History Main / HeWentThatWay

* Played with in ''Film/MissionImpossibleIII''. Ethan Hunt is chasing down the villain, and a Chinese man wordlessly points in the direction he went. However it turns out he's walked into an unlicensed hospital, and the man just assumed from Ethan's battered appearance that he had come in for treatment.

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' if you are playing as a malkavian you can suggest avoiding werewolves by dressing as one and using this trope.

* Slight variant: In the Creator/TexAvery cartoon "Half Pint Pygmy", there is a [[SarcasmMode very helpful]] octopus...who points in eight directions at the same time.

* Likewise in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' when our heroes are caught [[MuggedForDisguise stripping the uniforms off two guards they've knocked out]]. John Crichton makes a half-hearted attempt at this trope, then flees.

* A variant: In one ''ComicBook/{{Iznogoud}}'' story, the evil vizier tries to use the cursed water of a swamp djinn to becom Caliph instead of the Caliph; anyone who touches the water disappears into it. Of course, while trying to get the water to the Caliph, more and more people (and a camel) touch or even drink the water, and Iznogoud keeps repeating the name of this trope when people wonder where they went. Finally, the Caliph's goldfish keeper tries putting his charge in the water, and when he wonders where the goldfish went... In fact, both Iznogoud and his henchman say this. While ''pointing in the opposite directions.'' Of course, this being ''Iznogoud'', no-one notices.

** Also done in ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu''. [[spoiler: Sousuke steals a Bonta-kun costume to fight off Yakuza thugs threatening Kaname because he was following her on a date and didn't want to her to find out. He is chased by security trying to get it back and Kaname helps him out by way of this trope.]]

->I will instruct my Legions of Terror in proper search techniques. In particular, if they are searching for escapees and someone shouts, "Quick! They went that way!", they must first ascertain the identity of this helpful informant before dashing off in hot pursuit.

-->'''War Minister Qin:''' The Firelord’s chamber is that way, down the hall to the left and up the stairs. You can’t miss it.
** [[spoiler:Needless to say, that chamber contains [[TheDragon Azula]] rather than Ozai, and she's [[DaddysGirl happy]] to waste the heroes' time.]]

* The Troper saw a production of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' and in one scene, Marius begs Eponine to tell him where Cosette went. Naturally, the Marius-besotted Eppy points...

* ''Theatre/WestSideStory''

* ''[[Film/{{DEBS}} D.E.B.S.]]''. Near the end of the film Amy and Lucy decide to escape together. Amy's friend Max tells the pursuing authorities that they went one way when they in fact went another.

* ''Film/DEBS''. Near the end of the film Amy and Lucy decide to escape together. Amy's friend Max tells the pursuing authorities that they went one way when they in fact went another.

* Perhaps the most JustForFun{{egregious}} example from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' is Sonic saying, "I'm over there." to a robot, WITHOUT A COSTUME, after just walking up to him. It works.

* Perhaps the most JustForFun{{egregious}} example from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' is Sonic saying, "I'm over there." to a robot, WITHOUT A COSTUME, after just walking up to him. It works.

Alice is either chasing or looking for Bob and comes across Chuck. Chuck points in one direction and says something along the lines of "He went that way." Inevitably, Chuck either is in cahoots with Bob, who went the other way, or is actually Bob in disguise.

Alex is either chasing or looking for Bob and comes across Chuck. Chuck points and says something along the lines of "He went that way." Inevitably, Chuck either is in cahoots with Bob, who went the other way, or is actually Bob in disguise.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* In ''SchoolRumble'' this is said to distract Hanai from where Yakumo is.

[[AC: ComicBooks]]

[[AC: {{Film}}]]

* {{Invoked}} by the bad guy as part of a trap in ''Film/ElDorado'': he leads Cole and Mississippi on a chase through the town saloon, with two {{mooks}} waiting to point our heroes out the back door and into an ambush. It almost works, too, except Mississippi recognizes one of them from an earlier encounter.

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[[AC: LiveActionTV]]

[[AC: {{Theater}}]]

[[AC: VideoGames]]

[[AC: WebComics]]

[[AC: WebOriginal]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

* Perhaps the most {{egregious}} example from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' is Sonic saying, "I'm over there." to a robot, WITHOUT A COSTUME, after just walking up to him. It works.

* In "The Man In The White Suit" Alec Guinness escapes from a locked room by convincing a little girl to tell the man guarding him that he's already escaped. He was hiding in a wardrobe and got away when the room was checked. The little girl also pointed and told the man "He went that way". Later, when the entire town is chasing Guinness down, he runs past the same girl who then tells the pursuing mob "He went that way", pointing in the opposite direction.

* In the penultimate scene of ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', Marcellus manages to distract the angry townspeople hunting for Harold Hill for a few minutes by telling them he isn't where he is.

[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thatway200_2_2582.png]]
[[caption-width-right:200:[[Film/VampireInBrooklyn Of course I didn't just shapeshift; he went that way.]]]]

* MasterOfDisguise Mortadelo often pulls this off in ''MortadeloYFilemon''. Once, he sent a pursuer straight up a wall...
* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}''
* A variant: In one {{Iznogoud}} story, the evil vizier tries to use the cursed water of a swamp djinn to becom Caliph instead of the Caliph; anyone who touches the water disappears into it. Of course, while trying to get the water to the Caliph, more and more people (and a camel) touch or even drink the water, and Iznogoud keeps repeating the name of this trope when people wonder where they went. Finally, the Caliph's goldfish keeper tries putting his charge in the water, and when he wonders where the goldfish went...
** Actually, both Iznogoud and his henchman say this. While ''pointing in the opposite directions.'' Of course, this being Iznogoud, no one notices.

[[AC: VideoGames]]
* According to the intro of ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur II]]'' this is how Raphael first met Amy, which led to him adopting her as his daughter.
* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II'' while transformed into a drow you come across a group of drow chasing a slave and are given the option to point them in the right or wrong direction.
* You can do this in ''VideoGame/{{Venetica}}'' after Scarlett blows up one of the Doge's ships. When a guard comes up to her and asks what happened, she can respond with this. They buy it completely.
* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' if you are playing as a malkavian you can suggest avoiding werewolves by dressing as one and using this trope.
* In ''VideoGame/FantasyLife'', the player, or rather its more vocal ExpositionFairy, does this to throw paladins off the trail of another character.

* ''Film/VampireInBrooklyn''

* Cao Cao, of all people, pulls off a straight version while on the run from Lu Bu in ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''.

[[AC: VideoGames]]
* According to the intro of ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur II]]'' this is how Raphael first met Amy, which led to him adopting her as his daughter.
* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II'' while transformed into a drow you come across a group of drow chasing a slave and are given the option to point them in the right or wrong direction.
* You can do this in ''VideoGame/{{Venetica}}'' after Scarlett blows up one of the Doge's ships. When a guard comes up to her and asks what happened, she can respond with this. They buy it completely.
* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' if you are playing as a malkavian you can suggest avoiding werewolves by dressing as one and using this trope.
* In ''VideoGame/FantasyLife'', the player, or rather its more vocal ExpositionFairy, does this to throw paladins off the trail of another character.

** Also done in Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu. [[spoiler: Sousuke steals a Bonta-kun costume to fight off Yakuza thugs threatening Kaname because he was following her on a date and didn't want to her to find out. He is chased by security trying to get it back and Kaname helps him out by way of this trope.]]

** Also done in the second season. [[spoiler: Sousuke steals a Bonta-kun costume to fight off Yakuza thugs threatening Kaname because he was following her on a date and didn't want to her to find out. He is chased by security trying to get it back and Kaname helps him out by way of this trope.]]

* ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. John Connor's friend tips him off that a policeman is looking for him, then tries to do this trope. Unfortunately the T-1000 has already seen Connor, and [[WouldHurtAChild brutally]] [[ExcuseMeComingThrough shoves his friend aside]].

* ''Film/TerminatorIIJudgementDay''. John Connor's friend tips him off that a policeman is looking for him, then tries to do this trope. Unfortunately the T-1000 has already seen Connor, and [[WouldHurtAChild brutally]] [[ExcuseMeComingThrough shoves his friend aside]].