10 Movies That Shockingly Switch Protagonist

Not to be confused with the upcoming Millie Bobby Brown vehicle, David Zellner's Damsel is a Western with a black comedy core that tramples over most of the usual cowboy clichés in order to access a twisted tale of a defiantly liberated woman.

A spin on the damsel in distress trope set in the Old West, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska) is kidnapped from her beau Samuel (Robert Pattinson). Thinking himself the captain of his soul and hero of his story, Samuel goes on a mission to rescue the woman he loves, haphazardly killing her captor in the process.

Alas, he discovers she doesn't actually want to be with him at all and staged her kidnapping in the hope of getting rid of him. Distraught, Samuel kills himself and Penelope becomes the protagonist, fending off advances left and right while trying to survive and get maybe just a little of what she wants.

Not only did none of the marketing for Damsel suggest it was anything but a Pattinson project, but the comedic tone all but assured audiences the main character couldn't possibly kill himself halfway through. More fool us. But the film is all the better for it.