History Main / BlastOut

* In Peter Jackson's adaptation of ''Film/TheTwoTowers'', Saruman's forces reach Helm's Deep and there is a tense moment while the Uruk-hai pound their spears on the ground in unison. and the defenders of Rohan prepare to loose their arrows. Suddenly, one of the archers, an old man, loses his grip on his bowstring and lands an arrow in an Uruk-hai neck. After a moment of stunned silence, the battle begins, though contrary to this trope's usual context, there's no way in hell that legion of Uruk-hai would have allowed a peaceful solution.

* Deliberately invoked by Gene(aka Viper) in VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps. Using his MoreThanMindControl, he plants feelings of paranoia amongst a large platoon of defectors, creating a PowderKegCrowd, until inevitably one pulls the trigger on their rifle, causing the entire group to start gunning each other down to a man. Only Big Boss and Johnathan where unaffected.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': when Jane comes to Eda's church seeking sanctuary, she is being chased by a group of gangsters. One gangster fires a warning shot that damages a church door and breaks a shot glass Revy is drinking from. Sadly for the gangsters, both women have literal [[HairTriggerTemper Hair-Trigger Tempers]] and start unloading on the gangsters. They are soon joined by Rico, a priest-in-training with a heavy machine gun; and Yolanda, Eda's mother superior who comes packing a gold-plated Desert Eagle.

* The Cruiser Night Action in Ironbottom Sound off Guadalcanal on November 13th, 1942 (which happened to be a Friday), one of two naval engagements on consecutive nights that are sometimes lumped together as the "Naval Battle of Guadalcanal" (though there were at least a half-dozen of those; the island was hotly contested). A force of American cruisers and destroyers met a force of Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. The Japanese outgunned the Americans, but the Americans had radar, though the advantage wasn’t exploited because the American commander didn’t trust the technology. The two fleets were less than 3,000 yards apart when a Japanese destroyer shined a searchlight on the light cruiser USS ''Atlanta''. The cruiser's captain ordered his own lights to counterilluminate the contact, but a gunnery officer with better common sense replied[[note]] These are his exact words as recorded in the log[[/note]], "Fuck that! Open fire!" ''Atlanta'' tore the destroyer apart in seconds, and both fleets opened up at rapidly-decreasing range. Both sides' battle lines broke down, multiple ships collided, and every ship on both sides suffered hits from friendly fire. Within minutes, Ironbottom Sound became a maelstrom of twisted steel, burning oil, and dying men. By morning, the only ships of either fleet left in the sound were either dead in the water or on the bottom, with the rest having retreated in disarray.

Someone has just pulled a trigger in an unstable situation. Everyone freaks out and starts blasting at each other. For this trope to work right, the outcome has to be truly up for grabs. If someone in a MexicanStandoff starts shooting, this is the expected result.

Someone pulled a trigger in an unstable situation. Everyone starts blasting. For this trope to work right, the outcome has to be truly up for grabs. Usually happens in a MexicanStandoff.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' storyline "War Games", the gang war kicked off when Stephanie Brown organised a metting of Gotham's gang bosses in an attempt to unite them under "Matches" Malone. When Matches did not show, the meeting grew increasingly tense. Then one of the bosses made the mistake of reaching into his jacket for his cigar case in a room full of nervous gang boses and their trigger happy bodyguards. A firefight quickly erupted.

* ''Literature/TheExecutioner''. Mack Bolan sets this up on several occasions, making one faction suspicious of another faction, and when they meet to hash things out (with [[ProperlyParanoid their weapons and mooks]], of course) he'll open fire with a sniper rifle to make it look like they've been LuredIntoATrap by the other side.

* ''Film/WindRiver'': The situation between the deputies and the [[spoiler: security guards]] at the drill site is extremely tense, and one MexicanStandoff has already been talked down. Then someone thinks can get the drop on Jane by firing when she is not expecting it. A massive firefight ensues, with Jane ironically being of the few survivors.

* Creator/DavidWeber's ''HellsGate'' series includes this. Two populations have been exploring the multiverse for decades without encountering anyone, so neither side is prepared when they both enter the same universe at the same time. Two scouts meet in the forest, we see the situation from both their perspectives - they're justifiably tense - and then the story cuts away so not even the reader knows what happens. Both end up dead, and a series of mistakes, bad decisions, and lack of communication sends things FromBadToWorse.

* Deliberately invoked by Gene(aka Viper) in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Using his MoreThanMindControl, he plants feels of paranoia amongs a large platoon of defectors, creating a PowderKegCrowd, until inevitably one pulls the trigger on their rifle, causing the entire group to start gunning each other down to a man. Only Big Boss and Johnathan where unaffected.

* The ending of ''Film/TheWildBunch''. A literal MexicanStandOff between The Bunch and The Mexican Army ends with everybody(women, children, livestock, etc.) getting killed in a hail of bullets, [[MoreDakka complete with a heavy machine gun blazing]].

* Double subverted in Film/SavingPrivateRyan, during one scene an American soldier accidentally knocks down a wall by leaning on a log, only to reveal a squad of Germans on the other side, both the Americans and Germans scream and point weapons at each other, and right when the viewer thinks both sides will start firing...[[spoiler:''another'' American squad of soldiers, who are off screen, open fire and kill the Germans.]]

* Most of the running time of Creator/BenWheatley's ''Film/FreeFire'' is taken up by an apocalyptic ''twelve-way'' blast-out, with bloodied characters stumbling from one piece of cover to the next, making and breaking alliances at breakneck speed.

'''Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz''': Say ''Auf wiedersehen'' to your '''worthless''' Nazi balls!

--> '''Lt. Archie Hicox''': "It would appear there's only one thing left for you to do."
--> '''Maj. Dieter Hellstrom''': "And what would that be?"
--> '''Hicox''': "Stiglitz."
--> '''Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz''': "Say ''Auf wiedersehen'' to your '''worthless''' Nazi balls!"

* This happens during "The Wrap-Up" in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''- an ''utterly insane'' MexicanStandoff, consisting of [[InterServiceRivalry multiple government factions]], a PrivateMilitaryContractor and a [[SpannerInTheWorks couple of criminals]] has an FIB soldier with an itchy-trigger finger shoots another FIB agent in the leg, that agent then shoots another in the head and things go to hell.

* DavidWeber's ''HellsGate'' series includes this. Two populations have been exploring the multiverse for decades without encountering anyone, so neither side is prepared when they both enter the same universe at the same time. Two scouts meet in the forest, we see the situation from both their perspectives - they're justifiably tense - and then the story cuts away so not even the reader knows what happens. Both end up dead, and a series of mistakes, bad decisions, and lack of communication sends things FromBadToWorse.

* Possible OlderThanPrint ur-example: The Battle of Camlann in [[KingArthur Arthurian legend]] is said to have begun when, at a tense parley, a soldier drew his sword to kill a snake.