In the 2010 martial arts adventure film Unbox 3, the story opens with the protagonist, Tien, imprisoned in a pillory—a device that restricts his head and hands. He appears drugged and disoriented, with his eyes closed, as water is thrown on his face to wake him. Tien is a prisoner of the governing authorities, and a harsh verdict has been passed: he is to be beaten with sticks until he is incapacitated.