Line #48 Main/HandcuffedBriefcase


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5	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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11	[[quoteright:350:[[Series/TigerCubs https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tcs2e01_briefcase.jpg]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:350:Your important stuff is safe in that briefcase.[[note]]Unless [[AnArmAndALeg the bad guy(s) resort to drastic measures.[[/note]]]]]]
13
14	->'''Max:''' Oh, miss, I seem to have lost something.\
15	'''Stewardess:''' Well, if you describe it to me, maybe I can find it.\
16	'''Max:''' Yes, well, it was a black attaché case, about, oh... ''[gestures with hands]'' so big. Morocco leather. Beautiful case. And let's see... Oh, yes! There was a man attached to it.
17	-->-- ''Series/GetSmart'', "Closely Watched Planes"
18
19	When whatever is in the briefcase is too important to lose, the briefcase will often be handcuffed to the courier. Whether it's a BriefcaseFullOfMoney, jewels, or most often top secret documents, it adds a level of security to the package. However, there are [[AnArmAndALeg ways]] around this.
20
21	Even if we don't ever see what exactly is in the briefcase, seeing it handcuffed to the courier immediately communicates that it is something of great value or something requiring great security.
22	----
23	!Examples:
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:Comic Books]]
28	* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Diana Prince is keeping a briefcase meant to be full of sensitive documents handcuffed to her wrist when the intel comes through that a bomb has been planted in it. Diana uses the opportunity to fake Diana "Prince"'s death via explosion.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Fan Works]]
32	* ''Fanfic/CyberpunkAnotherDaybreak'': To David's alarm, the briefcase containing the [[TransformationTrinket Cyclone Riser]] handcuffs itself to his wrist and will only unlock with Isu's direct permission, forcing him to skip school and try to contact her to get it off. Woz instead bypasses the lock and allows David to use it to rescue Jose from Ark, setting David on the path to becoming a Kamen Rider.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
36	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys2022'': During the gang's second attempt to steal the Golden Dolphin trophy at the charity gala, the passcode to unlock the display holding the trophy is in a briefcase handcuffed to the Chief of Police. As the case can only be opened with her fingerprint, Mr. Snake is tasked with getting the Chief's fingerprint and retrieving the code while she's distracted.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
40	* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'': As seen at the big concert, Elwood Blues carries his harmonica around in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. Jake carries the key.
41	* In the opening of ''Film/CloakAndDagger1984'', we see an officer handcuffing a briefcase to himself before leaving the limousine. Agent Jack Flack is tasked to steal this briefcase, and prepared for this, with a gadget watch that cuts through the handcuffs.
42	* ''Film/{{Condorman}}'': Comic book writer Woody's task is to courier one to a Soviet FemmeFataleSpy. When someone throws a knife at him, Woody instinctively covers his face, raising the briefcase on its chain to miraculously block the knife. This convinces the Soviet spy that Woody really is the elite secret agent he's pretending to be.
43	* ''Film/Cube2Hypercube'': Colonel Maguire (apparently a high-ranking Pentagon liaison officer) [[YouWakeUpInARoom wakes up in the eponymous hypercube]] with a briefcase of this type, except the cuffs are not attached to him and the case is empty, so it's just [[OntologicalMystery one more thing to add to the mystery.]] The cuffs however are a ChekhovsGun which get used later.
44	* ''Film/{{Daylight}}'': The man who transports the jewels that the robbers (that start [[DisasterMovie the whole plot]]) take carries them like this. The robbers use a very big wire cutter for the job, and also steal the man's car as a getaway vehicle for good measure.
45	* ''Film/TheDayOfTheJackal'': Viktor Wolenski, the OAS bag man who picks up the mail for the OAS heads while they're hiding out in Rome, has his briefcase chained to his wrist when making his pickups. The chief of the French Action Service points this out as an obstacle for the operatives sent to intercept Wolenski.
46	* ''Film/EagleEye'': The characters end up having to take one of these from a couple armed guards. Although the contents are unknown at the time, it's revealed later that [[spoiler: it's an injection of a experimental compound that slows the heart rate to the point where they just hibernate, instead of suffocate.]]
47	* ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'': After a terrorist takes control of Air Force One, the President handcuffs a briefcase to his wrist and enters the plane's EscapePod. Later on it's revealed that the briefcase holds a tape which explains the secret of nuclear fusion.
48	* In the BatmanColdOpen of ''Film/TheFlash2023'', a villain is shown chaining his wrist to the case holding several vials of deadly viral agent he's stealing. It's just as well he does, as he later ends up hanging from a bridge over the river after being snagged by Batman's GrapplingHookPistol, and only the chain prevents the case falling into the water and contaminating half of Gotham.
49	* Played with in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' where the duty officer on a SpyShip is handcuffed to a console used to send nuclear launch commands in the event of war. When the vessel is holed by a SeaMine he drowns, unable to escape from the torrent of water flooding through the breech.
50	* In the Chinese comedy ''Film/GirlsVsGangsters'', the girls wake up naked on a beach with two of them handcuffed to a briefcase. [[WhatDidIDoLastNight They have no idea how this happened.]]
51	* ''Film/TheGoldenChild''. After Chandler Jarrell gets the Ajanti Dagger back into the United States, it's kept in a briefcase chained to Chandler's wrist for safekeeping. One of the bad guys chops through the chain during a fight to steal the briefcase.
52	* In ''Film/IronMan2'', Happy Hogan carries around the Mark V "briefcase armor" locked to his wrist like this.
53	* ''Film/{{Lucy}}'': Lucy's boyfriend Richard tries to get her to deliver a briefcase full of drugs for him. When she is reluctant to do so, he handcuffs her wrist to the briefcase, forcing her to make the delivery.
54	* In ''Film/TheManWhoNeverWas'', and the book, the dispatch case with the false documents intended to deceive the enemy is handcuffed to the courier's body to ensure they will be recovered when the body washes ashore, as part of an elaborate deception plan.
55	* As part of the con in ''Film/OceansEleven'', the briefcase that holds the "jewels" is handcuffed to one of the titular eleven, until it is turned over to Benedict. When the briefcase is taken down to the casino vault, it is placed on top of the cart carrying The Amazing Yen. When Yen opens the cart, the briefcase almost falls to the floor - which would trigger the alarm - but he manages to grab the handcuffs.
56	* ''Film/Ronin1998'' has a briefcase handcuffed to the wrist of a VIP the mercenaries are ordered to secure with a MacGuffin inside. The trope is [[DiscussedTrope brought up]] during a planning session when Sam gets increasing frustrated over the lack of information provided to them by Deirdre. The case is indeed handcuffed to someone's wrist, so they shoot him and break the chain with a tiny explosive charge.
57	-->'''Sam:''' Is it heavy? Is it explosive? Is it chained to some unlucky bloke’s wrist, we're going to have to chop it off?
58	* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', an 84-karat diamond makes its way to London in a briefcase handcuffed to Franky Four Fingers, eventually leading to him getting captured by three StupidCrooks on behalf of Boris the Blade. Unfortunately, it turns out that the crooks didn't bother to get the combination of the briefcase [[spoiler: before Boris blew Franky's head off]]; exasperated, Boris [[CuttingTheKnot draws a cleaver from his jacket]]...
59	* During the opening of ''Film/SpiesLikeUs'', the courier delivering the satellite images has the briefcase chained to his wrist, and the photos are secured to the inside of the briefcase. Since he's not particularly cleared for the discussion about the photos, he's shoved into a closet. With the chain sticking out the door.
60	* ''Film/SpyKids1'': While exploring a laboratory full of spy gadgets, Juni finds an object that looks like a lunchbox which is presumably used to hold important materials. It has an attached chain and handcuff so it can be secured to a person's wrist.
61	* ''Film/UsedCars'': Kurt Russell's character Rudy is in the process of buying his way into state government and gives a CorruptCorporateExecutive a bribe in a briefcase, which the executive handcuffs to himself while they're both sitting in a limo. When Rudy decides to renege on the deal and use the money for (slightly) more noble purposes he grabs the briefcase and slams the car door on the chain on his way out, breaking it.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Literature]]
65	* ''Literature/TheBlackChamber'': Both the various US military intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Security are noted to do this. The Black Chamber don't, feeling that it's an obvious sign for, "I am carrying important documents".
66	* ''Literature/TheBourneSeries'': A courier has a metal cord wrapped around his body, then out of a sleeve to the briefcase. When someone asks why this trope isn't used instead, they're told there have been "too many severed wrists."
67	* ''Literature/AColderWar'': A US black ops team carries a briefcase holding five kilos of high-grade heroin from Afghanistan through a PortalNetwork to US territory in Antarctica. Even though they only left a couple of days before, the protagonist notices a ring of bruises where the chain is attached to his wrist and the courier is [[YearInsideHourOutside visibly older]].
68	* In one of the ''Corps'' books by W.E.B. Griffin, General [=MacArthur=] remarks to a Brigadier Pickering that he's the only person he knows who just takes MAGIC[[note]]Extremely classified information derived from intercepts of encrypted Japanese communications[[/note]] dispatches out of his pocket instead of carrying them in a handcuffed briefcase. The Brigadier replies that he delegates the job of carrying around the handcuffed briefcase to the sergeant who acts as his bodyguard, who was left outside the General's office.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
72	* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
73	** In "Streets of Fire", a courier with a handcuffed briefcase is sent to deliver the antidote to the SuperSerum to Team Arrow, but is intercepted by goons who just use their SuperStrength to snap the chain after killing the courier.
74	** In "The Return", a bioweapon is being transported in an aluminum case cuffed to China White's minion. When Oliver catches him...
75	--->'''Oliver:''' You have a choice to make.\
76	'''Minion:''' What choice?\
77	'''Oliver:''' Whether or not to keep your hand.
78	* On ''Series/{{Atlanta}}'', a drug deal hits a snag when Darius brings the money in this fashion and forgets the key to the cuffs. The seller tells him ominously that they have ways of getting the money anyway. [[spoiler: (They just open the briefcase and take the money out.)]]
79	* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': One VictimOfTheWeek is a diamond merchant who was transporting diamonds in a briefcase handcuffed to his hand. His murderer cut the hand off in order to get the briefcase.
80	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The Mayor sends Faith to pick up the Box of Gavrok from the airport, which is handcuffed to the courier. Kill-crazy rogue Slayer that she is, Faith just shoots the courier with an arrow, then when they can't find the handcuff keys, she takes out the [[CoolSword Cool Knife]] the Mayor recently [[DaddysLittleVillain gave her as a present]]. The mook with her smugly tells her that the knife won't cut through steel. Faith replies with a smile: "No, but it'll cut through bone."
81	* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': In "Rip Off", the VictimOfTheWeek had his hand ripped off so the killer could steal a handcuffed briefcase containing conflict diamonds. The briefcase was then thrown into a dumpster unopened, which confuses the police.
82	* ''Series/GetSmart'':
83	** In "Closely Watched Planes", [[IdiotHero Maxwell Smart]] manages to lose the courier he's escorting on an airliner in mid-flight. He duly gives a detailed description of a missing briefcase to the stewardess, concluding with, "oh yes, there was a man attached to it."
84	** In "Aboard the Orient Express", Max protests against the Chief sending 99 on a dangerous assignment to deliver a briefcase. After hearing the Chief tell her how only the agent receiving the case has the key to open the handcuffs, Max ends up handcuffing the briefcase to his own wrist. Was this just Max making one of his usual ditzy mistakes, or was it, as 99 assumes, a deliberate ploy to protect her by making sure he would have to make the delivery instead of her? The "Hmmm..." look he gets in his eyes right before picking up the handcuffs suggests she may be right.
85	** In "The Groovy Guru", a female Control agent hands Max her purse which contains information on the VillainOfTheWeek, and insists on handcuffing it to his wrist because there are purse snatchers in the area. Turns out she's a DoubleAgent, the purse [[WhyAmITicking contains a bomb]], and she steals the key while doing a FakeOutMakeOut.
86	* ''Series/GilligansIsland'' had an episode where a briefcase with a set of handcuffs attached washes up on the island. Gilligan winds up handcuffed to the briefcase (fortunately, the key was inside the case) and has a dream where he's a spy.
87	* [[CrimeAfterCrime This trope leads to a murder]] in an ''Series/InspectorMorse'' episode. The courier who's wearing the chained money satchel is a conspirator in the robbery, but unfortunately his partner-in-crime carelessly leaves the key elsewhere when changing jackets. As a result he's murdered so his hand can be cut off.
88	* In the ''Series/{{JAG}}'' episode "Salvation", Lt. Roberts is assigned to carry the president's "nuclear football," giving actor Creator/PatrickLabyorteaux an opportunity for some physical comedy in the men's room as he tries to wash his hands with one of them handcuffed to the briefcase.
89	* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
90	** One episode of ''Series/AgentsOfShield'' opened with two dozen men in identical outfits wearing identical masks taking the same train, each with a briefcase handcuffed to one wrist. Then the lights go out for a moment, and when they go back on, one man - the one carrying the real briefcase full of diamonds rather than a decoy - has his hand practically cut off, and his briefcase was missing.
91	** In Season 2 of ''Series/Daredevil2015'', the Punisher wipes out a meeting of TheIrishMob and the police wonder why one of the corpses is missing a wrist. It's a couple of episodes before we find out why, when we see Frank Castle in possession of a suitcase attached to a bloodstained handcuff chain.
92	* ''Series/MissionImpossible'':
93	** One late episode had Casey impersonating a courier so she could deliver a handcuffed briefcase from the leader of one gang to the leader of another, allowing the team to locate the second leader so they could take him down. After Casey is cuffed to the case, the rest of the team learns that the briefcase contains a bomb meant to assassinate the recipient of the briefcase, leaving the rest of the team scrambling to keep up with Casey so they can get it off her before it blows.
94	** In the episode "Fool's Gold'', several guards are shown lined up to deliver foreign currency for exchange. Each guard carries the currency in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist to make it more difficult to steal.
95	* ''Series/NightCourt'': In "Dan, the Walking Time Bomb", a man with a grudge against DA Dan Fielding handcuffs a briefcase full of dynamite to Fielding's arm, and orders him to walk around pretending everything is normal. HilarityEnsues.
96	* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'': In "Chain Gang", ConMan Arnie has this as a key part of his MO. He offers to sell his mark a handcuffed briefcase full of gold chains at half-price, claiming he's lost touch with the intended buyer (supposedly not someone you want to cross) who then conveniently calls right after the money has been handed over. Arnie then persuades them to sell the chains to the buyer at full price (with himself as middleman so the man won't get suspicious), then fakes a heart attack while supposedly waiting for him. His sons then turn up disguised as paramedics and carry him off with the gold still handcuffed to him, speeding through every red light in their TrojanAmbulance until they've shaken off the frantic marks.
97	* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': In "Search and Destroy", Root steals a kevlar-protected (but not chained) briefcase from a courier. Later when the original owners come after her, she uses handcuffs to attach the case to her wrist, to leave her hands free for fighting.
98	* In the episode "High Court Storm" of ''Series/TigerCubs'', a High Court guard is seen going inside a courtroom with a briefcase that's been handcuffed to the guard's wrist.
99	* ''Series/UFO1970'': In the episode "Identified", Colonel Straker has a briefcase containing evidence of the existence of U.F.O.s chained to his wrist (it also has SelfDestructingSecurity). When the car he's riding in is attacked by a U.F.O., he's thrown out of it and the chain is broken. The evidence burns up in the fiery wreck of the car.
100	* In ''Series/TheWestWing'', CJ's first day as the President's Chief of Staff includes a Bulgarian official who's been sent to sell the US a bunch of nuclear materials his country doesn't want anymore, and he has to awkwardly manage the metal briefcase of paperwork that's handcuffed to him. (Despite being a fairly realistic show about the Presidency, though, the nuclear football never makes an appearance.)
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Music]]
104	* In the music video for ''Music/FallOutBoy'''s "The Phoenix", Patrick handcuffs the briefcase containing the... [[SealedEvilInACan thing]], to his arm. Unfortunately, his kidnappers [[AnArmAndALeg aren't slowed down by that little problem.]]
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
108	* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement ''Horror on the Orient Express''. Franklin Myers carries the Franchise/CthulhuMythos TomeOfEldritchLore ''Unausprechlichen Kulten'' in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.
109	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' adventure ''Bottled Demon''. The magician Topal owns The Guiding Hand talismonger/lore shop. One day an old friend of his, Simon Templeman, enters his shop with a briefcase chained to his wrist. The briefcase contains a idol filled with evil magical energy.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Video Games]]
113	* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', Raiden and Snake discover the body of a navy captain with a handcuff, which is later explained that he was carrying the briefcase containing the access code for Arsenal Gear.
114	* In ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'', Matt the escape driver handcuffs a briefcase of loot to his arm after betraying and escaping the crew. He loses the key after crashing his van, and the crew chooses to fly him and the briefcase out together, as they have neither the time nor the equipment to remove it through other means on-site (though that doesn't stop Hoxton from suggesting [[AnArmAndALeg one]]).
115	* In ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'', Vaughn handcuffs a briefcase containing ten million dollars to himself for safekeeping. This backfires when bandits steal the case and attempt to drive away with it, with Vaughn being dragged along - ''outside'' of the car.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Web Comics]]
119	* In ''WebComic/RogueDiamond'', this is how Spike ends up on the pirate's ship. The briefcase handcuffed to him by Fancy Pants can't be removed, and since Spike's dragon scales are [[MadeOfIron too hard for anyone to actually cut through]], the pirates are forced to take him hostage.
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Web Video]]
123	* ''WebVideo/TheHire'': This is the MacGuffin in "Ticker". [[spoiler:In a subversion the suitcase contains not secrets, valuables or a WeaponOfMassDestruction, but a human heart to be transplanted into the country's president.]] When it looks like the Driver might refuse the mission after a helicopter gunship attacks them, the courier chains the case to the Driver's wrist instead. "Now drive!"
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Western Animation]]
127	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'':
128	** In the episode "Diversity Hire", Conway Stern handcuffs himself to a briefcase containing plans for a secret submarine engine before grabbing onto a helicopter rappel line. Unfortunately for him, Lana then fires a harpoon bolt into the briefcase and pulls on it so hard [[BloodyHilarious that Stern's hand is yanked off below the wrist.]]
129	** This was the plan in another episode, handcuffing a briefcase full of bearer bonds to an agent's wrist until they could be delivered. Unfortunately, the chosen agent was ''Archer,'' who simply unlocked it and put it on retainer at the casino where the meet was happening, reasoning it's just as safe.
130	* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': In "Touch of Evaluation", Mr. Frond attempts to turn his normal briefcase that he keeps the evaluations into one by tying some red yarn to the handle and to his wrist. Although he mainly did it so that he doesn't forget the briefcase somewhere instead of actually thinking it could seriously stop someone from stealing it, and it's shown to work for that purpose at least when he tries to walk away from Louise when she tries to get her evaluation paper back.
131	* Once when ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'' was a presenter at the Academy Awards, the envelope was delivered to him this way.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom: WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy'': Mr. Lancer keeps the answers to the C.A.T. in one of these. Danny accidentally picks them up when he phases through the briefcase thanks to an opponent's attack.
133	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' film ''[[Recap/FuturamaM1BendersBigScore Bender's Big Score]]'', Professor Farnsworth's doomsday device, kept within a briefcase bag, is directly handcuffed to him in order to prevent it from being stolen. Bender later gets around this by sawing the Professor's hand off.
134	* ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'': One of their {{Imagine Spot}}s had Kermit as a secret agent trying to transport a briefcase like this, and the others being enemy agents trying to steal it in one of those mystery-on-the-train scenarios. Their attempts to steal it got pretty blatant, up to Gonzo trying to hide it under his hat ''while it was still cuffed to Kermit's wrist''.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Real Life]]
138	* According to Creator/DaveBarry, seeing someone get mugged on the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity subway is an easy way to identify them as out-of-towners, since native New Yorkers have long since learned to keep their valuables attached with solid chains bolted directly to their skeletons.
139	* The U.S. President's Nuclear Football is handcuffed to one of his military aides who is at his side when he is away from the White House.
140	* The list of winners for the 2015 Golden Globes was brought by representatives of Ernst & Young, in briefcases, [[http://www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/package/article/0,,20881790_20890913,00.html with rhinestone studded handcuffs.]]
141	* Kentucky Fried Chicken used to hide the secret recipe in a briefcase and handcuff it to the wrist of a hired guard [[http://custodianvaults.com.au/security-first/kfcs-top-secret-safe-vault-kfc-protects-recipe when its headquarters underwent security upgrades to get a new vault installed.]]
142	* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the British [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat dumped a body dressed in a British officer's uniform]] off the Spanish coast, with [[WeNeedADistraction fake plans on where the Allies were going to invade next]]. A leather-covered chain (used by bank couriers at the time) was attached to a briefcase, though since the cover story was that 'Major Martin' had been on a long air trip when his plane crashed into the sea, the chain was looped through his belt instead of run down the sleeve. British military couriers did not use such chains, but it was the only way of ensuring the suitcase stayed with the body; the British made some effort into giving the impression that 'Major Martin' was kind of a disorganized scatterbrain through some of the details on his body in order to give a plausible explanation for the handcuff and chain.
143	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HandcuffedBriefcase