History Main / TalkingYourWayOut

* In ''{{Cars 2}}'', when Mater is surrounded by a pack of {{Mook}}s, he tries to invoke this by sympathizing with them as outcasts and laughing stocks. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]

* Subverted by Comicbook/{{Empowered}}, who spots a life-threatening aneurysm in the head of the {{mook}} who's guarding her, using her suit's {{X-Ray Vision}}. The mook doesn't believe her at first and thinks she's trying to pull this, but she is dead serious and convinces him to go to the hospital; she just didn't want anyone to suffer the same fate as her father.
* [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]] has been known to escape from really dire dangers using this tactic. A full and almost flawless con man, he's always tricking demons, angels and monsters, and even criminals and ruffians, into distrusting each other until they kill themselves. Special mention to the "...Freezes Over" storyline, where he spends the four issues solving a situation with three armed criminals purely by talking. The highlights are when he talks a SerialKiller into suicide and talks a normal man into becoming a serial killer (he also talks a man into dying but he was already bleeding, he just distracted him until he bled out)

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[VillainProtagonist Skitter]] manages this when captured by the superhero Flechette and her friend Parian, convincing Flechette that her superiors aren't as morally pure as they make themselves out to be and convincing Parian to leave with the simple expedient of a BriefcaseFullOfMoney.

* TheAuthority were engaged in a battle with psychotic super-soldiers engineered by the government at one point, and their resident Badass, the Midnighter, was trapped under some rubble and about to be obliterated by one of them. In a few sentences, he essentially deconstructed the soldier's life and forced him to realize what a failure he was. The soldier paused, removed the rubble, handed the Midnighter his helmet, and walked away from the fight. At the end of the story arc, the Midnighter even gets a letter from the guy, thanking him for helping him out of his self-destructive situation and telling him about his new wife and kids.

-->-- '''Rhea Snaketail''', ''SlightlyDamned''

Someone has been captured by their enemies, usually a group with distinct personalities and [[BackStory backstories]], like a QuirkyMinibossSquad, who operate on more or less equal terms with each other (as opposed to a singular BigBad and a collection of {{Mooks}}).

* JohnConstantine has been known to escape from really dire dangers using this tactic. A full and almost flawless con man, he's always tricking demons, angels and monsters, and even criminals and ruffians, into distrusting each other until they kill themselves.
** Special mention to the "...Freezes Over" storyline, where he spends the four issues solving a situation with three armed criminals purely by talking. The highlights are when he talks a serial killer into suicide and talks a normal man into becoming a serial killer (he also talks a man into dying but he was already bleeding, he just distracted him until he bled out)

* Tyrion Lannister of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' runs entirely off this trope. As a dwarf in a medieval society, the best he could hope for was to be made a jester or be part of a freak show, or just as likely have been left to die as a child. However, he has the good fortune of being born to the richest house in the kingdom and being one of the smartest characters in the series. The times he has talked, bribed, or conned his way out of death or worse number in the dozens.

** Not long before the execution she talks to her guards. The guards seem unimpressed, but musketeers take no chances and replace them.

* Played extremely solemly at the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', when Dumbledore engineers a JustBetweenYouAndMe moment with the (presently much stronger) [[spoiler: Malfoy]], convincing him in the process that he isn't capable of murder. It works... to a given value of working.

Compare with HannibalLecture which is a similar situation which is based on psycologically breaking captors instead of causing a confusion to escape in.

%%* Done by the VillainProtagonist in NaturalBornKillers
* Film/JamesBond:

* ''ThePresidentsAnalyst'', a fugitive from his job, ends up captured by a Soviet agent, who is a pretty decent guy (he'd just rescued the doctor from being assassinated) but is determined to bring him back to Russia. The doctor engages the Russian in casual conversation, and soon gets him to realize he'd only become a spy out of fear of his Stalinist father. He abandons the idea of taking the doctor to Russia, figuring he needs a few years of analysis.
* Done in ''{{Idiocracy}}'' by the protagonist, who's a completely average guy by modern-day standards but a genius 500 years from now. When arrested and taken to jail, he manages to convince a cop to let him go by telling him... that he should be in the "released" line. Given how degraded humanity is, it works.

* ''[[TwentyTwentySeven 2027]]'': If you are stopped by the Human Horizon agent in Paris, you can lie to him about your identity, saving your life. Meeting him however, causes [[spoiler: an ambush to be set up for you later after the Paris Lab mission.]]

This is the main method of escape for characters who are locked up well and good, and contractually or circumstantially obliged to use their wits rather than brute force. Often used to give TheSmartGuy or TheFace or TheSocialExpert an awesome moment. It could be a ADayInTheLimelight, showing how they can win battles [[BadassNormal without super powers]] or incredible fighting skill.

** When caught and held defenseless by Scarface's gang, Batman convinces Scarface that the one who sold them out was Arnold Whesker, aka The Ventriloquist. Scarface angrily orders his men to kill Whesker, and when they hesitate he thinks they are traitors as well. Batman escapes in the chaos and bring the gangsters down. The twist? Scarface ''is'' Arnold Whesker - he is just a [[DemonicDummy ventriloquist's doll]] that Whesker uses to manifest his psychotic SplitPersonality.

* Done in ''{{Idiocracy}}'' by the protagonist, who's a completely average guy by modern-day standards but a genius 500 years from now. When arrested and taken to jail, he manages to convince a cop to let him by telling him... that he should be in the "released" line. Given how degraded humanity is, it works.

Smart captors almost never fall for this. Occasionally TheLeader of the group will catch on to ThePlan, but it's usually too little, too late at that point. Group dissolves, hero escapes, plan fails. Roll {{Aesop}} about trust.

This is the main method of escape for characters who are locked up well and good, and contractually or circumstantially obliged to use their wits rather than brute force. Often used to give TheSmartGuy or TheFace or TheSocialExpert. It could be a ADayInTheLimelight, showing how they can win battles [[BadassNormal without super powers]] or incredible fighting skill.

Can be subverted by having the minions be too slick to fall for that trap.

* When Ben (or "Henry Gale," as he was identifying himself at the time) was "captured" by the main characters on ''Series/{{Lost}}'', he spent much of his time turning Locke and Jack against each other, a feat that took very little effort. This did lend some assistance to his eventual escape, but is more likely part of [[XanatosRoulette some even more complex plot]].

* In "A Dog and Pony Show", Rarity is captured by the gem-obsessed Diamond Dogs. She puts up absolute minimal (physical) resistance but she coerces/complains/whines the whole time. By the end of the episode, just as TheCavalry arrives, [[PityTheKidnapper the Dogs are begging to be rid of Rarity]].

* ''Videogame/MassEffect'' allows you to put points into Charm and Intimidate skills which allow you to talk (or threaten) your way out of some situations that would otherwise end in bloodshed. Towards the end of the game, sufficient points in these skills will even allow you to [[spoiler:talk down the villain, Saren,]] on two separate occasions, the second resulting in [[spoiler:Saren killing himself]]. It doesn't get you out of a final boss fight, though.

* WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic. In the "Dog and Pony Show" episode, Rarity is captured by a pack of diamond obsessed dogs. She puts up absolute minimal (physical) resistance but she coerces/complains/whines the whole time. By the end of the episode, just as TheCavalry arrives, [[PityTheKidnapper the Dogs are begging to be rid of Rarity]].

* WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic. In the "Dog and Pony Show" episode, Rarity is captured by a pack of diamond obsessed dogs. She puts up absolute minimal (physical) resistance but she coerces/complains/whines the whole time. By the end of the episode, just as TheCavalry arrives, the Dogs are begging to be RID of Rarity.

* This is how President Baugh (as his alter ego, Baron Fritz von Baugh) undermines ThatGuyWithTheGlasses in ''{{Kickassia}}''.