History Main / IHaveAFamily

* ''Film/{{Robocop 2013}}''. When Robocop brutally interrogates one of Vallon's street thugs, the later begs for mercy, stating he has a wife and kids. Unfortunately for the thug, Robocop has access to the police database and a quick search reveals that not only did the guy's wife leave him for domestic abuse, he also has no children.

* ''Film/Robocop 2013}}''. When Robocop brutally interrogates one of Vallon's street thugs, the later begs for mercy, stating he has a wife and kids. Unfortunately for the thug, Robocop has access to the police database and a quick search reveals that not only did the guy's wife leave him for domestic abuse, he also has no children.

** --> "Curly, did I ever show you pictures of my wife and kids? I'm there sole support, you know."

* Used in ''TheHurtLocker'', when a man with a bomb strapped to him asks for help from the American military to disarm it.
* Vernita Green tries to use this in the first part of ''KillBill'' to dissuade The Bride from killing her. This was the worst possible strategy Vernita could have tried on The Bride, seeing as how she had tried to kill her while she was ''pregnant''. The Bride calls her on this, and states that if she ''really'' wanted to get even, she would kill Nicky and Vernita's husband as well.
* The scientist who the Gangsters tried the CementShoes routine on near the start of the film adaptation of ''Film/TheShadow'' tries this line. As expected, the boss scoffs and replies, "They'll get over it."

* In ''Defiance'', the Jewish partisans capture a terrified Nazi soldier, who tells them he has a wife and two kids. One of the partisans yells out, "So did I!" They beat the Nazi to death while yelling about their lost relatives.

* In ''TrainingDay'', when Jake is about to be murdered by drug dealers, he shouts in panic that he has a little girl. It doesn't work by itself, but it does motivate them to check out whether he's telling the truth about his ChekhovsGun.

* Subverted in ''{{Predators}}'', when [[spoiler: the Russian]] affectionately shows [[spoiler: the doctor]] a photo of his kids, just before all hell breaks loose, and they're all forced to flee while the latter still has the photo. When [[spoiler: the doctor]] is crippled and the other characters consider leaving him behind, he says "I've got kids" and shows the photo. While it's a lie, this looks like an understandable case of a terrified, desperate man trying anything to not be left behind, [[spoiler: but the discovery that he's actually a psychopathic serial killer makes it less surprising that he was able to think up this sort of lie on the spot and without any hint of unease.]]
* In ''[[Film/SophieSchollTheFinalDays Sophie Scholl - The Final Days]]'' a German film about the [[LaResistance White Rose antifascist group]], one of the arrested students, Christoph Probst, pleads for mercy from the court as he has three small children and an ill, pregnant wife. [[spoiler: He is executed by guillotine the same day.]]

* In ''[[{{Film/Monster}} Monster]]'', one of Aileen's victims tearfully and desperately tries this as she holds him at gunpoint. It doesn't work.

* A variant happens in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Harry and Hermione watch the corrupt Ministry of Magic brutally interrogate a Muggle-born woman who they [[KangarooCourt accused of "stealing" magic from "real" witches and wizards]]. When they ask her to confirm the names of her husband and children, she cries and tells them that her children are afraid that she'll never come home to them. The officials (actually Death Eaters) coldly respond that they don't care about the "brats" of Mudbloods. [[spoiler:When Harry, Hermione, and Ron save all the prisoners at the Ministry, one of the things they say is for them to find their families and escape the country.]]

* A variant happens in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Harry and Hermione watch the corrupt Ministry of Magic brutally interrogate a Muggle-born woman who they [[KangarooCourt accused of "stealing" magic from "real" witches and wizards]]. When they ask her to confirm the names of her husband and children, she cries and tells them that her children are afraid that she'll never come home to them. The officials (actually Death Eaters) coldly respond that they don't care about the "brats" of Mudbloods. [[spoiler:When Harry, Hermione, and Ron save them all of the captives at the Ministry, one of the things they say is for them to find their families and escape the country.]]

* A variant happens in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Harry and Hermione watch the corrupt Ministry of Magic brutally interrogate a Muggle-born woman who they [[KangarooCourt accused of "stealing" magic form "real" witches and wizards]]. When they ask her to confirm the names of her husband and children, she cries and tells them that her children are afraid that she'll never come home to them. The officials (actually Death Eaters) coldly respond that they don't care about the "brats" of Mudbloods. [[spoiler:When Harry, Hermione, and Ron save them all of the captives at the Ministry, one of the things they say is for them to find their families and escape the country.]]

* A variant happens in ''HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Harry and Hermione watch the corrupt Ministry of Magic brutally interrogate a Muggle-born woman who they [[KangarooCourt accused of "stealing" magic form "real" witches and wizards]]. When they ask her to confirm the names of her husband and children, she cries and tells them that her children are afraid that she'll never come home to them. The officials (actually Death Eaters) coldly respond that they don't care about the "brats" of Mudbloods. [[spoiler:When Harry, Hermione, and Ron save them all of the captives at the Ministry, one of the things they say is for them to find their families and escape the country.]]

* In ''[[Disney/{{Aladdin}} The Return of Jafar]]'', Iago tries to convince Abu to open his cage by yelling, "I have a wife and three eggs! Imagine them hatching... never knowing their daddy..." He doesn't, really. Abu opens the cage to introduce Iago to Rajah the tiger. ([[AttackAttackRetreatRetreat "Close the cage! Close it close it close it!!!"]])

* When Maximilian Kolbe, sainted Franciscan monk, was imprisoned in Auschwitz, the Nazis were about to execute ten randomly chosen prisoners. One of them pleaded for his life, arguing he had family. This time, it worked, as the guards accepted Father Maximilian as a substitute. He was executed, while the other man survived. Kolbe was made a saint for his selfless sacrifice.

* Played with in ''InglouriousBasterds''. It's actually a Nazi soldier, Wilhelm, who survives a bloody shoot-out and makes a deal with the Basterds. He begs them to make a deal with him and end the bloodshed as his wife just had their first child. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]

* ''EarnestScaredStupid'' does this when Earnest imitates a doll voice and wrestles with the dilemma of using a doll to stop the gears of a garbage masher.

* In the finale confrontation between Guybrush and [=LeChuck=] in the church in TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland special edition, the player can make Guybrush say this

* ''Manga/Golgo13''. Subverted in the Queen Bee OVA. Antonia gives his life in a HeroicSacrifice so Queen Bee and her men can escape an FBI ambush. Later she's presented with the informer who betrayed them.

* ''Series/{{Golgo 13}}''. Subverted in the Queen Bee OVA. Antonia, one of her men, gives his life in a HeroicSacrifice so Queen Bee and her men can escape an FBI ambush. Later she's presented with the informer who betrayed them.

---> '''[[spoiler:Liara]]''': [[CloseToHome I will ''end'' you, [[spoiler:Vasir]].]]

* MassEffect2 has [[spoiler:rogue Spectre Tela Vasir]] take a hostage, a waitress named Mariana, in order to stop Shepard from killing her in the game's ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC. The hostage tries one of these, saying she has a son, but [[spoiler:Vasir]] uses this as more reason for Shepard and the squad to drop their thermal clips. Shepard can either [[spoiler:distract Vasir while Liara hits her from behind, non-fatally wound the hostage and hit Vasir or drop their thermal clips]]. Either way results in the hostage getting away relatively unscathed and [[ThatOneBoss one of the toughest]] [[{{Badass}} fights in the game.]]

-->'''Fish:''' Who... uh... are away visiting my mother for an indefinite period of time?

---> '''[[spoiler:Liara]]''': I will ''end'' you, [[spoiler:Vasir]].

* The scientist who the Gangsters tried the CementShoes routine on near the start of the film adaptation of ''TheShadow'' tries this line. As expected, the boss scoffs and replies, "They'll get over it."

* Subverted in {{Predators}}, when [[spoiler: the Russian]] affectionately shows [[spoiler: the doctor]] a photo of his kids, just before all hell breaks loose, and they're all forced to flee while the latter still has the photo. When [[spoiler: the doctor]] is crippled and the other characters consider leaving him behind, he says "I've got kids" and shows the photo. While it's a lie, this looks like an understandable case of a terrified, desperate man trying anything to not be left behind, [[spoiler: but the discovery that he's actually a psychopathic serial killer makes it less surprising that he was able to think up this sort of lie on the spot and without any hint of unease.]]

* In a TheThreeStooges short, a detective threatens to have them arrested for allowing a bank robber to escape.

* In {{Timeline}}, one of the protagonists pleads with De Kere [[spoiler: another time-traveler permanently stranded in the past]] to spare him, mentioning that he has a family. However, it doesn't work, because De Kere had a family too.

* In Jim Butcher's ''DresdenFiles'' novel ''Dead Beat'', after [[spoiler:Phil]] dies, [[spoiler:Butters]] tells Harry that he didn't have a family -- and they agree that no, it doesn't make it better.