15 Believable Lies That Hollywood Has Been Feeding Us For Decades
They have been lying to us this whole time.
Hollywood has spent decades making fighting and weapons look smoother, cleaner, and far more dramatic than they really are. That is part of the fun, but it also means a lot of viewers walk away with some very shaky ideas about how combat actually works.
This list pulls apart 15 movie myths that show up again and again in action films, crime dramas, and martial arts scenes. From sword fights to sniper shots, the gap between screen fiction and real life is bigger than most people think.
Here’s a quick reality check on the lies movies keep selling us.
1. Punching someone in the head will give you an advantage in a fight
Truth: Chances are, you'll end up with a sore hand. In other words, your hand will hurt you more than your opponent's face.
2. Sword fights are all about clanging blades
Truth: Watch out because your opponent may kick or punch you too. At least, that's how the real swordsmen of the 18th and 19th centuries fought.
3. Silencers are silent
Truth: Don’t be fooled by their name. A Sig P226 pistol fitted with a silencer registers about 120 decibels when fired, as loud as an ambulance siren.
4. You still have a fighting chance if your hand is cut off in combat
Truth: You would bleed out and lose consciousness in a few minutes.
5. It's okay to hang a long sword on your back
Truth: It’s not practical. Such a sword will be longer than your arm, so drawing it from the back scabbard would cause all sorts of delays that can give your opponent the advantage.
6. Bullets fly in a straight line towards the target
Truth: Did you forget about gravity? Once a bullet leaves the barrel, it follows a slight downward curve because gravity pulls it toward the ground.
This is the same kind of “nature nailed it” moment as Mother Nature’s 1:1 stick replicas that look like a dragon’s claw.
7. Chloroform will knock you out the second you inhale it
Truth: It takes about 2 to 3 minutes of inhalation to be effective. Now imagine if your target is struggling and fighting back.
8. Bulletproof vests are bulletproof
Truth: Sorry to burst your bubble; the job of a bulletproof vest is to keep bullets from penetrating your skin; the manufacturers didn't say you won't get injured.
9. You can shoot a machine gun for a long time without reloading
Truth: That unending hail of bullets you see in movies is just fiction. In reality, you'll run dry in under 10 minutes.
10. Shooting a car can cause it to explode
Truth: Only fire can do this.
11. When using a sniper, all you need to do is get your target in the crosshairs and it's lights out
Truth: It's a lot more complicated than that. Sniping a target involves a great deal of cognitive physics and other elements.
12. Kicking your opponent is a good form of attack in combat
Truth: Kicks are not ideal. They are slower than punches, tedious, and expose your crotch to a counterattack.
13. You can easily open a lock by shooting it
Truth: You will only end up with a mangled, unopened lock.
14. A sword will make a "shwing" sound when you draw it out of its sheath
Truth: That noise is just a dramatic effect. Sheaths are typically made from leather, which eliminates the possibility of such a sound.
However, a metal sheath can produce a shwing sound, but metal sheaths are not common. In fact, it could even blunt the sword over time.
15. It’s easy to find a fingerprint on a gun
Truth: Because firearms typically have jagged edges and surfaces, it is difficult to leave a fingerprint on one.
Aren’t you grateful you read this piece? Now you know the truth.
Never attempt to get out of trouble or solve an issue with knowledge gained from Hollywood movies. Trust us, it's a bad idea.
With these new lessons, you'll be able to decipher reality from fiction the next time you're watching your favorite series.
Don't worry, it won't be any less interesting than when you didn't know. After all, we all love the Avengers even though we know there are no Infinity Stones that can wipe out half of the earth's population.
Before we let you go, tell us which revelation stunned you the most.
Want your logic to buckle even harder, see the visual anomalies that make everyday life look impossible.
