What is a scene or action you saw in a war movie that you believe was unrealistic?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 17:55:53 -0500

I love movies, especially old/traditional war movies; I can’t help picking them apart. There was one scene in “WE Were Soldiers” about the Air Cavalry, when they had to blow a new landing zone. It showed the soldiers making a few loose wraps of detcord around sapling trees maybe 1” to 2” or better in diameter. Now from playing with this stuff at demolition ranges, and a few times in the field, I know it’s probably going to take more than a few wraps, and they better be tight, for it to cut those trees.

Response by 1SG Brian Adams made Feb 24 at 2016 5:58 PM

1SG Brian Adams — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 17:58:34 -0500

I believe the movie was "Basic" with Samuel Jackson. In one episode he is wearing Spec 4 rank (Army Rank) and in a later sequence was wearing SFC rank.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Feb 24 at 2016 6:00 PM

LTC Paul Labrador — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:00:24 -0500

1 vehicle convoy driving through the middle of Baghdad in "Hurt Locker".......and to add to that, pretty much ALL of "Hurt Locker".....

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Feb 24 at 2016 6:15 PM

Capt Richard I P. — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:15:53 -0500

More a pet peeve in 90% of action or war movies: characters are clicking off safe, sound effect is racking a round in. Alternate: after some kind of gun battle or area-clearing, one character confronting another racks a round into the chamber to demonstrate how serious he is, and no chambered round flies.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Feb 24 at 2016 6:16 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:16:07 -0500

Sci fi channel movie where a "Navy Officer" is wearing Surface Warfare Officer pins on his collar like rank insignia.

The entire premise of Under Siege.

The Air Combat in Top Gun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIUowqD0uY8

Declassified dogfight footage: F-14 Tomcat vs. Libyan MiG-23

1989 Gulf of Sidra encounter between two F-14 Tomcats of the USS John F. Kennedy and two MiG-23 Floggers of Libya. Unsurprisingly, the Tomcats come out on top.

Response by 1SG Brian Adams made Feb 24 at 2016 6:16 PM

1SG Brian Adams — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:16:41 -0500

Bernard, loved that movie, I will have to watch it again and look for that....

Response by A1C Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 6:18 PM

A1C Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:18:30 -0500

Any movie where 50 bad guys with fully automatic weapons open fire on Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone and can't him within 20 yards.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 6:26 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:26:02 -0500

The entire Expendables franchise....

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Feb 24 at 2016 6:30 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:30:25 -0500

SFC Private RallyPoint Member Thinking about it, the fact that the only time anyone ever runs out of ammunition is when it helps advance the story. In Deadpool, the title character even makes fun of it, waiting for an enemy to pull the trigger, hear the hammer fall on an empty chamber, and then Deadpool shoots him, or in Army Of Darkness they introduce the boomstick a double barrel shotgun that never runs out of ammunition.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 7:44 PM

MCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 19:44:04 -0500

I understand that a lot of "big" stuff will be wrong - it's the small crap that gets to me. In this scene, the collar devices are in one spot - and in the next scene, they are different. This Army officer is wearing one Branch insignia (let's say, Armor), and in the next it's different (Engineer - they LOVE those castles!!), and in the next it's crossed rifles on one lapel and crossed arrows on the other.
Oh, and the magical ribbon bars! The officer's Good Conduct Medal (!) is on top in this scene, and on the bottom in the next, and the next they don't have one.

The best are when the hero is carrying an M-16, and then pulls up to shoot his M-4, then turns the corner and let's loose with their Uzi... and they still only have one weapon on them.

And the magical marksmen!! I'll use my .45 ACP and shoot the bad guy in the eyeball as they are running away at 300 meters!!

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made Feb 24 at 2016 7:45 PM

Capt Mark Strobl — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 19:45:24 -0500

SFC Private RallyPoint Member - Opening scene of "American Sniper:" Marines moving through the streets with the Army's "Big Red 1" patches on their shoulders. Marines don't wear division patches on their utilities ...less the Army's. I checked out of that movie immediately.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Feb 24 at 2016 8:58 PM

PO1 Brian Austin — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 20:58:41 -0500

Pretty much any war movie where the "hero" is running while rockets and grenades explode all around him and all he does is duck his head and keeps running.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 10:30 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 22:30:39 -0500

Too many to list.....

Response by TSgt Melissa Post made Feb 25 at 2016 3:29 AM

TSgt Melissa Post — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 03:29:59 -0500

Pretty much any scene involving ICBMs. It is like no one does their research. Unless someone else out there has seen an accurate account. If so, please tell me. I'd love to see them get it right.

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2016 12:11 PM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:11:02 -0500

It wasn't a war movie per sé, but the movie "The Rock" with Nicholas Cage they portray Sarin as being highly acidic like Hydroflouric Acid, and the Atropine injector is injected into the heart instead of the leg.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2016 7:52 AM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 07:52:08 -0500

Battleship. Where to begin...

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 4:20 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:20:52 -0500

"new school" military movies where you have some full bird Colonels and Generals barely over the age of 30. Shootout scenes where a person is using a pistol(without an extended clip) and somehow fires off 20+ rounds without ever reloading.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 4:23 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:23:06 -0500

...now that I think about it...the entire concept of the movie "Face-Off"!!