Bashing Hollywood

[bigguy]

There was a fun thread on another forum titled Bad firearms 101 in TV and Film. I'd like to look at horrendous tactical in general.
I'll start off:

The one big one with guns that bothers me the most is the one shot that completely incapacitates the bad guy. Bang! He's down, threat over.

Let me preface the rest by pointing out that I'm neither LEO, mil or ex-mil. I've no tactical training, so that probably puts me fairly close to the "general public." Still, I have to roll my eyes and sigh when:

*The good guy is sneaking up on the bad guy, and his shoes sound like he's got taps on them. All bad guys must be deaf.

*The good guy throws away his gun/knife or what ever to make it a "fair fight."

*The good guys are escaping the bad guys by running up/down a stair well. They check doors on every floor until they find one unlocked and duck into it. The bad guys go right past, never checking any door.

*Standing there with your gun pointed at somebody who has their gun pointed at you, and talking rather than shooting.

*The good guys putting their guns down so the bad guy will talk to them.

*Entering an area (room/warehouse) backlight from the outside.

*Professional assassins being fooled by a drug that slows the heart, and not busting cap in the good guy's head to be sure.

[old2soon]

Western 6 shooters that by my own count WITHOUT reloading have fired as many as 30 or 40 rounds. Someone opening up-bad guy-with a fully automatic weapon and NOT being able to hit the "hero" and the  "hero" on an offhand shot hits the bad guy with one shot either killin him-wounding him-or-wonder of wonders-SCARING bad guy off!  Carnage of multiple bullet hits on a human body on either no blood or visible damage or body sawn in half with gallons of blood. The sparkers Hollywood and T V insist on using to show "hits" on inanimate objects close to the "hero" or "bad guy". RIDE SAFE.

[bigguy]

Ahhh yes. Sparkers! So while we're on that subject, the car that explodes like the 1/2 stick of dynamite in a 55 gallon barrel of diesel it was carrying in the back seat went off when a bullet hits the gas tank.

[OverdueBill]

The hero with a 38 2" barrel revolver shoots, hits, and kills the bad guy across the street on the roof of a building 5 floors up.  Heros that with their life and the lives of others depending on them to prevail, DROP their gun, don't bother to find it, and keep pursuing the villain.  Week after week.  I'm thinking X Files here.  Always wanted to duct tape the pistol in Mulder's hand.

[Patrick]

Guys, Its Hollywood ! The land of make believe and liberals. Don't both go hand in hand.   

[Jess from VA]

The number one thing that has pissed me off for years, in both TV and movies, is when the very wary and careful individual (often the well trained hero) is sneaking around somewhere knowing bad guys or monsters or whatever are close by, and then they do an extreme close up of the actor, and low and behold when they zoom back out the bad guy or monster has just snuck up on them and caught them completely flat footed.  

It is so common as to be cliche, and just a Hollywood shortcut for bad drama.  Probably happened at least 30 times on The Walking Dead.  

If I'm all tactical with a firearm in a parking garage, no bad guy or monster is going to suddenly appear behind/beside me.

The other one is the number of people being stalked in their homes that cannot or do not come up with a weapon of some kind like a ball bat, poker, butcher knife, frying pan, lamp, iron, boot, or any number of things to whack the crap out of the bad guy.  Instead they just hide in the corner and quiver in fear.  (I cheer when these people get whacked).  

Or when the good guy with one pistol (and no apparent reload) shoots one of six bad guys wielding a .45 auto or machine gun, and then just walks by the loaded firearm laying on the floor, like he doesn't want to be bothered carrying the extra weight.  Too stupid to live!

And squalling babies will make me leave a theater.  (Godfather)

On the other hand, I kind of like it when the busty blond in a skimpy nighty goes down the stairs into the dark basement without her robe (or a weapon) (or a clue).  (Vincent Price movies)

[RP#62]

I saw one the other day, set in the days of wooden ships, the bad guy fires his flintlock pistol in the air, then levels it at the good guy and says the next one's for you.

-RP

[old2soon]

Car flies off the cliff-you know during the chase sequence. As it leaves the road or half way down the cliff or with contact of vehicle at bottom of the drop said vehicle-9 times out of 10-blows up.  EVEN AFTER myth busters proved it usually won't blow up.  Oh-wait-I KNOW the answer to all dis chit we been talkin bout-it's called poetic license.  RIDE SAFE.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Super Man.... He lets bullets bounce off him but when the bad guy runs out of ammo and throws the gun at him ... He ducks  ???

[art]

The number one thing that has pissed me off for years, in both TV and movies, is when the very wary and careful individual (often the well trained hero) is sneaking around somewhere knowing bad guys or monsters or whatever are close by, and then they do an extreme close up of the actor, and low and behold when they zoom back out the bad guy or monster has just snuck up on them and caught them completely flat footed.  

It is so common as to be cliche, and just a Hollywood shortcut for bad drama.  Probably happened at least 30 times on The Walking Dead.  

If I'm all tactical with a firearm in a parking garage, no bad guy or monster is going to suddenly appear behind/beside me.

The other one is the number of people being stalked in their homes that cannot or do not come up with a weapon of some kind like a ball bat, poker, butcher knife, frying pan, lamp, iron, boot, or any number of things to whack the crap out of the bad guy.  Instead they just hide in the corner and quiver in fear.  (I cheer when these people get whacked).  

Or when the good guy with one pistol (and no apparent reload) shoots one of six bad guys wielding a .45 auto or machine gun, and then just walks by the loaded firearm laying on the floor, like he doesn't want to be bothered carrying the extra weight.  Too stupid to live!

And squalling babies will make me leave a theater.  (Godfather)

On the other hand, I kind of like it when the busty blond in a skimpy nighty goes down the stairs into the dark basement without her robe (or a weapon) (or a clue).  (Vincent Price movies)

What does she expect or hope will happen.

[Raverez]

*Standing there with your gun pointed at somebody who has their gun pointed at you, and talking rather than shooting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvSZ_HQmZgQ

[MP]

1.  Walking around, looking for someone, with action imminent.  Then, at the last moment, racking the shotgun, putting a shell in!  Who would not have done that first thing?

2. ONE Show, they had a postcard rack rotary, stopping bullets!

MP

[czuch]

Ya know the other funny thing?
Youre talking about a bunch of self important gun hating liberals.
Lookie Slyvester Stallone's opinion.
On subject;
the guy gets shot and says something to the effect of "I'm OK, tell jennyI love her".

[therapist]

How about a shooting in a small room or even inside a car? The shooters would be near deaf and their ears would be hurting big time. On an outdoor range one time, I forgot to put in my earplugs after reloading. Damn! Just once I would like to see them complain about that.

As someone who has pointed some of the above listed concerns/observations out to directors in films I have been in, they really aren't very interested in realism...it's all about "the look" or "the sound".

[bigguy]

Or when the good guy with one pistol (and no apparent reload) shoots one of six bad guys wielding a .45 auto or machine gun, and then just walks by the loaded firearm laying on the floor, like he doesn't want to be bothered carrying the extra weight.  Too stupid to live!

This!
I've screamed at the set over this one. I even cheer on the RARE occasion when somebody actually picks up a weapon.

[old2soon]

The westerns-T V and movie-where they "throw" the bullets.  You know you've seen it repeatedly growing up-the good guy or the bad guy starts with his pistol at noon fires before it hits 9 or 3 raises pistol to noon again and starts all over!  OR after getting hit with a large caliber slug the "hero" sez-i'm alright it's just a flesh wound!  The movie Bullit with Steve McQueen-possibly one of THE best driving sequences put to film I M H O-except-How MANY times do you get to shift the Mustang he was drivin?? And catching right up with the guys in the Charger after falling minutes behind!  RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

Speaking of car scenes, how many times have you seen the driver go flying and skidding all over the road, engine roaring, left and right and left, fishtailing, squawking tires, hit a guardrail, run over a baby buggy, run over a small dog, then down over the bank and roll down a hill or hit a tree?  (exploding cars have already been covered)

And there was nothing wrong with the brakes.  Here's a novel idea, let off the gas pedal and hit the brakes and stop in 20-30 feet and avoid all that Hollywood nonsense.  

Even bad drivers know how to stop.  Even after they run a stop sign, get 20 feet out in the road, sideways, THEN see my motorcycle and other cars (with the right of way) doing 50 right at them, THEN do the deer in the headlight routine and stand on the brakes to ensure the next several drivers slam into their car.