Basic Trope: The heroes make or are the object of a very last minute rescue. * Straight: Moments before his execution by firing squad, the main character is rescued by his allies. * Exaggerated: 0.000000000000000001 seconds before the bullets hit, a Flying Brick gets between the bullets and the target. * Justified: * The heroes weren't sure that he was innocent of the crime he was about to be executed until very recently. * Alternatively, they had a hard time defeating Big Bad's Mooks while trying to save the hero. * Or the heroes are held up trying decide what to do (i.e. which wire to clip on the bomb) and when times runs out they act because they have to do something. * Subverted: * The Big Damn Heroes burst in, only to find that a rescue is unnecessary.