History Main / StealTheSurroundings

* In the 1974 movie ''Film/BankShot'', a bank has its office in a temporary mobile home, so the crooks decide to steal the whole building.

** Inverted when the endearingly [[TheDitz air-headed]] [[OutlawCouple pair of thieves]] Isaac and Miria attempt to steal "history itself" by actually targeting an entire museum. Failing that, they simply filch the door to the building, thinking that nobody would be able to enter the museum if there isn't any door to enter.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', Magica de Spell comes to steal a magic harp Scrooge recently found at an archaeological dig. Scrooge locks the hap in a drawer, then throws the key in his vault, which has a combination lock. Magica simply tells him, "You won't give key? Then ''I'' take desk!" She does, and a ChaseScene ensues.

* Donald E. Westlake's novel ''Literature/BankShot'' does this one better. In it, a gang steals an entire '''bank''' in order to crack the safe! The bank had temporarily relocated to a trailer while the bank building was being renovated.

* ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'' - Hansel is tasked to get a vital piece of information out of a computer. Unfortunately, he can't figure out how to do so, so he just takes the entire hard drive...and smashes it to pieces thinking that the data is literally IN the computer. (Fortunately for our heroes, the original owner of the computer has a backup.)

** * Michael [[BavarianFireDrill posed as an IT guy]] so he could steal a computer with security footage he needed, though in this case he at least hooked up a replacement for them.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist''. The robber protagonists come up with a plan to steal a very large cache of money and contraband locked in the panic room of a Meth Dealer's hideout. The safe room is very high-tech and virtually impossible to invade during the heist. Instead of cracking the saferoom, the robbers use circular saws to cut the beams to which the room is bolted. They then plant explosives to blow a hole through the roof and floors of the building and lift the entire room out of the complex with a Skycrane.

-->'''Robber:''' Let's get this bank back to our hideout; we'll break into it later!

-->'''Robber:''' "Let's take this bank back into our hideout; we'll break into it later!"

* ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersAscension''; BigBad Jalie Squarefoot realizes that removing the ArtifactOfDoom he requires from the vault of Tabnari is impossible (the fortress was built around said artifact, which is far too big to fit through the door of the vault, teleportation magic doesn't work there, and ''all'' demonic magic is suppressed) so his plan involves stealing the fortress itself with a giant airship. [[spoiler: ([[DidntThinThisThrough His plan has two flaws, however]]. One, Tabnari ''is'' prepared for such an act, its magic quickly attempting to sabotage the airship's magical engines. Second, Jalie underestimates of the powers of its guardian, Unity of Rings, who is also more than willing to destroy Tabnari rather than let the Lich-Fiend steal it; while Jalie does succeed, his physical body is destroyed, and the three days he requires to reform it gives the good guys a window of opportunity.)]]

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' had one storyline where the plot was a variation on this trope. Tagon's Toughs are hired by a feminist group to get an offensive and mean spirited make-over show off the air. A little research reveals they can't just get rid of the hosts because the network will just replace them next season and keep making the show. And they can't just blow up the network's studios and offices because (besides the moral implications of all the innocent people who would be hurt or killed) the insurance would get them back in business in no time. So, in typical "no such thing as overkill" fashion, they invoke this trope and concoct a plan to completely destroy the entire corporation's finances ''AND'' safely level their building with no casualties in order to fulfill their contract to get one show off the air. While they are at it, they also short the stock on the network and make even more money for doing their job.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', [[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]] kidnaps Princess Peach by using a [[FlyingSaucer UFO]] to stealing her castle while she is still in it.

* The ''StarWars''[=/=]''Franchise/StarTrek'' crossover fic ''Conquest'' has the Rebels rescuing people from a prison complex. They tow the entire complex into transports, flee, and storm it once safe.

* ''Film/NationalTreasure'': does this with the American Declaration of Independence! Ben breaks into the National Archives Building (during a gala). He becomes pressed for time due to the bolts securing the display case taking longer than anticipated, So he forgoes the original plan and takes the document with the frame and the bulletproof glass [[note]]which becomes briefly becoming quite useful when shootings starts.[[/note]] to the elevator, where he finally removes the Declaration from its display case.

* ''Film/NationalTreasure'': Ben does this with the frigging Declaration of Independence! After breaking into the National Archives Building (during a gala), he becomes pressed for time, due to the bolts securing the display case taking longer than he anticipated. When Riley loses his video feed, Ben forgoes the original plan and takes the whole damn thing, the bulletproof glass briefly becoming quite useful when shootings starts. At least as far as the elevator, where he finally removes the Declaration from its display case.

->''You rob a bank with a note and a candy bar in your coat pocket. You don't drag the '''whole vault''' down the street.''
->-'''Dr. Martin''', Comicbook/AtomicRobo, "The Ghost of Station X"

->-[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast Five]], where Creator/VinDiesel does exactly that.

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* The ''WebAnimation/{{Gobelins}}'' (no, not ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'') comic has a bodybuilder goblin try to pull the Sword in the Stone out. At first it look like he succeeded, hoisting the sword above his head, but then it's shown he ripped the entire rock it was attached to out of the ground, which then crushes him.

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** On a related point, any encryption can be broken by brute force (trying out each and every possible key) given enough time.

* Fiona is given the task of stealing a safe in an episode of ''Series/BurnNotice''. She accomplises it through this trope and [[StuffBlowingUp lots of explosives.]]

* In ''Series/BurnNotice'' Michael [[BavarianFireDrill posed as an IT guy]] so he could steal a computer with security footage he needed, though in this case he at least hooked up a replacement for them.

* Literature/{{Ramayana}} is possibly the UrExample. There, Hanuman flies to a distant mountain in order to obtain a herb necessary to cure Lakshmana . Having some difficulty identifying the proper herb, he lifts the entire mountain and carries it back to those who can.

* Once in a while, ComicBook/{{Diabolik}} finds easier to do this. Usually it's just some large safe, but in one occasion he saw that the only way to steal a large cargo of gold was to steal the train it was on and ''did just that'' (this was reproduced in the movie ''Film/DangerDiabolik'', see below for details).

* in ComicBook/AstroCity, Manny Monkton is abducted along with the entire building he was in, leaving a neat hole where the basement was, and never seen again. He really should not have made up stories about cosmic entities.

* Authorities in the film ''Film/DangerDiabolik'' try to prevent Diabolik from stealing 20 tons of gold from a train by melting it into a single lingot and sealing it into a thick welded steel container. Diabolik blows up a bridge that sends the train into the water, where the super villain steals the entire container with the aid of balloons and a mini sub. Once back at his lair Diabolik drills a hole at the top of the steel container to insert a super heated rod to melt the gold inside. He then attaches a hose to a hole drilled at the bottom of the container in order to pour the melted gold into molds so that it can be converted to regular sized gold bars. This was taken step for step from the original comic book (story "Desperate Fight").

* {{Ramayana}} is possibly the UrExample. There, Hanuman flies to a distant mountain in order to obtain a herb necessary to cure Lakshmana . Having some difficulty identifying the proper herb, he lifts the entire mountain and carries it back to those who can.