History Main / HandcuffedBriefcase

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* 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.

* ''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]].

!Examples

* The characters end up having to take one of these from a couple armed guards in ''Film/{{Eagle Eye}}''. 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.]]

* In ''Film/IronMan2'' Happy Hogan carries around the Mark V "briefcase armor" locked to his wrist like this.

* ''Film/SpyKids'': 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.

* 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.
* ''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."

* ''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]].

* 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.
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''

* 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.

* ''Series/GetSmart''

* In the ''Series/{{JAG}}'' episode [[Recap/JAGS06E19Salvation "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.
* ''Series/MissionImpossible''

* ''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.
* ''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.

* ''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!"

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' 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.]]
** 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.
* Once when WesternAnimation/BugsBunny was a presenter at the Academy Awards, the envelope was delivered to him this way.

* In the ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' film ''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.
* ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies'': 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''!

-->'''Sam:''' Is the case heavy? Is it explosive? Is it chained to some poor guy's wrist and we're going to have to cut it off?

* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', an 84-karat diamond makes its way to London in a suitcase handcuffed to Franky Four Fingers. Once Boris hears that only Franky could open the case, he decides to chop off Franky's hand with the case still connected.

* 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 river and contaminating half of Gotham.

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/{{TigerCubs}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tcs2e01_briefcase.jpg]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys'': 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.

* In the opening of ''Film/CloakAndDagger'', 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.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: 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.

* ''Series/{{UFO}}'' 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.

** "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.