"Shooter" movie mistakes

[roo_ster]

When aren't the books better than the movies?

The John Wayne movie A Quiet Man was better than the story it was based on.

[Monkeyleg]

For some real fun, watch a airplane film with an airplane pilot or mechanic, a hospital show or movie with an actual RN or doctor, a court film with a real judge or lawyer, a crime film with a real detective or investigator, or a computer hacker film with an actual computer programmer.

Turns out, Hollywood isn't just faking gun scenes; they're faking everything!

When I see a photographer in a movie and watch him work, I rarely see anything that comes close to real life. Ditto with gun things, and other things I know about. So I just figure that anything about anything in a movie is made up, and never count on movies for reference to the real world.

[makattak]

The John Wayne movie A Quiet Man was better than the story it was based on.

I gotta disagree with that. The movie was longer, but by no means better.

[makattak]

When I see a photographer in a movie and watch him work, I rarely see anything that comes close to real life. Ditto with gun things, and other things I know about. So I just figure that anything about anything in a movie is made up, and never count on movies for reference to the real world.

You know, that's gotta be painful for some of the authors these movies are based off when the authors took pains and interviewed experts to try to get such things right in their books.

[Monkeyleg]

You know, that's gotta be painful for some of the authors these movies are based off when the authors took pains and interviewed experts to try to get such things right in their books.

There's a custom 1000 yard rifle maker who advertises on my site named Vaughn Beals. He's out of Pennsylvania. He told me that everything in the book is 100% accurate. I don't know if the paper-patching scene counts as "accurate", but I tend to believe what he says.

[Jamisjockey]

You know, that's gotta be painful for some of the authors these movies are based off when the authors took pains and interviewed experts to try to get such things right in their books.

Hurts 'em right in their wallets.....

[MechAg94]

There's a custom 1000 yard rifle maker who advertises on my site named Vaughn Beals. He's out of Pennsylvania. He told me that everything in the book is 100% accurate. I don't know if the paper-patching scene counts as "accurate", but I tend to believe what he says.

I thought in the movie, he got the case dismissed by showing that he had changed the firing pin in the rifle so it would not fire. 

As for the bullet, if the bad guys had as much influence as they described, they could have substituted the other bullet in the evidence room.

[brimic]

You know, that's gotta be painful for some of the authors these movies are based off when the authors took pains and interviewed experts to try to get such things right in their books.

Especially Stephen Hunter. He seems to go far out of his way to get every little detail correct.

[Monkeyleg]

I thought in the movie, he got the case dismissed by showing that he had changed the firing pin in the rifle so it would not fire. 

As for the bullet, if the bad guys had as much influence as they described, they could have substituted the other bullet in the evidence room.

Yes, he showed that he had changed the firing pin, although I don't know how that would keep the rifle from firing. He checked on the paper patching to see if his Dinty Moore bullet might have been used in the assassination (even though a sniper of any caliber would know that a bullet fired through a metal can would be unusable again).

As for substituting bullets, they would have needed a bullet fired from his rifle that would have appeared to have been taken from a body. They had his rifle, and presumably his ammo, so why not get a clean bullet, paper patch it, and shoot the archbishop?

I would think that paper patching would affect accuracy, especially at 1800 yards.

[Fly320s]

In the book and the movie, the firing pin was shortened so it would not contact the primer. No bang.

[gunsmith]

When aren't the books better than the movies?

The Graduate

[Perd Hapley]

The Graduate

The book was worse? Seriously? 

[AJ Dual]

When I see a photographer in a movie and watch him work, I rarely see anything that comes close to real life. Ditto with gun things, and other things I know about. So I just figure that anything about anything in a movie is made up, and never count on movies for reference to the real world.

My problem isn't with movies. It's the exact same thing with the news. If you watch a news story on something you know about, or with someone who's an expert on the subject matter, guns, computers, medical, science, law... it'll inevitably be wrong.

[Monkeyleg]

Oh, that's a given, AJ. Such as when they report on a stabbing and show a graphic of a gun behind the news anchor.