History Main / MexicanStandoff

* ''Next Day Air'' ends with a Mexican Standoff that [[BlastOut goes bad]] and kills half the cast (and almost kills half the rest).

* A huge one occurs in the BMovie ''The Immortals''. The leaders of two gangs direct about a dozen people each on who they should be covering, every one with GunsAkimbo. [[BlastOut It all hits the fan]] when an InnocentBystander drops some plates. Most of the good guys somehow make it out alive (if wounded), even though everyone involved in the shootout were standing only a few feet away from each other.

* Another Hong Kong film, RingoLam's ''City on Fire'', features a Mexican standoff near the end of the film, similar to the one later seen in ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' (see below).

* The novel ''DanceOfTheVoodooHandbag'' by Creator/RobertRankin uses a Mexican Standoff in which an increasing number of characters arrive pointing guns at each other in an argument over the titular McGuffin. However, the main character realises noone's threatening him, so he steals the handbag and escapes in the confusion.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': A starship version happens in "The Defector". The ''Enterprise'' goes to the Neutral Zone to investigate rumors by a Romulan defector of a base being established there. Instead, it turns out to be a trap, as they're ambushed by two Romulan warbirds. However, [[CrazyPrepared Picard suspected this would be a trap, and arranged for 3 Klingon ships to accompany them for support]].

** The episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E22TackingIntoTheWind}} Tacking into the Wind]]" ends with Gul Rusot, a member of the Cardassian Rebellion, pointing a phaser at Kira, who is covered by Garak, while Damar holds them ALL at gun (phaser?)-point and tries to decide what to do.

** "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E12WhoMournsForMorn}} Who Mourns for Morn?]]" has one with four armed parties, and an unarmed Quark, in a Mexican Standoff over a cargo container of money.

A stalemate where everyone has a weapon[[note]]Usually, but not always, a gun or other firearm[[/note]] pointed at someone else. All the threats are equally balanced to ensure a MutualDisadvantage; no one is walking away from this standoff with what they came for.

This trope can be constructed in a number of geometries: one against one, three or more to a side, [[MeleeATrois free-for-all]], or army against army. Frequently ends in a BlastOut when someone gets twitchy, [[WhatAnIdiot figures the odds differently]] than everyone else and decides they have an advantage, or is just crazy enough to [[NotAfraidToDie not care if they die too]]. [[KingmakerScenario Entry of]] [[TheCavalry a third party]] can also end things, since those already there are fixated on each other.

Sometimes the situation is resolved in a civilized fashion with all involved parties realizing the suicidal position they are in and agreeing to put down their weapons, usually on a count of three to make sure no one ambushes the other. Occasionally, a downplayed FriendOrFoe situation results in a brief version of this

When entire nations do this, it's upscaled to MutuallyAssuredDestruction. Also a case of the famous "PrisonersDilemma": If everyone puts the gun down, everyone lives. If everyone shoots, everyone will die. But nobody wants to be the first to put the gun down and become vulnerable. Compare the ShowdownAtHighNoon from [[TheWestern Westerns]] which sometimes take the form of this trope. It's also closely related to the GameOfChicken, where nobody wants to be the first to back down, but if nobody backs down, well....

When this kind of standoff happens in HeroicBloodshed movies, it usually takes the form of [[GunpointBanter two characters with their guns in each other's faces at point blank range]]. Another version of the MexicanStandoff has three or more participants with guns leveled in ring-around-the-rosy fashion, so the person you've got covered is not the one covering you. Blades could be substituted for guns, meaning the person you've got covered just might survive long enough to retaliate.

* Parodied in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0VOM7e5Hug banned Xbox 360 commercial]], where an entire subway station spontaneously erupts into a MexicanStandoff, then a giant shootout... Only nobody is carrying any guns. They're just pointing {{Finger Gun}}s at each other and yelling "Bang!"

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'''s first season ends with a MexicanStandoff that's [[spoiler:resolved after the FadeToBlack]]. One of the big mysteries going onto the OddlyNamedSequel is what exactly happened, since [[spoiler:all parties involved are shown to be alive and well one year later (not to mention the protagonist's little sister has been replaced by a little brother).]] There's another standoff much earlier, but that one is possibly disqualified by the fact that one side consists of two men with pistols while the other is a HumongousMecha with a supersized gun bigger than both men combined...

* Spike and Vicious engage in a MexicanStandoff in the fifth episode of ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. Spike's got a gun, and Vicious holds a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]] to the space cowboy's chest. They both attack each other, and Spike nearly dies, revealing flashbacks about both men's pasts. One seems to develop earlier in the same episode where Spike encounters an armed mook holding Faye as a hostage/human shield. Spike casually shoots him in the head.

* In the third episode of ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', Guts and Griffith have their first fight, which ends with Guts and Griffith presumably in a standoff, neither able to move without putting themselves at a disadvantage. However, [[spoiler:Griffith manages to pull an ingenious move and win the day, which is very badass]].

* ''Anime/FutakoiAlternative'' has a hilariously awesome three-way MexicanStandoff.

* Done in ''Manga/MysteriousGirlfriendX'', but instead of guns, [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mysterious_girlfriend_x/v06/c037/25.html we get scissors and legs]].

* ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'' features a very prolonged metaphysical standoff between BigBad Kyosuke and BadassNormal Minamoto; they both possess the means to kill each other (Kyosuke has RealityWarper psychic powers, Minamoto has a gun specifically engineered to kill high-level Espers like him), but neither one will actually pull the trigger because [[spoiler:if they do, LivingMacguffin Kaoru is all but certain to side with the martyr and bring about the future the killer doesn't want.]]

* In the card game ''The Good, The Bad, and The TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'', there is a card called MexicanStandoff which does indeed balance the sides in any given battle.

* In the ''Halo'' fanfiction Fanfic/TheLife, Frank, Pavel, and two [[RedShirt redshirts]] get into a short one with a Spartan III team. The misunderstanding is quickly fixed, though. Through talking, not shooting.

* In ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'', a brief one occurs during the initial fight for the second mask — Tohru captures [[VillainProtagonist Jade]], so Right (one of her CoDragons) retaliates by holding a sword at his neck, and Uncle in turn aims his wand at Right. It's quickly broken up when Ratso accidentally gains the mask, which provides enough of a distraction to allow Jade to escape.

* In one of ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' movies, a soldier is shooting at the baddies. A baddie sneaks behind the soldier and puts a knife to his throat, telling him not to move. Another soldier gets behind him and puts a gun to ''his'' throat, telling him the same thing, creating a sort of blade-based MexicanStandoff. As they are all there unmoving and unsure about what to do, [[ShootTheShaggyDog a grenade drops nearby and blows them all up]].

* ''Next Day Air'' ends with a MexicanStandoff that [[BlastOut goes bad]] and kills half the cast (and almost kills half the rest).

** In another episode, Michael turns a situation where he should be at a massive disadvantage (he's alone and trying to face down an ArmsDealer, the dealer's 6 armed mooks, and the master thief that stole a chemical weapon and was planning to sell it to the dealer) into a MexicanStandoff with some quick thinking: rather than try to intimidate them by pointing his gun at his opponents, Michael points it at ''the chemical weapon'' they came to buy. Sure, if they shoot him, he's dead, but if Michael can fire before dying, the nerve gas inside will kill ''everyone'' there.

* ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' has the [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/484.html Bavarian standoff]], essentially, MexicanStandoff with chocolate cake.

* In the pilot of ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', the titular character's mother is taken hostage by TheMole, so he captures Lana and threatens her. Except that TheMole doesn't even care about Lana, and thus the MexicanStandoff is futile.

** Maggie gets caught in the middle of an [[TheMafia Italian-American]] MexicanStandoff in the climax of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E22MoeBabyBlues Moe Baby Blues]]". Moe steps in and saves the day...by reducing the mobsters to tears with Maggie's innocent smile.

* The 2018 remake of ''VideoGame/TheTwentyFifthWard'' has its final [[PlayableEpilogue bonus chapter]] black out focus on one of these; [[spoiler:Akama and Aoyama have guns pointed at Hatoba from two sides, but are also aimed by Kuroyanagi, with Uehara acting as backup. Kuroyanagi ultimately allows Uehara to take the first course of action, whether it's killing Akama, Aoyama, both of them, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Hatoba]], [[BullyingADragon Kuroyanagi]], [[RocksFallEveryoneDies everyone (including or excluding yourself)]], [[SheatheYourSword do nothing]], or [[TakeAThirdOption take a different option entirely]]. Played for laughs in that you have to choose from ''100 different outcomes''.]]

** Maggie gets caught in the middle of an [[TheMafia Italian-American]] MexicanStandoff in the climax of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E22MoeBabyBlues Moe Baby Blues]]". Luckily, Moe is there to save the day. Yes, ''[[ButtMonkey Moe]]''.

* Parodied in ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'' episode ''Murder'', where the office's murder mystery game concludes with Michael, Dwight, Andy, and even [[NotSoAboveItAll Pam]] pointing finger-guns at each other, and the "standoff" gets resolved by the participants pretending to shoot each other.

* Parodied in ''Series/{{The Office|US}} episode ''Murder'', where the office's murder mystery game concludes with Michael, Dwight, Andy, and even [[NotSoAboveIt Pam]] pointing finger-guns at each other, and the "standoff" gets resolved by the participants pretending to shoot each other.

%%* ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'''s epic Mexican Standoff? [[http://dft.ba/-3H0]]

** In the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "Unleashed", the BadBoss points out in this situation that "I'm willing to let my men die. Can you say the same?"

** At the end of "Hurricane!", Stan, [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Peter Griffin]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow Cleveland Brown]] enter a three-way Mexican standoff.

** In the climax of ''Film/PulpFiction'', Jules disarms Pumpkin at gunpoint, Honeybunny freaks and turns her gun on Jules, and a returning Vincent takes aim at Honeybunny while also threatening to shoot Pumpkin until Jules shuts him down.

* The end of the French film ''Film/LaHaine'' sees [[spoiler:Hubert]] and [[spoiler:a cop]] with guns in each other's faces in the immediate aftermath of [[spoiler:Vinz getting shot and killed by accident]], ending with a single gunshot and a CutToBlack.

* ''Creator/DrSeuss'''s ''Literature/TheButterBattleBook'' ends this way, with both generals holding a bomb that could possibly obliterate the opposing side. Neither side drops their bomb.

** In the ''Series/Angel'' episode "Unleashed", the BadBoss points out in this situation that "I'm willing to let my men die. Can you say the same?"