in quite a few movies and cartoons I've seen the character try to break the cuffs in all sorts of ways in pirates of the Caribbean capt. jack tries to use a hammer, in who framed roger rabbit they try a hack saw . I've herd of others as well such as firecrackers,guns,rocks ext. how many of these would be plausible?

Unlikely that "Captain Jack" was confined in handcuffs as we think of them...

Modern handcuffs are not super-strong; a hacksaw would work quite well. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to do it by yourself...
Likewise stout bolt-cutter, a file... Handcuffs are made for quick "field" restraint, not long-term security.