'''Basic Trope''': A story in which the protagonist dies and their efforts are rendered pointless.
* '''Straight''': Alice spends an hour and a half of screen time trying to find the owner of a lost shaggy dog, only to be shot for trespassing.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** Alice embarks on TheHerosJourney, completing an epic quest to defeat the BigBad. When she turns up at his unholy palace for the final confrontation... she's shot by a low-ranking guard.
** The protagonist unexpectedly dies... and there's a FadeToBlack, with NoEnding.
* '''Downplayed''':
** A story about an [[PinballProtagonist aimless]], [[DeathSeeker self-destructive]] [[WalkingTheEarth drifter]], who gets mixed up with dangerous criminals for want of anything else to do, ends up with him dying pointlessly, alone and unmourned.
** ShaggyDogStory
** DownerEnding
* '''Justified''':
** Recklessness is Alice's FatalFlaw, and there's been a lot of {{foreshadowing}} that if she doesn't overcome it, it will be her undoing.
** The story is the first in a trilogy, and Alice is a DecoyProtagonist. Her BumblingSidekick, forced to [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]] in the sequel, is ultimately the real hero.
** The story was at its DarkestHour and it got CutShort and ended up becoming an OrphanedSeries.
* '''Inverted''': A HowWeGotHere, DeadToBeginWith story told via PosthumousNarration turns out to have been a MindScrew from the start; the narrator survived his "death", and it was all part of a devious ThanatosGambit.
* '''Subverted''':
** The protagonist comes back from his apparent death to complete his goals before dying of his wounds.
** The protagonist dies... but the last scene shows an FBI analyst [[CantStopTheSignal opening an email from him, detailing the damning evidence for the villain's crimes.]]
** The story is a prequel; the original story is about the true heroes Claire and Dan picking up where the protagonist left off.
* '''Double Subverted''':
** The protagonist comes back from his apparent death, takes down a few {{mooks}}, and is taken down in a hail of gunfire. This time, they MakeSureHesDead.
** The FBI agent scans the email, and deletes it. Then gives an [[TraitorShot evil smirk straight to camera.]]
** Claire and Dan lose at the end of the original work, as well.
* '''Parodied''': Just as all his plans are coming together, the protagonist dies [[DeathByFallingOver when he trips on a loose paving slab.]]
* '''Zig Zagged''': The hero dies... but he [[CantStopTheSignal managed to get a message off first!]] TheCavalry charge in to save the day... and are killed by ColonyDrop. But the hero was NotQuiteDead, and that distraction has given him the time to slink off to destroy the ArtifactOfDoom. He's caught by TheDragon, who shoots him unceremoniously. TheEndOrIsIt The [[BolivianArmyEnding final shot]] is of a timer slowly ticking down on the protagonist's mysterious briefcase, which has somehow found its way into the BigBad's throne room...
* '''Averted''': The protagonist survives, or at least accomplishes something meaningful [[TheHeroDies before dying]].
* '''Enforced''': The film was made under UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, and the VillainProtagonist was given a last-minute KarmicDeath to abide by it.
* '''Lampshaded''': "YouWouldntShootMe! It'd [[MediumAwareness make this whole story a complete waste of time!]]"
* '''Invoked''':
** Alice kills herself pointlessly because of her StrawNihilist philosophy.
** Alice's boss sends her to an active warzone in search of a [[SnipeHunt dog that doesn't actually exist]], with the intention of [[UriahGambit having her perish on the battlefield]].
* '''Exploited''': Alice realises she can't survive, but reckons that going down in a blaze of glory will make her a martyr, and her story will inspire others to try to succeed where she failed.
* '''Defied''': "I'm not going to needlessly endanger my life -- if I die, there'll be nobody left to stop Nefaro, and this will all have been in vain!"
* '''Discussed''': "You came so far, and all for nothing. [[EvilGloating I'm going to kill you now]]. And thus will end the story of Alice, who tried to stop the great Nefaro, and died. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall I don't think many people will pay to see that one, do you?]]"
* '''Conversed''': "Wait, she's dead? What was the point of that?"
* '''Implied''': A ShaggyDogStory has a BolivianArmyEnding.
* '''Intentional Audience Reaction''': It's an action movie with an ExcusePlot that sets the hero up to extricate himself from a devious {{Bond Villain|Stupidity}}-esque death trap. With that out of the way, all the audience wants now is for the plot to be wrapped up neatly so they can go home. So at the very end, TheDragon, who asked his boss at the very beginning "WhyDontYaJustShootHim", Just Shoots Him. ''Fin''.
* '''Played For Laughs''': It's a BlackComedy with a CarnivalOfKillers in FourLinesAllWaiting. ''Every'' storyline ends with the meaningless death of its protagonist. (Why yes, Creator/GuyRitchie ''did'' direct it, [[SignatureStyle how did you know?]])
* '''Logical Extreme''': Alice embarks on TheHerosJourney, completing an epic quest to defeat the BigBad. When she turns up at his unholy palace for the final confrontation... we find [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness that the Big Bad was a hallucination at best, and Alice descending into insanity at worst.]]
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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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%%* '''Deconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???