More often than not, when a movie or television show depicts weapon use and combat, they do so completely and inexplicably wrong. It’s far easier to do something incorrectly than it is the right way, but that’s no excuse for the plethora of incorrect depictions that have been thrown out at fans over the past few decades. Whether bullets are flying while still in their cartridges or a uniform is worn completely incorrectly, odds are, you can find examples in most movies and TV shows.
Of course, it’s not always like this, and every so often, combat and weapon use is done so well, they stand out. Granted, it doesn’t happen too often, but it does happen. When it does, fans tend to take notice, and they sometimes head to the MovieDetails subreddit to share their findings. The best examples of this have been listed below, so take a look, and if you find something you didn’t catch yourself, be sure to give it an upvote!
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John Wick Turns His Watch Around Before Going Into Combat
Photo: John Wick / Lionsgate
From a now-deleted Redditor:
In John Wick (2014), before the action starts, John wears his wristwatch normally. But when he goes into the “battle mode”, he wears them face inside the wrist, which is the way soldiers usually do it. (So that they could see the time while holding a rifle and to avoid reflections of the glass).
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John Wick Knows How Ineffective Bullets Are Underwater
Photo: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum / Lionsgate
From Redditor u/MyFabulousUsername:
In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), John Wick and an enemy fall into a pool and Wick immediately moves roughly three feet away just before being fired upon. At this distance, the bullets are rendered ineffective which is consistent with how a typical pistol round behaves underwater.
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John Wick Knows How To Expertly Operate Numerous Handguns
Photo: John Wick / Lionsgate
From Redditor u/myson_optimusprime:
In John Wick (2014). Both times John puts a new magazine into a Kimber 1911 he does a press check to make sure it didn’t jam. Kimbers are notorious for jamming on the first bullet of a magazine. He doesn’t do this with the Glock.
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Lance Corporal Schofield Only Fired As Many Rounds As He Could In ‘1917’
Photo: 1917 / Universal Pictures
From Redditor u/Pedro-Kantor:
In 1917 (2019), Lance Corporal Schofield fires only 10 shots the entire film. The exact amount of bullets that fit inside his Lee Enfield Rifle.
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Tackleberry Knows He’s Safe In ‘Police Academy’
Photo: Police Academy / Warner Bros.
From Redditor u/Uber_Ben:
In Police Academy (1984), cadet Barbara misfires and idiotically points the gun towards the cadets. Cadet Tackleberry, the only one who did not seek cover, is a gun nut and knew that the shotgun hadn’t been cocked, no round chambered, and therefore couldn’t be fired again.
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Robocop’s Thermal Vision Picks Up Everything That It Should See
Photo: Robocop / Sony Pictures Releasing
From Redditor u/DeluxeTraffic:
In Robocop (2014), Robocop’s thermal vision accurately displays gun barrels and ejected casings as hot.
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John Reveals Early In ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ That He’s An Expert Sniper
Photo: Mr. & Mrs. Smith / 20th Century Fox
From Redditor u/Azathoth90:
In Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), during the fair scene John (Brad Pitt) closes his left eye to take aim, but before ‘shooting’ opens it again to retain peripheral vision. This is what snipers do, foreshadowing his proficiency with weapons.
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The Omaha Beach Scene In ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Is Too Real For Many Veterans
Photo: Saving Private Ryan / DreamWorks Pictures
From Redditor u/RobotJohnson:
The Omaha Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan (1998) was depicted with so much accuracy to the actual event that the Department of Veteran Affairs set up a telephone hotline for traumatized veterans to cope.
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Hawkeye Fires Guns The Same Way He Does A Bow
Photo: The Avengers / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
From Redditor u/rob_ob:
In The Avengers (2012), when Hawkeye fires at Maria Hill, even though he’s shooting a gun, he positions his body with his shoulder blades very far back, just as he would if he were firing bow and arrow. Almost every other S.H.I.E.L.D agent in the film uses the traditional ‘cup and saucer’ method.
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Gaston’s Weapon Of Choice Makes Perfect Sense In ‘Beauty & The Beast’
Photo: Beauty and the Beast / Buena Vista Pictures
From Redditor u/Emerald369:
In Beauty and the Beast (1991), Gaston used his bow in the final confrontation with the Beast instead of his blunderbuss, this is because it was raining and the gunpowder would’ve gotten wet making it useless.
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Vincent’s Gun’s Safety Wasn’t On In ‘Pulp Fiction’ Because He Doesn’t Use It
Photo: Pulp Fiction / Miramax Films
From Redditor u/duneboggler:
In Pulp Fiction (1994), while Jules’s routine of gun preparation includes putting on its safety, Vincent’s does not. This lack of preparation leads to Vincent accidentally (and hilariously) discharging his weapon later in the movie.
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The Man In Black Knows Inigo Fights With His Off-Hand From The Beginning In ‘The Princess Bride’
Photo: The Princess Bride / 20th Century Fox
From Redditor u/HawkeyeJones:
In The Princess Bride, Inigo uses a right-handed sword scabbard and switches his sword to his left after drawing, but the Man in Black has a variable back-mounted scabbard. So the Man in Black knows that Inigo is fighting with his off-hand before they even begin.
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Django’s Gun Only Held Six Rounds As A Safety Precaution
Photo: Django Unchained / The Weinstein Company
From Redditor u/MRR1911:
In Django Unchained (2012), when Django kills Lil Raj Brittle he fires the gun 5 times before it’s empty, despite it being a 6-shot revolver. It was common practice in the era of single-action revolvers to leave one of the six chambers empty as a safety precaution.
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Furiosa’s Rig In ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is Built To Help Her Reload
Photo: Mad Max: Fury Road / Warner Bros. Pictures
From Redditor u/MRR1911:
In Mad Max: Fury Road, there is a gun magazine on the dashboard of Furiosa’s War Rig. This would allow her to easily reload a handgun using only one hand.
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Captain Klenzendorf’s Veteran Status Is Reflected In His Weapon Of Choice In ‘Jojo Rabbit’
Photo: Jojo Rabbit / Fox Searchlight Pictures
From Redditor u/Blackzach9:
In Jojo Rabbit (2019), Captain Klenzendorf is seen using an MP28/II, an older sub machine gun designed between world wars. This highlights his veteran experience, as all other soldiers are using the more modern MP 40 or STG 44.
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The Sniper’s Bruise In ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Is Historically Accurate
Photo: Saving Private Ryan / DreamWorks Pictures
From Redditor u/Bromothymol_blue:
In Saving Private Ryan (1998), Jackson has a bruise on his thumb that was a common injury during WWII from soldiers’ thumbs getting caught in the loading mechanism of M1 Garands.
