Top 10 Annoying Hollywood Gun Mistakes in Movies

Above, in the movie, Jesse James (1939), Frank James (Henry Fonda) uses a
 Colt New Service revolver. The New Service was introduced in 1898, but
the movie is about the James brothers' career in 1860 to 1882.
Source: Internet Movie Firearms Database.

Firearm usage in the movies date way back to the Silent Era. They have been shown in such genres as gangster, western, war, cop and other movies.

Most often the portrayals are inaccurate and some firearms weren't even invented until after the eras portrayed. 

Liberty Safe has an article on the "Top 10 Annoying Hollywood Gun Mistakes In Movies".

They start it with:

Since the earliest days of Hollywood, audiences have been fascinated with the portrayal of guns in movies. You can hardly find a classic action movie poster without the hero holding a gun. Trailers will have lots of choreographed gunplay, bright muzzle flashes, and over-the-top muzzle blast added by the sound editor. 

Despite the typically poor gun handling skills by actors (fingers always on the trigger, pointing or gesturing at innocent people with their handguns, muzzling everyone), this is typically only noticed by people who actually own and shoot guns. And despite a seemingly never-ending supply of bad/incorrect/annoying gun mistakes in movies, it doesn’t really seem to impact the success or failure of the film at all. The majority of viewers are ignorant of how firearms actually work, and those who understand the mechanics are usually able to suspend their disbelief and just enjoy the movie. 

However, sometimes it gets to the point that firearms enthusiasts, or any other viewers who appreciate a dose of realism in film portrayals of firearm use, will get so annoyed by the Hollywood gun errors that it can impact their viewing experience. Here are some of our top picks for annoying firearms mistakes in Hollywood movies.

To read more, go here. 

"Carlito's Way" (1993)

Above, Sean Penn (left) and Al Pacino in Carlito's Way. Universal Pictures photo.

Last night, I watched a movie that I hadn't seen since it came out 27 years ago.

I was in the Flying J down the hill and was perusing the DVD bin and found a copy of Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino, Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. I decided to buy it since I barely remembered a thing about it, despite the synopsis on the package.

From Rotten Tomatoes:

A free man after years in prison, Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), who also serves as his lawyer. When Carlito and Kleinfeld run afoul of shifty gangster Benny Blanco (John Alberto Leguizamo), it sets them on a dangerous path.

I watched it during dinner last night and it was like watching a new movie because I was so long since I last saw it.

Pacino gives a great performance. I didn't recognize Sean Penn at first, but he was great in his role as a sleazy lawyer. I am not a Penn fan by any means, but he did a great job in this. Brian De Palma directed.

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is funny that I remember the night I saw it. I went out with a former co-worker, Robyn, to dinner at Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades (one of my favorite seafood restaurants in L.A.) and we went to see the movie afterwards. It was around the time the Northridge Earthquake took place and Robyn was planning to move to Colorado shortly thereafter. 

One of these days, I'll pick up a copy of De Palma's/Pacino's Scarface. I don't believe I've ever seen that movie before. Carlito's Way has me curious enough to want to see it.

My grade: A.