History ShootTheHostage / FIlm

* In ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'', according to Verbal, Keyser Soze once saw his raped wife and children held at knifepoint by Hungarian gangsters. They kill one kid to let him know they're not fooling around. He kills the other kid, and his wife, and all but one Hungarian, to let them know that he isn't either.

* In ''Film/CasinoRoyale'', Bond doesn't do this, but definitely indicates a willingness to do so, as he believes that the hostage is a traitor.

* The TropeNamer comes from a conversation in ''Film/{{Speed}}''. [[ChekhovsClassroom Shortly after that conversation, the situation describes happens, with Harry as the hostage.]] Jack, true to his word (and at Harry's insistence), [[OnlyAFleshWound shoots him in the leg]], much to the hostage-taker's surprise (Harry's too, as he didn't think Jack would ''actually do it''). The villain learns from his experiences in their next confrontation and straps explosives to Jack's love interest, while holding a Dead-Mans Switch, making this tactic unusable.

* The TropeNamer comes [[ChekhovsClassroom from a conversation]] in ''Film/{{Speed}}''. Shortly after that conversation, the situation describes happens, with Harry as the hostage. Jack, true to his word (and at Harry's insistence), [[OnlyAFleshWound shoots him in the leg]], much to the hostage-taker's surprise (Harry's too, as he didn't think Jack would ''actually do it''). The villain learns from his experiences in their next confrontation and straps explosives to Jack's love interest, while holding a Dead-Mans Switch, making this tactic unusable.

* The TropeNamer comes from a conversation in ''Film/{{Speed}}''. Shortly after that conversation, the situation describes happens, with Harry as the hostage. Jack, true to his word (and at Harry's insistence), [[OnlyAFleshWound shoots him in the leg]], much to the hostage-taker's surprise (Harry's too, as he didn't think Jack would ''actually do it''). The villain learns from his experiences in their next confrontation and straps explosives to Jack's love interest, while holding a Dead-Mans Switch, making this tactic unusable.

* A variation in HalfPastDead: When the bad guys take control of Alcatraz, some guards manage to overpower two random mooks and hold them at gunpoint, demanding the BigBad to release an important hostage. True to his role, the Big Bad immediately shoots his own mooks, and then shoots the guards. Then the mooks suddenly get back up seemingly unscathed, and the Big Bad casually asks if they got their bulletproof vests on, to which the mooks enthusiastically nods.

* In both versions of ThreeTenToYuma, the plot gets started by Ben Wade's gang robbing a wagon (a stagecoach in the original, while it is an armed carriage in the remake). After overtaking the wagon, one man attempts to hold a member of the gang hostage, only for Wade to shoot the outlaw and then the hostage-taker.

* In ''{{Taken 2}}'', Bryan tries to use a mook as a shield. His fellow mook guns him down without hesitation before continuing after Bryan.

* In the 1971 version of Film/{{Shaft}}, the title character is attempting to get the kidnapped daughter and grabs one of the kidnapper's {{mook}}s, using him to try and get her out of the place. The mook says it won't work, and he's right, the kidnapper shoots his own mook, grabs the daughter, but leaves Shaft alive because he has to report back to her father that she's still alive.

* Happens during the end of the film ''Film/TheNegotiator'', in which Chris Sabian (KevinSpacey) shoots Danny Roman (Creator/SamuelLJackson). It's OnlyAFleshWound (as was intended by the shooter), but the villain thinks he's dead...which allows him to drop his guard when Spacey says he wants in on the take. Jackson's character's police radio is on, though, turning it into an EngineeredPublicConfession.

* The TropeNamer comes from the above quote from ''Film/{{Speed}}'', obviously. Shortly after that conversation, the situation describes happens, with Harry as the hostage. Jack, true to his word (and at Harry's insistence), [[OnlyAFleshWound shoots him in the leg]], much to the hostage-taker's surprise (Harry's too, as he didn't think Jack would ''actually do it''). The villain learns from his experiences in their next confrontation and straps explosives to Jack's love interest, while holding a Dead-Mans Switch, making this tactic unusable.

* In TheFilmOfTheSeries ''Series/{{SWAT}}'', one of the protagonists solves the hostage problem by shooting the hostage taker ''through'' the hostage's shoulder. Predictably, this does not sit well with his hierarchy (or the hostage, for that matter).

* Happens during the end of the film ''Film/TheNegotiator'', in which Chris Sabian (KevinSpacey) shoots Danny Roman (SamuelLJackson). It's OnlyAFleshWound (as was intended by the shooter), but the villain thinks he's dead...which allows him to drop his guard when Spacey says he wants in on the take. Jackson's character's police radio is on, though, turning it into an EngineeredPublicConfession.

* In the opening montage of ''Film/{{Soldier}}'', Kurt Russell's character, an emotionless super-soldier, shoot a civilian to hit the enemy target behind in a shooting range. Later in combat, he shoots a civilian dead being used as a human shield by the enemy.

* Happens during the end of the film ''Film/TheNegotiator'', in which Kevin Spacey shoots Sam Jackson. It's OnlyAFleshWound (as was intended by the shooter), but the villain thinks he's dead...which allows him to drop his guard when Spacey says he wants in on the take. Jackson's character's police radio is on, though, turning it into an EngineeredPublicConfession.

--> '''Kelp:''' It's easier to shoot ''though'' him! (''maniacal laughter'')

* In ''Film/NightOfTheComet'', the protagonists are captured by a gang of quasi-zombified stockboys. One of the girls grabs on of them as a human shield, and the leader casually shoots his own man, for no reason other than to show how little he cared.

* Done by Lady Jaye in ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' to [[spoiler:save the President who was held at gunpoint]].

* Subverted in the ''HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger'' film ''Fire Mountain Howls'', [=GaoGod=] looks like he's about to do this to [=GaoKnight=] to hit Hades Org. Despite everyone, even the Gaoranger, assuming he's trying to do this, being a God, he bends the arrow around [=GaoKnight's=] head through Hades Org's.

* The movie ''Hard-Boiled'' [[spoiler:has the hostage shoot himself to hit the villain, also allowing Yuen to finish the villain off with a shot to the head. This scene may in fact have been the inspiration of similar action movie scenes made later.]]

* Happens during the end of the film ''TheNegotiator'', in which Kevin Spacey shoots Sam Jackson. It's OnlyAFleshWound (as was intended by the shooter), but the villain thinks he's dead...which allows him to drop his guard when Spacey says he wants in on the take. Jackson's character's police radio is on, though, turning it into an EngineeredPublicConfession.
* In ''TheUsualSuspects'', according to Verbal, Keyser Soze once saw his raped wife and children held at knifepoint by Hungarian gangsters. They kill one kid to let him know they're not fooling around. He kills the other kid, and his wife, and all but one Hungarian, to let them know that he isn't either.
* Subverted in the first ''Film/RoboCop'' movie, where the cyborg's first patrol ends in him shooting through the skirt of the attempted rape victim to hit the knife-wielding thug behind her right on his groin.

* In the opening montage of ''{{Soldier}}'', Kurt Russell's character, an emotionless super-soldier, shoot a civilian to hit the enemy target behind in a shooting range. Later in combat, he shoots a civilian dead being used as a human shield by the enemy.
* The ending of TheDeathsOfIanStone. [[spoiler: Medea tries to save herself by using Jenny as a shield, but Ian runs them both through, then hits the ResetButton and reunites with Jenny.]]

* The titular character in ''TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash'' is lured into a trap by the BigBad's {{Mook}}s, so he grabs one of them as a BulletproofHumanShield. It doesn't work.

* From the 1994 film of ''TheShadow'', a villainous variant:

** The incident is also realistic in that Harry, despite only being shot in the leg, has to walk with a cane for at least a few months (if not permanently) after the incident, and is relegated to desk work during that time. [[spoiler:He does manage to get back up and participate in a raid on the villain's house, but gets himself blown up for his trouble.]]
** Also, Harry mentions that a few inches the wrong way and the shot would've killed him.

** And then he kills the gangsters' families, and their friends, and all their business partners, to let everyone know that he is absolutely apeshit crazy.
*** That's such crap. Everyone knows Keyser Soze is a myth, just a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night.

** In ''Film/CasinoRoyale'', Bond doesn't do this, but definitely indicates a willingness to do so, as he believes that the hostage is a traitor.

** Film/JamesBond does this to M in a [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation simulation]] in ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. The line "OnlyAFleshWound" does get used. And, as Q is played by John Cleese, it probably qualifies as a ShoutOut / ActorAllusion.

** Although, most of the repercussions have to do with the protagonist and his partner (mostly the latter) defying orders, resulting in the situation in the first place.

** Of course, Walter is utterly useless in the bush and has to rely on Mick secretly giving him pointers. He's pretty good with a rifle, though.