annoying weapons mistakes on Life On Mars

[Rockwell1]

Just watched the series finale of Life On Mars. Towards the end Sam busts in on a bad guy who is desperately trying to load a Mini-14 by jamming bullets into the magazine well. In the next scene Sam is carrying the Mini-14 which now has a factory five round magazine in it. Sam walks through a door, puts the rifle down, speaks to his younger self (Part of the plot not relevant to this post) picks up the rifle, which has now become an SKS, and walks back out the door. As he walks through the door the rifle again becomes a Mini-14.

Now, I realize this is Hollywood but come on. They have the rifle right there in their hands can they not be troubled to at least learn that it’s a magazine fed weapon? Can they really not tell the difference between two weapons on the set? I mean even the rankest anti amateur should be able to look at an SKS and A Mini-14 side by side and tell the difference.

And let's not forget the bad guy who shoves a(uncocked) 1911 in Captian Hunt's face or the scene where Captian Hunt shoots a bad guy with a small semiauto that is shown,again, uncocked immediately after the shooting

That’s the thing that bothers me the most are they that disdainful of firearms that they just don’t care to get it right?

 

[renegade1alpha]

You have to understand that most people who watch those movies really don't care about that stuff.

Take my wife for example; we will be watching a movie and I will see some guy holding a Glock, look at it and say "Ok, the safety is off" or hear it go "click" about 3-4 times after he pulls the trigger while the slide is locked to the rear. I start saying stuff like, "Glocks have no external 'safety' to disengage!" or start commenting on how he can't pull the trigger 3-4 times while the slide is locked back. Now anytime we watch a movie and there is a gun, before the thought even reaches my lips my wife will say (as she smiles) "Its just a movie. Don't even say what you are about to say about the gun!" So I keep it to myself.

With my shooting buddies its a whole different story. We will tear that movie apart!

 

[Sixtigers]

My favorite is when the (insert name here) machine gun the bad guy is firing goes dry--you can tell by the "click-click-click-click-click-click" sound...LOL!

 

[DRYHUMOR]

It's just a lack of professionalism.

 

[Glasstream15]

And in "Quantum of Solace" the BGs are flying to Europe and leave on a Gulfstream. They land in a Lear and get off a Challenger at the terminal. Drives me crazy too.

 

[kanook]

how about they carry a gun on them all day and when they unholster to use it they almmost always rack the slide to chamber a round.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

My favorite is when the (insert name here) machine gun the bad guy is firing goes dry--you can tell by the "click-click-click-click-click-click" sound...LOL!

What movie was that from???

And in "Quantum of Solace" the BGs are flying to Europe and leave on a Gulfstream. They land in a Lear and get off a Challenger at the terminal. Drives me crazy too.

Maybe it was not a non-stop flight???


They don't show everything that happens in the life of a character during a movie. For example, I have noticed that in the entire 50 years that were covered in The Godfather, Marlon Brandon didn't have to go to the bathroom, not even once. I assume they just left that part out, but he might have been just constipated.

 

[Birddog1911]

I noticed the same thing in Life On Mars. Did anyone see the Life last night? It was about an anti gun politician getting shot. Didn't get to see the whole thing.

 

[Silverado6x6]

I read a sci fi story once about a marooned space pilot and his crew that were constantly attacked by small carnivorous animals, they had no fear of his silent laser pistol at all, the guy could kill hundreds of them and it never scared them, he managed to also put hundreds of millimeter sized holes in his spacecraft, and all he wished for was an antique revolver.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Life on Mars just lost me, but not just because of the gun switcheroo (I rolled it back on DVR, and I think it was an AK, not SKS, but it was for one little tiny scene, between inside and outside the boat). They have "jumped the shark" with the enticement of being thrown back to 1973, and now a trip to Mars. Too much! Same with Heroes and Lost. I can't stand THAT much incredibility on my TV shows. Anyone else have a problem with reality checks? I too, get turned off by Hollywierd gun handling, but can overlook some of it if the movie is really good. I AM impressed if they hire a good gun coach, and then LISTEN to him!

 

[Tommygunn]

I enjoyed the series.
I have been critical of TV shows which show incorrect gun facts before -- and I did notice the Mini 14 morph into the SKS.
In fact, when it was up in the apartment I swore it was an M-1 Carbine. Then an Mini 14, then the SKS.

All in all, I forgive this series because as it turns out, it was a computer induced dream Sam (the astronaut) was being fed, and there were quirks where he could see modern technology, but there was a malfunction and he was supposed to be sent back in the dream to 2008 but it frittzed and sent him to 1973.
The gun errors were no doubt typical Hollywood errors or continuity problems ....but sometimes I can be generous.

 

[Rockwell1]

Yeah, that whole "It was just a dream " thing was kind of disappointing but I didn't mention it because it wasn't gun related

 

[DHJenkins]

They got the guns wrong because the writers are too busy shoe-horning in as many 1970's references as humanely possible.

It's the 70's, I get it.

 

[Claude Clay]

they had no fear of his silent laser pistol ------
ua got me thinking; reprint of 40's pulp
i want to say a collection of short stories by L Sprague deCamp. but no $ on on it

 

[Claude Clay]

dbl post

 

[JColdIron]

The gun errors were no doubt typical Hollywood errors or continuity problems

Or were they part of the dream, hmmm

It was also the wrap up show for the end of the series. So if they jumped the shark they did it at teh right time. I liked the show in overall. having grown up in the 70's it was like going home for a hour.

I was half asleep when I saw it but I thought the rifle turned into an AK w/o the mag and a chinese hunter style stock that has no pistol grip- like an uncoverted sagia but in wood.

 

[CapnMac]

Well in a tiny nod of fairness to the production people, not all scenes are shot at the same time. So, a scene outside of a room may be shot days ,weeks, months, later than one within a room. Sometimes the set design only can have 2, 2.5 walls--so a scene with one PoV may be shot on a different lot or time.

Normally, there's a person assigned, who gets a "continuity" credit who is supposed to insure that "easter eggs" like this don't occur. Things like making sure the costumes are the same, that the grooming matches, and that the props match.

Then there's the business where the production companies rent all the firearms used, often including the solid rubber dummies. It only takes one uh-oh by a marginally-paid PA or Assistant PA or 2nd Asst. PA to cause a problem. And holding up the entire production over what the director and/or producer may feel is a "minor' point can be an expensive proposition. I'm told that there are a lot fewer property houses that rent firearms now, too--can't just send over and get a replacement.

Now, if the writers could just be educated--sheesh, all dropped guns go off, unless it's the ones the BG make the GG give up? Every LGS has a secret back room with the armory of Bokina Faso in it? You poke a screwdriver vaguely in an UZI and 3 minutes later, it's full auto? Or, gee, a half dozen bottles and 15-20 rounds will get a person to Expert shooting skills?

No wonder most ot the stuff put out today is a remake . . .

 

[TRGRHPY]

It's just a lack of professionalism.

You mean in contrast to the realism they portray on the rest of the movie...such as the plot itself?

 

[KevinAbbeyTech]

What is the point of owning a Lear jet if you can't make a non stop flight?

 

[ccsniper]

i want to see this, can anyone find it?

 

[mesinge2]

What drives me crazy it hearing the hammer cock on a hammerless gun. I was watching smoking aces with a buddy of mine and when Ryan Renolds is in the stairwell with the female assassin. He pulls his H & K and she pulls a hammerless revolver and you clearly hear her cock the hammer. Also, in Deathwish 3 Charles Bronson fires 14 consecutive shots with one magazine from a Wildey .475 Magnum. It just drives me crazy.

 

[eye5600]

Switching over to NBC, last night's "Life", episode entitled "Initiative 38". Plot includes inside look at a gun company which was pretty much a parody with just about everyone with heavy duty open carry around the offices (which look pretty much like a law firm). The pretty lady CEO of a law firm takes a pot shot at an intruder, and promptly gets her gun returned.

 

[sortie]

I watched flashpoint for 10 minutes and one guy was shooting a "sniper rifle" with the bolt open

 

[rcmodel]

I think this was on the Mentalist the other night!

BG: Bang! Bang! Bang!
GG: Drop the gun!
BG: Drops the gun. "Clank!"
2nd. GG: Don't ever drop a gun that has recently been fired!
It's likely to go off if you drop it!



rc

 

[Justin]

CapnMac's post pretty much nails it. Most people here haven't the slightest clue about film or television production and what it takes to actually go from script to screen, nor how many people are involved in it.

A mistake that is glaring to the end viewer may not become obvious until well after all of the actors have been paid and gone their separate ways and the show is in post-production.

Color me cynical, but it seems quite evident that even cursory knowledge of the production process is unimportant to those who wish to get offended at continuity gaffes in movies and tv shows.