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46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV

You may want to sit down for this: sometimes movies make stuff up

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV

August 22, 2023

Movies and TV shows don’t necessarily lie. They just place a premium on storytelling. (We’re trying to be kind here.) And so, that means facts are often sacrificed for entertainment purposes. Problem is, we have a tendency to believe what we see on the big and small screen. Which is where we come in — to disabuse you of notions like…

46

A blank can still kill you. Blanks are only safe at a distance. Stand less than a couple feet away, and the expanding gases and wadding can do real harm. Several actors have died this way. CRACKED.COM — Source: Gizmodo

45

You aren't likely to actually land many punches. When you're about to attack, your body automatically goes through preparatory motions that telegraph to your rival what you're about to do. You'll have to be very lucky to throw a punch they don't see coming. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting

44

Fingerprints are very hard to find on guns. EVIDE Even if the gun isn't wiped clean, the rough edges and surfaces that allow for a better grip make it difficult for prints to take hold. Only in a small percentage of cases are fingerprints found. CRACKED.COM — Source: The Writer's Guide to Weapons

43

Don't cut your palm to draw blood, for crying out loud! The hand is the go-to spot to get blood in movies, even though it's almost the last place where you'd want a wound. That gash will reopen every time you do anything, and will likely require a doctor to see it. CRACKED.COM — More: 7 Movie Violence Tropes (That Are BS IRL)

42

Swords don't go schwing when you draw them. To get that dramatic sound, you'd need a metal sheath-and not minding that all the scraping will blunt your edge. Drawing from a leather or wood sheath barely makes any sound. CRACKED.COM — Source: scholagladiatoria on YouTube

41

Not being knocked out doesn't mean you didn't get a concussion. In about 90% of concussions, there's no loss of consciousness. You can be awake to go Ouch! and still have your brain shaken like jello, requiring medical attention. CRACKED.COM — Source: BrainFacts

40

Shooting a lock out won't work. Fire your handgun into a lock, and you'll only get a mangled, but still unopened, lock (and if you're lucky, a bullet ricocheting straight into your spleen). CRACKED.COM — Source: The Writer's Guide to Weapons

39

Swords

Iron swords didn't replace bronze swords because they were better. There wasn't much of a quality difference between bronze and iron weapons. Iron swords, however, were much easier to make, as iron ore was readily available everywhere. CRACKED.COM — Source: MartialArtSwords.com

38

Kicks are no good. Kicking someone is slow, cumbersome, and leaves you exposed to a counterattack (to your crotch). The effectiveness of kicking for self-defense is debated even in the martial arts community. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting

37

You can't go sniping right after putting your rifle together. Guns that can be taken down to fit in a case need to fire several test shots to properly adjust the scope. Only in recent years has the U.S. Navy built a prototype that doesn't have this issue. CRACKED.COM — Sources: TechLink, TechLink

36

Sword duels didn't work like in movies. Block too many swings with the edge of your blade, and you'll end up with a blunt, broken sword. That's why medieval and Renaissance fighting manuals devote exactly zero time to such parries. CRACKED.COM — More: 5 Weapon Myths You Probably Believe (Thanks to Movies)

35

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — More: 6 Deadly Injuries You Only Survive in the Movies (Update)

34

Sniping isn't just about putting your target in the crosshair. Making long shots requires a complex understanding of physics. You need to take into account the weather, the burn rate of gunpowder at different temperatures, and even the goddamn spin of the Earth. CRACKED.COM — More: 5 Weapon Myths You Probably Believe (Thanks to Movies)

33

Greatswords aren't medieval. Two-handed greatswords became a thing in the late 1500s- during the Renaissance, not the Middle Ages. Terms like Zweihander are even more recent, and weren't used historically. CRACKED.COM — Source: The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts

32

Removing a bullet only makes things worse. Cutting a bullet out makes for dramatic scenes, but awful first aids. If the bullet didn't kill your friend, you digging it out just might, what with all the extra damage you're causing. CRACKED.COM — Source: Chesapeake AED Services

31

Shooting a car won't blow it up. You need fire for an explosion to even be slightly possible- and regular bullets aren't made to set stuff on fire. All you'll get is a hole in the gas tank. CRACKED.COM — Source: Science ABC

30

Two-handed swords aren't impossibly heavy. While not exactly the lightest weapon around, the typical two-hander weighs 5-7 pounds, and isn't as unwieldy as its size might make it look. (Much heavier swords were made, but those were ceremonial). CRACKED.COM — Source: The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts

29

What Movies Get Wrong

You can't be easily sedated. Too little sedative, and nothing will happen. Too much, and you will kill your target. And even if you get the dose just right, the effect is never immediate. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Deadly Injuries You Only Survive in the Movies (Update)

28

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — Source: HistoryNet

27

Sai aren't small swords. Sai don't have a sharp edge. They're blunt weapons, used to bludgeon people or defend yourself against other people's swords. CRACKED.COM — Source: Technology Org

26

You can't have a conversation during a gunfight. Gunshots are louder than jackhammers, so forget about cracking wise at your opponents (let alone whispering to your partners) while bullets are flying. You'll be pretty much deaf for a while. CRACKED.COM — More: 5 Ways Movies Get Gunfights Wrong (Based on Experience)

25

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — Source: Science ABC

24

Swords were never quenched in living people. sing 1119 Stick soft, glowing-h hot metal into a bone- filled person, and chances are it'll bend. Even if it doesn't, you'll get an uneven cooling, resulting in a crappy sword. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Things Movies Get Wrong About Swords (An Inside Look)

23

Movie Explosions

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — More: 6 Deadly Injuries You Only Survive in the Movies (Update)

22

Machine guns run out of bullets real quick. In movies, machine gun is short for unending hail of bullets -but if you keep firing any fully automatic weapon, you'll run dry in seconds, as there's no cheat for infinite ammo in real life. CRACKED.COM — More: 5 Ridiculous Gun Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)

21

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — More: 6 Things Movies Get Wrong About Swords (An Inside Look)

20

Bulletproof vests aren't really bulletproof NOBLL A vest will keep the bullet out of your body, but you might still end up seriously injured. And depending on the vest's rating, it will only give you protection against certain kinds of ammo. CRACKED.COM — Source: Spartan Armor Systems

19

Sawed-off shotguns aren't worth troubling yourself with the saw. Yeah, chopping off the barrel makes you look more badass and less Elmer Fudd- but these guns are only good at short range, and the recoil is brutal. The main reason to have one is if you can't get a real handgun. CRACKED.COM — Source: Vulture

18

Blood grooves aren't a thing. No matter what your frat bro told you- that groove along the blade isn't there to let the blood flow and stop the sword from getting stuck in your enemy's guts. The groove, called a fuller, exists only to make the sword lighter. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Things Movies Get Wrong About Swords (An Inside Look)

17

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — Source: BrainFacts

16

Rapiers aren't light, nimble swords. Inigo Montoya makes his sword look pretty much weightless, but historical rapiers are in the same weight range as medieval longswords- about 2.5-4 pounds. CRACKED.COM — Source: Arms & Armor

15

Fists aren't easy. A ight-worthy fist isn't just a bunched-up hand- it takes a lot of learning to get it right. Even professional boxers bungle it, resulting in broken bones (their own). CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting

14

Holding your gun sideways puts you at a disadvantage. Unless you dream of dying looking gangsta AF, you'd better hold your gun upright- the sideways grip makes it harder to properly take aim. CRACKED.COM — Source: Slate

13

A claymore isn't a two-handed greatsword. Historically, the term claymore referred to a sword with a basket hilt used by Scottish soldiers. The word only started meaning a two-handed sword in Victorian times. CRACKED.COM — Source: Keith Farrell

12

Chloroform won't instantly knock you out. Rendering someone unconscious with chloroform takes two to three minutes. For this to work, your target would need to be extremely cooperative and refrain from fighting for a good while. CRACKED.COM — More: 7 Movie Violence Tropes (That Are BS IRL)

11

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — Source: Gun Digest

10

You really shouldn't carry your sword on your back. Unless the sword is really short (shorter than your arm), you will just be unable to draw it. All you'll get is a fully outstretched arm for your foe to hack at, and no means to defend yourself. CRACKED.COM — Source: FightWrite

9

Lost a hand? That's it for you. Forget about pushing on, maybe with a neat chainsaw attached. You'll just bleed out fast- even faster if you keep moving around. You'll likely lose consciousness in less than a minute. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Deadly Injuries You Only Survive in the Movies (Update)

8

You don't need to cock the hammer (and sometimes you even can't). In many modern guns, pulling the trigger cocks the hammer for you. Others, like Glocks, don't even have a hammer that you can cock. CRACKED.COM — Sources: The Truth About Guns, The Truth About Guns

7

Grabbing the blade isn't always a bad idea. Historical fighting manuals include half-swording techniques, where you grab the blade for a stronger thrust or to use your sword as a hammer. CRACKED.COM — Source: Skallagrim on YouTube

6

Being a pro fighter doesn't mean you can fight. Martial artists often find it extremely difficult to adapt to an actual fighting situation. When you've spent years following strict rules, it's pretty hard to let go of all the restraint and just defend yourself. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting

5

Silencers won't turn a gunshot down to whisper. You can't change the fact that exploding gunpowder is really noisy. A silencer will turn a huge bang into a smaller bang, but it will still be loud enough for everyone to hear it. CRACKED.COM — More: 5 Ridiculous Gun Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)

4

Sword fights weren't all about the sword. Yes, you'd try to strike your opponent with your blade but you'd also grab at them, punch them, and kick them. The idea that these were dirty tricks comes from the 18th-19th centuries. CRACKED.COM — Source: The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts

3

46 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because of Movies and TV — More: 6 Painful Things Nobody Tells You About Fighting

2

Shotguns

Dramatically cocking a shotgun is a waste of ammo. The cocking is intended to eject spent shells or bullets. If you do it just to show that you mean business, you're throwing away a perfectly good round. CRACKED.COM — More: 5 Ridiculous Gun Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)

1

Katanas aren't really all that kick-ass. All the fastidious metal-folding by the swordsmith wasn't to make katanas awesome- it was to compensate for the low-quality steel available to forge them. CRACKED.COM — More: 6 Things Movies Get Wrong About Swords (An Inside Look)

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Movie Weapons

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