Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: What does Hendricks mean by "lock Russian Central Command out of the system" when preparing the launch? Wasn't the satellite already owned by the billionaire (with the central command in India)?

ricardoglez22

Chosen answer: The missile launches from a Russian silo. They want to stop them preventing the launch locally.

Question: Why did Claire return to Ethan? Jim must have sent her but why? Ethan had been framed, why send Claire to potentially expose herself to IMF if found? Is it because: Max receives mail from Ethan, immediately contacts Job to say "What the hell man someone claims you sold me junk!" Now Job/Jim knows he didn't deliver the actual list so he already plans to have Ethan steal the real one for him. Or is that too far fetched?

Answer: Jim has not been paid (at least in full) yet. This is revealed in the conversation Ethan has with Max in the car. Payment was conditional on the disk passing all her safety checks, which she had not done yet (she had not even looked at it yet). There is no way Jim knew the NOC list was junk at this point in time. However, since Jim has not been paid yet for the NOC list, he might have been trying to play it safe, and have Claire just keep tabs. If things don't go as planned, he might have left Claire as she was expendable to him. Also it is unlikely Max contacted Jim (Job) to ask about the email from Ethan (pretending to be Job). Max at this point believes the two are the same person. She simply invites Job to come in and discuss further.

Answer: Sending Claire back to Ethan was a daring ploy to get on the inside of Ethan's confidence. It made no sense and was the least likely thing Claire would do if she was part of Jim's plan. Ethan could have killed her, but the ploy worked and Ethan was confused enough to let her live.

Charles Austin Miller

But why? Jim sells the list to Max and rides off into the sunset with Claire, or so he intends to. What does he gain from having someone on the inside initially? Ethan is screwed, Jim doesn't need to get all the juicy details of how he goes down. Later on it's beneficial for him to have Claire in place there, but initially it makes no sense. Before Ethan formulates any plan and before Max finds out the list is bad.

Jim knew the first NOC list was bad but used the failed raid as an opportunity to kill off a number of IMF agents who might otherwise thwart his plans. Jim still needed Ethan to procure the real NOC list, but this time using a reduced team that contained 2 moles (Claire and Franz). Jim knew that Ethan was the most capable agent, but wanted him under close scrutiny by Claire and Franz.

Charles Austin Miller

He knew it was bad? Then why did he give it to Max anyway? If Ethan hadn't warned her she might have been caught by Kittrdige. Are you saying Jim foresaw everything, I mean everything that Ethan would do? He went through with the embassy raid knowing it was a mole hunt in advance, knowing Ethan would later get the real one for him? What if Ethan had gone with Kittridge in the restaurant? I mean it's unlikely, but this whole scenario sees Jim leaving sooo much to chance. I find it more plausible that he did think he was getting the list in Prague and then adapted to the situation to use Ethan to get the real one. I mean if he really knew the list wasn't in Praque he could have saved himself the trouble and just hire a couple of disavowed agents to do the Langley job himself, just like Ethan did. He had Claire, Krieger and Luther. Yeah no Ethan, but I mean I'm sure he could have found someone else who is capable.

Question: I know little of complicated politics so despite seeing it as a plot hole, I'm putting it in as a question. As Walker gives the missiles targets, there is talk of starting World War III if they are allowed to hit. The attack on the White House would be world wide news, on every major channel. Wouldn't these countries know it wasn't America who bombed them but was the work of terrorists?

The_Iceman

Answer: Knowing is not believing. They might know, but they wouldn't necessarily trust the media. After all it could have been a grand conspiracy to cover up the actual truth from the people.

Alan Keddie

I highly doubt world war 3 would start before these countries did their homework though. It wouldn't take long for them to suss out it was actually terrorists who detonated the bombs and not America.

The_Iceman

Answer: Because that's when Conal Cochran and his minions do their 'work'.

Alan Keddie

Question: Why did Bond and the others go to see the 'dragon' and even attempt to incapacitate it?

Answer: Bond suspected that Dr. No was collecting radioactive materials for his secret project to sabotage the American space program, and Bond suspected that heavily-guarded Crab Key was the center of Dr. No's secret operation. Bond knew that the "dragon" was just a mobile flame-thrower protecting the most vulnerable area of the island, and so he and the others deliberately targeted it (although they failed).

Charles Austin Miller

But they didn't need to seize it, did they? This whole scene appears to be 'forced' in order for Bond and the girl to be apprehended and Quarrel killed off (why didn't he just run?). It just doesn't seem right that Bond would attack an armored flame throwing vehicle with just a gun. The Bond I know would stealthily have followed it to the base, or even simpler, followed the tire tracks.

Well, it wouldn't be the first or last time Bond allowed himself to be captured in order to penetrate the heavy's inner-sanctum.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Well, Bond knew that dragons didn't exist and when he was proven correct, he attempted to halt the 'dragons' advance.

Alan Keddie

In what way did the dragon have the upper hand? They did not know where Bond and the others were. Bond and the other two could have simply stayed where they were and the dragon wouldn't be any threat to them. Even if the dragon did manage to find them, they could simply run deeper into the woods/cross a river so they couldn't be followed.

Answer: Because they wanted to perv. On the pretty ladies.

Alan Keddie

Question: How did Hannibal manage to make it onto a commercial airplane at the end of the movie? Even if he had a fake ID, wouldn't being on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list make it virtually impossible for him to get through a high security place like an airport, where the feds would likely instruct security staff to stop anyone that even remotely resembles him? The fact that he cut off his own hand at the end of the film would make him easier to spot, as the FBI would definitely share that new detail about him.

Phaneron

Answer: As seen in the first film and in this one, Lecter demonstrates an almost supernatural ability for eluding the law and seemingly being in two places at once. This film was made in the year 2000, before airport security became extremely tight in late 2001. At that time (before 9/11), it was still possible to enter an airport's main concourse through the baggage claim or even from the tarmac without passing through rigorous security. As ingenious as Lecter was, he could have accessed the airport in a number of ways back then. Relieving another passenger of his boarding pass and identification would be no problem for Lecter, either (simply leave the passenger's body in an airport toilet and assume his identity). For the most part, it was Lecter's calm, self-confident charm that allowed him to slither through society always ten steps ahead of the law.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Perhaps he bribed his way through security onto the plane. Or maybe he murdered anyone who even remotely challenged him. He was probably wearing a disguise. It's possible that he had been planning this whole thing for an unspecified amount of time. And don't forget: he is a genius. And determined. He wouldn't let a little thing like protocol get in the way of his escape.

Alan Keddie

Answer: There is an assumption that he cut his hand off in the end. Ask yourself this for a very graphic movie why did they not show the chopped of hand. You just hear the chop but no sound from Lecter and only an emotional reaction from Starling. It is only alluded to and even if he did happen to chop it off he would be in so much pain as he acknowledged this was going to hurt he would not have been able to escape without help from Starling.

Question: At the beginning of the movie, when Captain America climbs aboard the ship, he strangles a man and pulls him out of the screen. But he gets up very quickly afterwards and goes on to fight other pirates. We don't hear any neck snapping sound, so how did he take out the guard so quickly?

Celldweller55

Answer: Choke hold would not require a snapping sound. Or he could have thrown the guy off the ship.

Alan Keddie

Answer: With Cap's sheer physical strength, he could have quietly thrown the guy 40 yards.

Charles Austin Miller

Question: Is it possible that Jackal staged his ambush at the house as a way to test Valentina's abilities? It looks like he wanted to confront her again. (01:25:00)

Answer: Maybe to a small degree. However his main motivation for that was the fact he learned that it was Isabella's house and he could get at Declan that way. Be it he was actually after Isabella, which is likely, or was just wanting to wipe out some of the FBI that was after him or both. The Russian mole had provided him with the FBI access code which allowed the Jackal to hear the voice reports by Witherspoon telling where Isabella lived. So most likely he was going there to take out Isabella to get at Declan. But Koslova and the FBI had already moved her and were stationed there finishing things up when The Jackal got there. So he was eliminating some of his obstacles at his goal since only 3 were there and he could easily take them out. Using Koslova to sending a taunting message to Declan was an added bonus.

Quantom X

Answer: Yes. It is entirely possible. It was just a bonus that he got to take out three innocent victims in the process.

Alan Keddie

Question: When the pickpocketer, on the request of Pazzi, had gotten Lecter's fingerprint he was also stabbed. He collapses and Pazzi takes a look at the wound which he was covering with his hand. It appears that Pazzi intentionally prevented him from covering the wound so he would bleed out faster. Why?

Answer: Lecter stabs the pickpocket in the abdomen and gives the knife a quick twist, expertly severing the aorta, which was a fatal wound. Nothing could prevent the pickpocket's death, as he only had moments to live. Pazzi realises this when he inspects the wound. There was nothing Pazzi could do, either way.

Charles Austin Miller

I don't think Hannibal severed his aorta. The wound was in the groin where the femoral artery runs relatively close to the surface. You will still bleed to death from this artery in around 1 min.

No, the aorta runs from the heart down through the thoracic cavity and the abdominal cavity before it branches into the femoral arteries at the pelvis. Lecter plainly stabbed the pickpocket deep in the abdomen, in the area of his navel, and twisted the knife to sever the aorta. The pickpocket would only have moments to live (or minutes, at most). When Pazzi inspects the wound, the pickpocket's hands are covering his abdomen, which is bleeding profusely.

Charles Austin Miller

Being a seasoned police officer, he knew this wound was fatal. We don't know exactly where the injury occurred, but most likely the upper femoral artery or the lower descending aortic artery. Sadly, as an E.R. nurse, I have seen many of these and death occurs rapidly and most don't even make it to the E.R.

Answer: I, myself, wondered this, too. I think that it's because the guy was a criminal and Pazzi didn't want himself to be linked to the pick pocket by either the cops or Hannibal, himself. Remember Pazzi was up to no good - he wanted the reward and so, would stop at nothing to get the money, even if it meant letting another person die. The pick pocket was a loose end that Pazzi had to tie up. The pick pocket's death would also prevent Pazzi from being blackmailed later on down the line.

Alan Keddie

Exactly, he didn't want any witnesses. It was convenient for Pazzi to have the pickpocket bleed out.

lionhead

Answer: After their run-in, the pickpocket says, "he tried to hit me in the balls, but he missed." Hannibal must've went for the femoral artery. I thought maybe, the way Gnocco was bleeding, the direction the blood was gushing, Hannibal had separated Gnocco from his "manhood."

Answer: The Chinese character on the necklace means, "good fortune."

sarvate3

Answer: Angela is standing near George when he telephones his mother. Angela is close enough that she can hear the mother say, "Happy Birthday" to her son.

raywest

Question: The road leading up to Minnie's has been freshly plowed when the stage arrives. It is obvious because there are sharp borders at the edge of the road and no tracks. Did the bushwhackers plow the road to eliminate evidence of their nefarious deeds?

Answer: Good catch! This should be a revealing mistake entry. The plowing was part of the set preparation. I saw several scenes in the film where the roads had obviously been plowed. It's not hard to see if you look for the small ridges left by the plow on either side of the road.

Answer: Yep, gotta be a mistake. If they even had snow plows back then, the plow would have had to been between the bad guys and the stage and would have arrived, or passed by, at a very inopportune time. I think the director just missed this, or didn't think anyone would notice.

Answer: Think you mean the plow would have arrived before the stage. But yes, a mistake for sure.

Question: "To the death" and "God help us", which Ardeth Bay said when confronting the Army of Anubis, what are they in original Arabic (or Egyptian)?

Answer: Allah Yufiquna is God help us in Arabic. Hataa Almawt is To the death.

oddy knocky

Answer: Irina was the Cullens' relative. So, of course, she knew their powers but she was in cahoots with Laurent, and Laurent is obviously going to tell James and Victoria the other vampires in town's gifts.

akjsnwdkjn

Question: Mark says he will have to get to the crater, which is 3200 kilometers away. Mark says he has one working rover, designed to go a max distance of 35 kilometers, before the battery has to be recharged at the hab. During the nighttime scene, he says he has doubled his battery by scavenging Rover 1, but if he uses the heater he will burn through half his battery everyday. I did some math, and worked out that the max distance his rover would be able to go without using the heater would only be about 140 kilometers. How would he travel 3200 kilometers to get to the crater?

Answer: Mark says he has 1 Rover that can travel 35km before recharging. He estimated he would need to travel for 50 days to reach the Ares IV site (down to approximately 22 days when not using the heater, as per your maths). Mark is shown using the solar panels (stolen from the Hab) to recharge the Rover during his journey. He drives for 4 hours before noon, waits 13 hours for the Rover to recharge to full and then starts driving again.

What does 22 days per my maths mean? I'm autistic.

"Per your maths" means according to how you calculated the math, the answer is 22 days.

raywest

Answer: He wouldn't need to use the heater because he salvaged the Radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) and this also saves his power.

Question: Why didn't the ranger tell his supervisor about Ivy/the community?

Answer: He suspects that his supervisor already knows what is going on inside the reserve. If he says anything, he might be fired because he would then be considered a risk to reveal publicly about the people living on the other side of the wall.

raywest

Answer: Of course the Supervisor knew. It was the Village Elders who hired them. To keep people out and disturbing their way of life. If you're wondering why he seemed so nonchalant about the situation. I've been in security for thirty years, sitting outside and doing nothing is the most boring way to make a living.

Answer: I don't think the supervisor knew. I think the guy just felt bad for her or understood her. And if the supervisor found out about it, he probably would have reported it and it would have became public. IMO.

Question: Why does Manolo prefer to be a musician instead of a bullfighter like his family?

Answer: He has a natural talent that he wants to pursue instead of following family tradition. Being an artist and writer, I knew from the earliest age this was something I wanted to pursue more than anything else.

raywest

Question: After meeting Douglas at the gay bar, The Jackal heads out and walks up to a car while putting gloves on. He fakes a cough and presses something to the driver window and it shatters with a bang. What exactly did he use and how did he break the window so easily with whatever that was? It appeared he simple just pressed a knife lightly to the window. What did he do? (00:43:20)

Quantom X

Answer: He probably used a window punch. It's a small device used for breaking a car window in the event of an emergency. A recessed metal pin is within a plastic housing. When pressed against the window, the pin's pointed end pushes into the window, shattering it. I carry such a device on my key chain.

raywest

Question: Why did Hip and his two nieces leave Bond behind at the karate school? Didn't the nieces let him know that Bond was running behind?

Answer: Hip gets in the front and the two nieces get in the back and Bond slams the door shut as he passes to get in the other side, Hip naturally thinks Bond got in the car after hearing the door shut so drives off. The two nieces are shouting at him and for some reason ignores their pleas at this point Bond has to make his own escape.

Answer: Simple misunderstanding. The two nieces were attempting to tell Hip but he thought that Bond had gotten in the back with his nieces. That, or he wanted to spare the innocent parties harm, so he split up from them.

Alan Keddie

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