History Main / WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk

** Sometimes, this is subverted with the [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment incredibly weird and ineffectual torture]]. For the torturer, it's [[YourWorstNightmare their worst fear]] and they assume it can scare anyone, but for the "tortured" it's either not at all uncomfortable or actually pleasant.

* ''Film/TheLivesOfABengalLancer'' (1935): The line originated in this movie, though it was actually, "We have ways to make men talk", and is commonly misquoted.

* The anti-nazi film ''Film/HangmenAlsoDie'' directed and written by Germans Fritz Lang & Bertolt Brecht respectively has "We have ''means'' of making you talk!''
* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' (even in the right accent):
-->'''Marion''': I'll tell you everything!\\
'''Toht''': Yes, '''I know you will.''' (Raises the red hot poker closer to Marion's eyes)
* The terrorist's torture expert in ''Film/TrueLies''.

* ''Film/RobotHolocaust'': [[BigBad The Dark One]] wants to know the secret of Jorn's invention, so [[KidnappedScientist Jorn]] is kidnapped and [[ElectricalTorture tortured]] & TheDragon [[DarkChick Valeria]] threatens to do the same to Deeja. Jorn still doesn't budge.
* Darth Vader and his interrogation droid in ''[[Film/StarWarsANewHope Star Wars]]''.
-->'''Darth Vader''': And now, your Highness, we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base.
* Ace in ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'' uses this on a suspect at one point in the sequel, even throwing in a faux German accent. He starts with [[HellIsThatNoise silverware on a plate]] before graduating to bizarre eyeball antics.

* ''Film/TheLivesOfABengalLancer'' (1935): The line originated in this movie, though it was actually, "We have ways of making ''men'' talk", and is commonly misquoted.

* Stated clearly if implicitly by Number Two in the opening sequence of ''Series/ThePrisoner'', and paraphrased at least once by the same character in the show itself. True to their word, every single method listed in the trope description above is used at least once. [[spoiler: None of them work.]]

* Film/AceVentura uses this on a suspect at one point in the sequel, even throwing in a faux German accent. He starts with [[HellIsThatNoise silverware on a plate]] before graduating to bizarre eyeball antics.

* ''Film/LivesOfABengalLancer'' (1935): The line originated in this movie, though it was actually, "We have ways of making ''men'' talk", and is commonly misquoted.

** In ''Danger Mouse on the Orient Express,'' Penfold is taken prisoner by spies under Greenback's employ trying to find a manuscript that our heroes swiped earlier. Vladimir, one of the spies uses the line "Ve haff vays of making you talk!" (Penfold is telling them the truth--a fish ate the manuscript--but nobody believes him.)

* Creator/LarryNiven played with this during an awards dinner that was running long -- interrogating his lobster: "Now, wretched bottom-feeder, you will tell us of your troop movements!" He was afterwards nicknamed "Speaker-to-Seafood". The other half of the joke is a reference to the Kzin Ambassador, Speaker-to-Animals, who has a large role in the RingWorld series.

* In the 1937 LaurenceOlivier film ''Film/FireOverEngland'', a Spanish count assures captured English spy Michael Ingoldby: "You English fool, you'll tell everything you know. We ''understand'' persuasion."

* In ''Literature/YellowBlueTibia'', taking place in 1986 Russia, a police officer ''attempts'' to intimidate the protagonist Konstantin Skvorecky this way, by constantly threatening to [[GroinAttack remove his balls]] while flicking a tape recorder on and off. The protagonist isn't the least-bit impressed by this "one note attempt to intimidate" and when the police officer accidentally records the threats, is very amused.

* Parodied in the Main/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog when Scratch and Grounder capture someone they believe knows Sonic and Scratch threatens her with this exact sentence only for Grounder to ask "what ways?" which leads to Scratch's frustration, a dope slap and the response "stupid" which makes Grounder finally undestand and say "yeah we have stupid ways of making you talk". Not.

* There is a legend of two policemen who interrogated a gullible suspect by putting a colander on his head, wiring it to a copy machine, and copying the message HE'S LYING when they thought he was. The man thought it was a real [[LieDetector polygraph]] and confessed. This originated from David Simon's book ''Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets'' which depicted a year's work in the Baltimore City PD homicide division, later adapted into the TV series ''HomicideLifeOnTheStreet''.

* Subverted by the StainlessSteelRat in Creator/HarryHarrison's sci-fi spoofs. Captured by the humourless Grey Men, Jim diGriz responds to this line by cheerfully offering to tell everything he knows straight away ''without'' the need for torture, as he quite reasonably tells his captors there is nothing that cannot be extracted from an interrogee by a suitably motivated and equipped interrogator. As his cracking under torture is merely a matter of time, he's prepared to speak up now, spare everybody the inconvenience and aggravation, and then we can all have an early night. How about it? The Grey Men then proceed to torture him anyway, because it's in the script and they can't deviate from it. And because they can.

->''"That clock was broken! How did you get it to start working again?"\\
"[[FunetikAksent I chust looked at it and I sait]], 'Ve haf vays of making you [[{{Pun}} tock]].'"''

* The ''Series/HannahMontana'' episode "Bye Bye Ball" parodies this: Jackson (in a german accent) speaks this line right before stuffing Oliver into his repulsive closet.

'''Ilsa''': Candy girl we have ways of making you talk!\\

* ''Film/RobotHolocaust'': [[TheBigBad The Dark One]] wants to know the secret of Jorn's invention, so [[KidnappedScientist Jorn]] is kidnapped and [[ElectricalTorture tortured]] & TheDragon [[DarkChick Valeria]] threatens to do the same to Deeja. Jorn still doesn't budge.