History Main / AnOfferYouCantRefuse

-->--''Film/TheGodfather''

* In "Film/MissionImpossibleIII", Ethan Hunt is forced to [[spoiler:recover the "Rabbit's Foot", a biological weapon which he just seized from a black market deal]] and return it to its owner, Owen Davian. If he refuses to recover it, or doesn't get it to Davian in time, [[spoiler:then his wife, Julia, will be killed]].

* In ''SinCity'', Marv and John Hartigan are both made to plead guilty for the villains' crimes, using threats against loved ones.

* The film ''ThirtyMinutesOrLess'' is about two idiots who want to rob a bank getting a very unlucky pizza delivery boy to do it for them, by strapping a bomb to his chest (effectively giving him a time limit as well).

* In ''EscapeFromNewYork'', the government injects something into Snake Pliskin's neck and tell him he can either go in and rescue the President in a set amount of time, or else have his carotid arteries exploded.

* This is fairly common in ''MadokaMagica''-- something bad happens and Kyubey offers them a wish at the cost of becoming a MagicalGirl. Although the circumstances there typically aren't deliberately arranged. Kyubey simply takes advantage of an opportunity when it is presented. [[spoiler:Unlike when he deliberately manipulated Kyoko into trying to [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight save Sayaka]] so that she would die and Homura would face Walpurgisnacht alone, forcing Madoka to make a contact.]]

In real life, this was known as "Plata o Plomo?", literally "Silver or Lead?" as offered by Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Your choice is between accepting a bribe or getting shot.

* One criticism of Christianity, as voiced by ChristopherHitchens[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By9JJSVzlTw]], says that the offer of redemption (through accepting Christ's sacrifice on your behalf) amounts to this, since if refused, the person goes to hell.

* One criticism of Christianity, as voiced by ChristopherHitchens[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By9JJSVzlTw]], is that an offer of redemption (through accepting Christ's sacrifice on your behalf) amounts to this, since if refused, the person goes to hell.

Sometimes a bad guy wants something done, something none of his own men are up to the task of doing for some reason (too well known, [[SurroundedByIdiots too incompetent]], whatever), and he's not about to risk his own hide in order to do it. So what's a bad guy to do?Get in touch with a good guy and makes him an Offer He Can't Refuse.

In real life, this was sometimes known as "Plata o Plomo?", literally, "Silver or Lead?" Your choice is between accepting a bribe or getting shot.

* In the ''{{Firefly}}'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Forward}}'', Womack forces Mal and his crew into one of these; either they sabotage a former business partner's organ smuggling operation, or Womack will frame and then have ''them'' arrested for smuggling instead.

Sometimes a bad guy wants something done, something none of his own men are up to the task of doing for some reason (too well known, [[SurroundedByIdiots too incompetent]], whatever), and he's not about to risk his own hide in order to do it. So what's a bad guy to do?

He gets in touch with a good guy and makes him an Offer He Can't Refuse.

There are a number of reasons that the offer Can't Be Refused, of course:

** Or if it's the Hero's own life that's on the line.

* If the Hero and BigBad are actually [[EnemyMine fighting a common threat]] for a change.

** Or if it's the ''BigBad's'' [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes loved ones]] who are held hostage.

The trope name comes from the movie ''Film/TheGodfather'' where the titular mafia boss was always making people offers (such as letting one of his favorites star in a movie or signing a business over to him) with dire consequences attached if they were refused (like, say, a bullet in the head, getting put in the hospital, or having the head of the person's prize horse being delivered to his bed).

''Actually'' the line was borrowed by Mario Puzo from the earlier novel ''Literature/LePereGoriot'' (1835), by Honoré de Balzac, when Vautrin tells Eugène that he is "making him an offer that he cannot refuse". Namely, that he [Vautrin] will make Eugène rich, profiting off the death of a man who he has never met. ''This'' concept, in turn, was Balzac's bringing-to-life of a theoretical concept by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, of "Rousseau's [[ValuesDissonance Chinaman]]" (the root of disinterested evil).

Compare EnemyMine, in which the bad guy accompanies the hero, and AppealToForce, where having greater violent power puts one in a better position.

* [[spoiler:Inoue Orihime]] from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' was forced to work for the BigBad after he held her friends hostage, without them even knowing about it.

** Although the circumstances there weren't deliberately arranged. Kyubey simply took advantage of the opportunity when it was presented. [[spoiler:Unlike when he deliberately manipulated Kyoko into trying to [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight save Sayaka]] so that she would die and Homura would face Walpurgisnacht alone, forcing Madoka to make a contact.]]

* Mami Tomoe from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' was faced with this at one point: either she had to become a MagicalGirlWarrior, [[spoiler: or she would die]].

** Prior to that, in both the manga and the anime adaptation the club pulls this on Haruhi over her accidental breaking of an expensive vase: there's no way she can possibly pay back the astronomical value of the vase, leaving her with little choice to become the club's servant to work off the debt. Kyouya then gets her to agree to become a host by offering to void her debt if she receives a hundred requests, and generally uses it as a motivating tool (either promising to reduce her debt or threatening to add to it) any time she's reluctant to participate in one of the club's zany schemes.

* Saving his younger brother from Calitri is the only reason Memphis Raines comes out of carjacking retirement in ''GoneInSixtySeconds2000''.

* In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Lando Calrissian is forced to betray his friends in exchange for the safety of Cloud City. Unfortunately, the offer was given by ''[[BadBoss Darth Vader]],'' so naturally Lando gets double crossed.

* In the Simon Scarrow novel ''The Eagle's Prophecy'' (one book in a series) the Imperial Secretary, Narcissus, gives the centurions Macro and Cato a job retrieving three ancient prophecy scrolls from pirates, not even bothering to phrase it as an offer, saying, "I won't insult your intelligence by offering you the job. You will do it, or you will die." Narcissus says that he doesn't need a reason to have them killed, but [[spoiler:in the previous book, Cato's cohort was sentenced to decimation (1/10 of the men, picked randomly, are killed; Cato was one of the ones selected to be killed), but the men that were chosen escaped, and Macro was implicated in the death of his cohort's commander.]]

* Averted during Part 4 of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', when [[FightingSpirit Highway Star]] orders him to call Josuke in order to lure him in the Stand's trap, otherwise it'll suck him empty of his nutrients, he replies:

* The G-Man makes one of these to Gordon Freeman at the end of the original ''HalfLife''. Canon establishes that Gordon accepted the offer to work for him - refusing the G-Man results in Freeman being dumped into a horde of hostile alien monsters without a single weapon, which would make the odds of ''Half-Life 2'' ever happening pretty much nil.

** If it's implied that [[ShameIfSomethingHappened something bad will happen]] to the Hero's cherised family house or business legacy if he refuses.

* Matoba from [[NatsumesBookofFriends Natsume Yuujinchou]] threatens [[TheProtagonist Natsume]] to expose his [[PsychicPowers ability]] to his foster parents unless he complies to help him find an enemy exorcist. Attempts this again except with him join his clan but is interrupted by a disturbance outside.

* ''DeathNoteEquestria'': Mer coerced [[spoiler: the Apples]] into being the Third Kira by threatening to kill [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash]]. And then, just to prove she's serious, she killed [[spoiler: Granny Smith]].

* Mentioned word-for-word in the ''MyLittlePony'' / ''{{Bioshock}}'' fanfic ''{{Fanfic/Vision}}'', to describe a deal between Trixie and Diamond Tiara.

*** In fact, Vlad says this specifically for fun saying he always wanted to say that.