
+** Being fair, Blackjack's lieutenant is Sonny's uncle and was encouraging the kid to do it, and Sonny had vastly misestimated the amount of killing the gang actually did. He thought it would be like the dime novels.
 * [[Resigned to the Call]]: The townspeople decide to take up arms even though (they think) it'll mean going to hell.
 * [[Retirony]]: The Sheriff, who is a few days from going home when Blackjack shows up. [[Inverted Trope|Inverted]] in that "retiring" means dying, and [[Subverted Trope|subverted]] in that he {{spoiler|gets to go to heaven anyway}}.
 * [[Romantic False Lead]]: Dolly is set up as the romantic interest for Sonny, especially when she ends up in Refuge, but he ends up with Dolly.
+* [[Sherlock Scan]]: Blackjack's initial glib lie that he and his men are a gang of cattle drovers that got lost in a storm doesn't survive Bill's observation that only a few of Blackjack's men actually have lassos slung on their saddles, when a real group of cow herders would of course all be equipped with them.
 * [[The So-Called Coward]]: The entire town, who are actually some of the most dangerous people in [[The Wild West]].
 * [[Villain Protagonist]]/[[Decoy Protagonist]]: Blackjack's gang.