History Main / FalseRoulette

* Happens in book three of the ''Literature/MonsterHunterInternational'' series. Since the player was a werewolf the gun was loaded, with the trick being that the bullet wasn't actually silver.

!!* The Creator/JamesPatterson novel ''Sail''.

* The Creator/JamesPatterson novel ''Sail''.

Akin to a mild form of HighAltitudeInterrogation, this can cause more trouble than it's worth in RealLife -- if the participant calls your bluff, if you pull the trigger [[CountingBullets one too many times]], you use a blank that goes off, or (God forbid) you [[RecklessGunUsage actually load it]] for [[TooDumbToLive "effect"]], chances are you're going to end up with [[RuleOfDrama a mess]] on [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace your hands.]]

* Mac does this on ''Series/{{CSI NY}}'' to force information out of one of the guys who was involved in kidnapping Mac's girlfriend, Christine.

'''Perry''': ''"Eight percent?" EIGHT?! WHO TAUGHT YOU MATHS?!''

'''Perry''': ''"Eight percent?" EIGHT?! WHO TAUGHT YOU MATH?!''

Generally falls under YouFailGunSafetyForever, since "a gun is always loaded, especially when it isn't".

* Used by Tavon in ''Series/TheShield''.

* Variant from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': Harvey Dent threatens one of TheJoker's {{mooks}} with a coin flip: Heads, he doesn't shoot him; tails, he does. Of course, he's using his two-headed coin, [[EnhancedInterrogationTechniques so the goon is in no real danger, but he doesn't know that]]. [[spoiler: Later on he uses the same coin for actual "games of chance," with one side damaged.]]

* Subverted in ''{{LA Confidential}}'', where the cop in question apparently leaves at least one bullet in the revolver.

* A book found in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, [[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:A_Game_at_Dinner "A Game At Dinner"]] tells the story of a ruler who invites his court to a banquet. After the meal, he informs them that he has poisoned those disloyal to him, and only by drinking the antidote (and revealing their treachery) will they live. The courtiers wait tensely until one snaps, confesses, and drinks... [[spoiler: The real poison, which kills him in a manner so horrible that the author, who is ''also'' a spy (in fact, it is implied that [[FlockOfWolves everyone at the banquet was]]), begs to be removed from his position.]]

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[[folder:Videogames]]

* Variant from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': Harvey Dent threatens one of TheJoker's {{mooks}} with a coin flip: Heads, he doesn't shoot him; tails, he does. Of course, he's using his two-headed coin, but the guy doesn't know that last detail. [[spoiler: Later on he uses the same coin for actual "games of chance," with one side damaged.]]

* Variant from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': Harvey Dent threatens one of TheJoker's {{mooks}} with a coin flip: Heads, he doesn't shoot him; tails, he does. He's using a two-headed coin. Of course, the guy doesn't know that last detail. [[spoiler: Later on he uses the same coin for actual "games of chance," with one side damaged.]]

* Variant done in ''VideoGame/{{Killer 7}}'' Garcian Smith is forced to play a game of Russian Roulette (the "barrel is not spun" variation) against one Benjamin Keane, with the stipulations being if Garcian wins, Keane will teach him the secret to hitting on women with 100% success, but if Keane wins, Garcian has to kill the President (Its that kind of game.) Keane goes into a great deal of dramatics as he picks up the gun and puts it to his temple...pulling the trigger and putting the gun down... Garcian meanwhile simply picks it up and methodically, almost robotically, picks it up, puts it to his head, and pulls the trigger. It's a revolver, and it comes down to the fifth pull of the trigger. It's Keane's turn. He shudders as he pulls the trigger. Click. No bang. He chuckles and slides it to Garcian. "Well, I suppose I win, Guess you have to do what I say." Garcian picks it up and just calmly pulls the trigger. Click. He puts it back down. "This gun holds ''seven'' bullets. I'm a ''professional''. You can't fool me, old man." Cue Keane killing himself after revealing the true secret to wooing women - [[spoiler:They're all the same.]]
* During the campaign of "Call of Duty: Black Ops" [[spoiler:Mason, Woods, and Bowman]] are captured by Soviet/NVA forces. Subverted in that [[spoiler: the revolver is loaded and Mason uses it to shoot his captors and escape.]]

* A non-gun variation is performed in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. A germophobic crook has broken into a hospital. Batman chases after him, and during the chase, he accidentally winds up in a storage room for samples of diseases. Batman picks up one of the jars and inspects it. "Hmm...crimson fever. Lousy way to go. No ''cure'', you know." He places it on a shelf above the crook's head and begins asking him questions. For every dishonest answer, he pounds the wall, causing the jar to shudder and come one step closer to falling...then a security guard interrupts the proceedings. Batman pounds the wall one last time, causing the jar to tumble through the air. The crook yells and cowers, but Batman grabs the jar before it can hit him. The camera lingers on that shot a little bit longer, and we see what the label reads: "Seawater For Analysis".

* Upgraded in the ''GunsmithCats'' manga. Rally Vincent puts in the bullet ''without'' palming it, spins the chamber, pulls the trigger FIVE TIMES in a row rapidly, and finally fires the gun into the wall (right over the perp's head) to prove the bullet wasn't palmed; she's so good with guns that she can time the spin and lock the chamber so she knows where the bullet is when it stops. After demonstrating her prowess she puts in another bullet and points the gun at the perp. Naturally this scares the perp even more than a regular Russian Roulette.

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* Maria pulls this in one episode of the second ''SakuraWars'' OAV. Ohgami seems to consider it a sign of progress that she didn't load the gun (considering that she used to have no qualms whatsoever about killing).

* [[http://youtu.be/vHkSDJmSgqo?t=2m7s Subverted hilariously]] in ''Film/KissKissBangBang'': [[spoiler: The lead character is an ex-magician, so the audience expects him to palm the bullet. However, he has no idea he is supposed to do this, puts one bullet back in the gun, spins the chamber per usual, threatens the suspect by firing a shot, and the suspect is killed. When his partner says WhatTheHellHero, he says that he thought there was only an "8%" chance.]]
--> '''Gay Perry''': [[spoiler: 8 percent!? Who taught you math!?]]

* Used as recently as the {{pilot}} for USA's ''{{Kojak}}'' remake.
* Used by Tavon in ''TheShield''.
* Used by Doug in ''TheRiches'', when he is trying to get hired as a lawyer.
* A bad guy in ''FoylesWar'' tries this on with a burglar who has stolen something very incriminating from him; unfortunately, the burglar gets the bullet before the bad guy gets the information.
* Mac does this on ''{{CSI NY}}'' to force information out of one of the guys who was involved in kidnapping Mac's girlfriend, Christine.
* A variation used by [[FriendlySniper Aramis]] in episode 1 of ''TheMusketeers'' when he and [[TheStrengthOfTenMen Porthos]] are interrogating one of the [[EliteMooks Red Guard]] about the name and location of a murderous captain. He goes through a long speech about how good he is with the musket and asking which vital organ he should hit, very slowly prepping it to fire... And 'remembers' just as he pulls the trigger that he forgot to put the bullet in. Needless to say, the Guard suddenly remembers the name before the bullet is even dropped into the barrel.

* Variant done in ''{{Killer 7}}'' Garcian Smith is forced to play a game of Russian Roulette (the "barrel is not spun" variation) against one Benjamin Keane, with the stipulations being if Garcian wins, Keane will teach him the secret to hitting on women with 100% success, but if Keane wins, Garcian has to kill the President (Its that kind of game.) Keane goes into a great deal of dramatics as he picks up the gun and puts it to his temple...pulling the trigger and putting the gun down... Garcian meanwhile simply picks it up and methodically, almost robotically, picks it up, puts it to his head, and pulls the trigger. It's a revolver, and it comes down to the fifth pull of the trigger. It's Keane's turn. He shudders as he pulls the trigger. Click. No bang. He chuckles and slides it to Garcian. "Well, I suppose I win, Guess you have to do what I say." Garcian picks it up and just calmly pulls the trigger. Click. He puts it back down. "This gun holds ''seven'' bullets. I'm a ''professional''. You can't fool me, old man." Cue Keane killing himself after revealing the true secret to wooing women - [[spoiler:They're all the same.]]

* A variant of this is used in the recent ''The Punisher'' movie. Frank captures low-level mook Mickey and strings him up by his ankles, tying his hands together. He then goes into a fantastic [[ToThePain description]] of how a blowtorch flame will affect him: it won't burn, so to speak. Instead, Mickey will smell burning flesh, but, because his nerve endings are being destroyed, all he'll feel is cold. After the appropriate one-liner ("Isn't science fun, Mickey?"), Frank then proceeds to use the blowtorch to burn a steak, and presses a popsicle against Mickey's back, causing him to [[EnhancedInterrogationTechniques react as though he's being burned]]. When Frank has given away all the information he has...he pops the popsicle in his mouth and lets him down.
** "You're not a nice man."

* Played straight in LAConfidential during the interrogation of the three Night Owl murder suspects, when [[{{Determinator}} Bud White]] realizes the suspects have kidnapped and raped a woman who's still being held hostage. However, in the film we never actually see if Bud takes the last round out of his .38...
* {{Subverted}} in ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean 4''. Jack assumes this is what's happening, as even ''Blackbeard'' surely wouldn't risk his daughter's life as an interrogation method. Then Jack fires one to prove his point...

* One issue of ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' has the title character playing a version this with a paralyzed Bullseye. A version in which the cylinder of the gun is not spun after each pull of the trigger, meaning that someone IS going to die by the time the trigger is pulled 6 times at the latest. At the end of the story with both still alive, Daredevil points the gun at Bullseye...CLICK. It was never loaded. "We're stuck with each other, Bullseye."

* The JamesPatterson novel ''Sail''.