History Main / TryAndFollow

* The most hilarious moment in the film ''Film/TrueLies'' involves Arnold Schwarzenegger on a horse (borrowed from a mounted city cop) chasing a bad guy on a motorcycle through an improbable array of settings, including crashing through an elegant soiree in a grand hotel. Eventually the villain uses a ramp to do a suicidal leap from the hotel roof... into a rooftop swimming pool a hundred feet away and twenty feet down. Arnold attempts to follow -- only to have his horse come to a dead stop and give him an "Are you insane?" look.

* In ''Film/FirstBlood'', Rambo was being chased through the woods and actually jumped from a small cliff into trees to escape.

* In the second ''Film/CrocodileDundee'' movie, Mick is interrogating a criminal who's tied upside down hundreds of feet in the air when the police arrive. He uses the end of the rope to leap off the building and swing into a window. One police officer suggests they follow him, which suggestion is met with utter disbelief.

'''Agent K:''' So do I, but this kid ran down a cephalapoid, ''on foot''. That's gotta be tough enough.

* In ''Film/AppointmentToVenus'', the heroes spirit the cow and her calf onto a Royal Navy Motor Torpedo Boat to take them to Britain. They are pursued by a German E-boat, which they sink when Trawler steers the torpedo boat through a narrow channel and the E-boat--with its deeper draught--rips out its hull on the rocks just below the surface.

* This is basically how both Izaya and Shizuo of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' learned [[LeParkour Parkour]]. Izaya learned it so he could escape and reach places where Shizuo would have to be insane to follow him to. Shizuo was simply insane enough to follow him. [[spoiler:Shizuo eventually ends up doing this himself. Instead of letting himself be captured by the {{Yakuza}} for a murder he didn't commit, or [[NotHelpingYourCase undermining any chance of proving his innocence by attacking them]], he instead opts to escape -- and starts with a superhuman climb up a nearby building]].

!!Examples

* In ''Manga/CaseClosed'', Shinichi's mother once hung around too long at an intersection and then pulled away at the last possible minute to evade a car that had been surreptitiously following them.

-->'''Shenzi:''' Hey! There he goes! ''There he goes!''
-->'''Banzai:''' ''(covered in thorns)'' So, go get him!
-->'''Shenzi:''' There ain't no way I'm goin' in there! What, you want me to come out lookin' like ''you'', cactus-butt?
* The entire "[[IAmSong I Stand Alone]]" number in ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' is essentially one extended Try-And-Follow sequence, as our forest-dwelling male lead Garrett attempts to ditch the main heroine Kayley, who ends up having trouble of going past the forest's living plants and trees.

* In ''Film/{{Apocalypto}}'', Jaguar Paw escapes from the bunch of sadistic Maya city dwellers led by Zero Wolf who are after him by jumping down a waterfall. While he feels momentarily safe and taunts them from below, Zero Wolf forces his men to jump (after [[BadBoss killing one]] for [[DisproportionateRetribution merely suggesting to take a detour]]). They all jump down the waterfall (one more of them dies, this time because his head hits a rock at the bottom of the waterfall), and the chase resumes.

* In ''Film/USMarshals'', the fugitive jumps off the roof of a building, uses a rope to swing over to a train station on the other side of the street, then jumps onto the roof of the departing train in order to evade Gerard.

* ''Film/TheMatrix''

* ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid'' jumped off the cliff into the river below to avoid being caught. But that wasn't enough and they learned later that their pursuers would keep after them until they were captured or dead.
* ''Film/ThePrincessBride''
** When Wesley and Buttercup escape into The Fire Swamp to evade their pursuers.
--->'''Buttercup:''' We'll never survive!\\
'''Wesley:''' Nonsense! You're only saying that because no-one ever has.
** He makes a habit of this; see Vizzini's gang climbing the Cliffs of Insanity.

* Subverted in ''Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer.'' When Johnny tries this move, apparently hoping his superior knowledge of the area will pay off, the Surfer phases stoically through the obstacles.
* Probably one of the most popular sequences from ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' is when Bond is chasing after a bomber who is employing LeParkour moves to navigate a construction site and trying to lose Bond in the process. Instead of replicating his nimble target's movements, Bond would go for far more direct approaches to navigate the same obstacles, like slamming ''through'' a sheet of drywall after his target squeezed through a small, hard-to-reach hole.
* In Mel Gibson's ''Film/{{Apocalypto}}'', Jaguar Paw's jump from a waterfall is a turning point for the character and story. When his pursuers actually ''do'' follow and survive, he realizes that he can't just outrun them. After all, he is Jaguar Paw. He is a hunter. And this is ''his'' forest.
* In ''Film/RemoWilliamsTheAdventureBegins'', at one point Remo is being chased by a relentless trio of doberman pinschers. He climbs to the roof of a building to escape, but they follow somehow, at which point he [[ItMakesSenseInContext runs across a cable connecting the building he's on to another building]]. He even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the situation by uttering a sarcastic, "Try and follow me now, you bastards!" Two of the dogs leave the roof to find other avenues of approach. But the third dog ''follows him across the cable''.
* ''Film/BatmanReturns'': Batman heads directly toward a narrow alley far too small to accommodate the Batmobile, then transforms his vehicle until it will fit. The police following him obliviously maintain acceleration right until they crash into the alley
* Part of the reason Agent J was recruited into the ''Film/MenInBlack'' was because he was able to keep up with an alien criminal who did this.
-->'''[[DaChief Zed]]:''' He's got a [[CowboyCop real problem with authority]].\\
'''Agent K:''' So do I, but this kid ran down a cephalapoid, ''on foot''. That's gotta be tough enough.
* Axel Foley pulls off a less spectacular, but nonetheless clever, version in in ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop''. While driving, he spots two plainclothes cops tailing him. He stops at a traffic light and waits through the green and yellow cycles, confusing the cops. Just as the light turns red, he speeds through the intersection. By the time the cops recover from their surprise and try to give chase they're cut off by the cross traffic.
* In ''Film/NationalTreasure'', Ben Gates evades his FBI detail with a death-defying jump off the flight deck of an aircraft carrier into the river below. The agents following him are advised to “Pursue at own risk”. (They don’t).
-->'''FBIAgent:''' ''(to his partner)'' You first.
* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''. Imperator Furisoa takes her War Rig into a sandstorm that's a virtual tornado, to (temporarily) escape the pursuing War Boys. Given their BloodKnight nature not all of the pursuers are deterred, but as Furiosa's BigBadassRig is heavier it survives while lighter vehicles are blown into the air and destroyed.
* ''Film/MasterAndCommander''. After being ambushed by the superior French privateer, Captain Aubrey has his crew put out boats and tow ''Surprise'' into a handy fog bank, knowing the French won't pursue and risk losing their advantage. Sure enough the privateer turns away, firing one last broadside in a final attempt to inflict damage.
* ''Film/Cube2Hypercube''. One of the people imprisoned in the Hypercube turns out to be a hacker who is fleeing the MegaCorp who built it, as it was the one place they wouldn't follow. [[spoiler:Turns out she's wrong, as the person she's talking to is an operative sent after her. Knowing it would be a SuicideMission, they simply used an expendable asset for the job.]]
* ''Film/MissionImpossibleIII''. Ethan's team in a Huey helicopter try to evade a Cobra gunship by flying through a wind turbine farm. [[AcrophobicBird For some reason]] the Cobra doesn't fly above the farm and fire its missiles (which are heat-seaking) down at them -- but then if it did that we wouldn't have a cool scene of the Huey flying ''between'' the spinning turbine blades and the Cobra being smashed when it decides to Try And Follow.
* To escape a police chase in ''Film/NeedForSpeed'', Tobey uses a grassy embankment to drive off a highway and [[{{Ramprovisation}} jump over a street packed with traffic]]. The cops abort the chase rather than follow.

* In Creator/RudyardKipling's ''Literature/TheSecondJungleBook'' story "Red Dog", Mowgli is fleeing the rampaging dogs and jumps off a cliff into a raging river. This is a deliberate subversion, though -- he knows they'll follow him, but is setting a trap for them.
* In ''Literature/MenAtArms'', Sergeant Angua (a w-[[spoiler:erewolf]]) is running from a dog pack on the rooftops. She jumps over a wide street, and the dogs following stop. The leader tells them to keep chasing, and jumps over to demonstrate. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]

* A case similar to the Jungle Book example above shows in ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear''. To take a big ship into an AsteroidThicket after a tiny agile ship is practically suicide, but Spore does it anyway. [[spoiler:And runs into the [[ChekhovsGun giant space slugs Tash knew were there]].]]
* In Creator/SarahAHoyt's ''Literature/DarkshipThieves'', Athena flees through powertrees because she needs something the mutineers won't follow.

* This sets off the events of ''Literature/ShipBreaker''. Nita is the SoleSurvivor on the wrecked clipper ship that the protagonist Nailer finds washed up on the shore. It's later revealed that her EvilUncle was trying to capture her, so they sailed into a city-killer hurricane to escape.

* ''Series/BurnNotice''

* On ''Series/TopGear'', Jeremy Clarkson (being pursued through a shopping mall by "baddies" in a Corvette as part of an "extreme road test"), attempted dodging in and out of several tight spaces in his Ford Fiesta. The 'Vette still gave chase, but it got significantly delayed, and Clarkson eventually made his escape.
-->'''Clarkson:''' The Corvette is stuck in British Home Stores!
* On ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', [[ClassyCatBurglar Parker]] specializes in this. She has rappelled down the side of a building, base jumped off a building, and flipped off a bridge and held on by her fingertips to avoid pursuit.

* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "The Pilot", the Doctor takes the TARDIS to Australia, then 23 million years in the future on the other side of the Universe, then into the midst of a Dalek war to see if the MonsterOfTheWeek will follow. [[TheDeterminator It does.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''
** In "Pressure Point", [[TheDragon Space Commander Travis]] realises that [[RebelLeader Blake]], having just escaped, will go into the ForbiddenZone despite its automated defenses because it's the last place anyone would look (though Blake is also after the MasterComputer the zone is protecting).
** In "Volcano", Federation troopers capture two of our heroes and hide just inside the crater rim of an active volcano, thinking it's the last place anyone will look for them. Fortunately one of their captives is a telepath and can tell the others where they are.
* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Galadriel escapes the CityGuards that were tasked to keep an eye on her, by leaping between buildings where they cannot see her.

* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', Ethan can escape from the police by jumping off a building and hijacking a taxi. It's not clear why this works though, since the police have a helicopter.

* When playing games such as ''Snake'' or ''Light Cycles'' (''Film/{{Tron}}''), getting into tight alleys that your opponent can't follow is a key tactic in advanced play. Of course, one has to be sure they can actually make it through the often tight maze to the other end before someone seals it off.
* In ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezGunslinger'' Silas Greaves is after the Indian Chief Grey Wolf. After their first encounter, Grey Wolf flees and you have to follow him through a series of caves and on narrow paths leading down a cliff face. You have to do a number of 'Leap of Faith' jumps to get from one rock shelf to another and when you finally catch up to Grey Wolf, you end up walking straight into a major ambush. After all this, [[spoiler:Grey Wolf still manages to escape and you never see him again]].
* ''VideoGame/QBert'': One way to escape Coily the snake is to jump off the edge of the board onto a spinning disc. Coily attempts to follow and plummets to his doom.
* The many chase setpieces in both ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'' games are usually broken up by the PlayerCharacter performing a jump across a long gap or some other similar maneuver, so the pursuers are unable to follow.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''

* Done by ComicBook/TheQuestion in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' to escape Huntress and Green Arrow. Question may not have superpowers or extensive martial arts training, but he's very willing to play chicken with a train.

If you are feeling particularly ballsy, you can give your hunters the raspberry and issue the challenge of "[[TitleDrop Go ahead, try and follow me!]]" If you take the chase into an environment where you have a concrete advantage over your pursuers, you are using ExploitedImmunity.

* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho''. In "I, Davros", the title character is assigned to a commando team sent behind Thal lines. Having completed their mission, Davros proposes they evade the pursuing Thal troops in the Wastelands, an area poisoned by the ForeverWar inhabited by {{Dangerous Deserter}}s and {{Mutant Monster}}s. The Thals do turn back rather than pursue them, but Davros is the only member of the team who makes it back to the Kaled lines alive.

* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho''. In "I, Davros", the title character is assigned to a commando team sent behind Thal lines. Having completed their mission, Davros proposes they evade the pursuing Thal troops in the Wastelands, an area poisoned by the ForeverWar inhabited by DangerousDeserters and MutantMonsters. The Thals do turn back rather than pursue them, but Davros is the only member of the team who makes it back to the Kaled lines alive.