Best mystery movie questions of 2007

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Shooter picture

Question: In the movie they state the colonel cannot be charged because the crime was committed outside of the United States. All active members of the US military like the colonel are subject to the uniformed military code of justice no matter where the crime was committed, so how did the colonel prevent the military justice system from being able to charge him?

Answer: You are completely correct. This is a clear mistake, the colonel could (and would) most certainly be charged for his crimes.

BaconIsMyBFF

Though unlike the movie, it's not up the attorney to decide if a military member gets charged, it's up to the judge advocate general.

Actually it's not a mistake. The colonel is not a member on active duty in the service. He's ex military. He's the one running the contractor group that carries out the senator's dirty deeds.

Answer: Receiving retirement pay and being in the IRR confers jurisdiction, even over retired military personnel.

Answer: "The colonel" was not active duty military, BUT as a retiree he is still subject to the UCMJ.

How are retirees subject to the UCMJ?

They're not, generally. Some service members who've served for more than 20 years but less than 30 are or were subject to the UCMJ. There was a recent legal opinion overruling this though. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/08/09/new-bombshell-legal-opinion-says-military-retirees-cant-be-court-martialed.html.

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Atonement picture

Question: Robbie's soldier friend (I think his name was Nettle) was so calm and compassionate with him. He said that the hiding place was in reality the beach cottage and he protects Robbie from the angry soldiers. Did he do that because he saw how sick he is and probably knew, deep inside, that Robbie will not survive the night until the evacuation, and wanted to give him a peaceful end? Why does he take Robbie's letters and pictures with him?

Answer: I think he realizes that Robbie most likely won't make it. He takes the letters so that he can get them back to his loved ones. He probably knows that there is a last goodbye to someone (his girl/his mother) in them. And, if nothing else, even if his body doesn't make it back to them, they have a piece of him to cherish.

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Chosen answer: The script of The Bourne Supremacy actually calls Martin Marshall the "Deputy Vice-Director" of the CIA, although in the same script and film dialog, Landy refers to him as "Director Marshall". So it appears Kramer is CIA Director in all the Bourne films, but Marshall is either acting Director in Kramer's absence or is just referred to as a Director.

Sierra1

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Premonition picture

Question: If Sandra is at the scene of the accident, what is the purpose of the police officer showing up at the door to tell her Jim is dead?

Answer: It's fairly obvious that this film's theme is that knowing the future changes it. I.e. knowing there would be an accident, she travelled there and caused an accident.

Answer: Possibly she left the scene before the police arrived, so they did not know she had been there.

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National Treasure: Book of Secrets picture

Question: Just curious what was on page 47 that the President asked Ben Gates to help him with. Was it finding the City of Gold?

Answer: It is never explained what was on the page. It was just a cliffhanger to set up for a 3rd movie, I think.

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Dead Silence picture

Question: Why did Mary get angry when the boy in the audience said that he could see her mouth moving? When a close-up of Mary is shown, she's moving her mouth.

Answer: Because he is heckling her and belittling her performance.

Phaneron

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Disturbia picture

Question: When Mr Turner notices Kale, it is presumed that he let his victim go. But then later in the film, it comes to the viewer's knowledge that the woman never left. How could Mr Turner fake that?

jano

Chosen answer: When Kale goes in Mr. Turner's house to find his mom, he finds a red wig and heels (when he saw the girl leaving Mr. Turner's house, that was Mr. Turner wearing the wig and taking her car to make it seemed like she had left safely).

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Mr. Brooks picture

Question: What were the last lines of the movie?

Answer: Marshall's line was, "Why do you fight it so hard, Earl?" Earl Brook's was, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time and enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace. Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is and not as I would have it, trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will, that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen."

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The Orphanage picture

Question: The game they play near the start (the knock on wood game) seems pretty interesting. Is the point of it not to get caught moving or is there another goal? Also, can someone help me with the Spanish translation? I can't hear what the Spanish for Knock on Wood is. Thanks.

SexyIrishLeprechaun

Chosen answer: It's a Spanish version of Red Light, Green Light where you'd try not to get caught moving. I haven't watched the film in a while but I believe she says "Uno, dos, tres, toca la pared". Hope that helps!

Angela Brown

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Chosen answer: In the pub Danny demonstrates using a ketchup packet to simulate stabbing himself in the eye. Later in the film he returns Nicholas Angel's notebook, hiding a ketchup packet in it. He stabs the pocket with the notebook, causing the ketchup to leak and simulate blood.

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Fracture picture

Question: How could Anthony Hopkins be arrested for turning off his wife's life support? He was acquitted of shooting her, so he's legally considered innocent of that, and he was completely legally entitled to turn off her life support.

MikeH

Chosen answer: Once Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) took his wife off life support, it resulted in her dying. Crawford was arrested for murder, not because of taking her off life support but because his shooting of her resulted in her death ultimately. Crawford was only tried (and acquitted) for attempted murder. Since this is a new charge, double jeopardy did not apply.

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Gone Baby Gone picture

Question: How could Amanda have gone to school or even left her house? She was supposed to be dead.

MikeH

Answer: A real life problem with abducted children, especially those abducted at such a young age, is that after a short period of time they begin to grow and look drastically different than when they were abducted. Amanda could have been home schooled for some time and passed off as the adopted child of her abductors to the general public after a relatively short amount of time. Unfortunately, the average person would likely not even recognize Amanda if they saw her out in public.

BaconIsMyBFF

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The Number 23 picture

Question: Why didn't Walter go to prison after he confessed everything?

Answer: As I recall, at the end, Walter had turned himself in and was awaiting sentencing. He was told the judge may go "easy" on him, likely because of his mental instability, but exactly what easy means, is subject to interpretation.

raywest

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Sleuth picture

Question: I have to admit that I don't know if this can be called a 'mistake', so I just post is as a question also to gauge the response from others who may have seen the movie. The 'trick' the movie's second act is based on, with Jude Law showing back at the novelist's house posing as an investigator... Would ANYONE be fooled by this? I don't pinpoint an obvious flaw in the make-up that maybe would be a Character or Continuity mistake, but seriously; is there ANYONE who wouldn't see through that silly disguise, especially considering that it's the only other visitor the guy had in days, that he is obsessed with him, Law comes to see Caine about his 'own' disappearance, which as opposed to the audience Caine knows is fake and left him open to at least a prank or revenge. I mean, they are up close for so long during this, both times, it is such a wild stretch of the suspension of disbelief. I was truly convinced Caine had seen through him right away and was playing with him, but shockingly, that was not the case. (00:02:30 - 00:39:40)

Sammo

Answer: Sleuth was originally produced as a stage play written by Anthony Shaeffer. In that medium, the surprise reveal was more plausible. The 1972 movie, starring Michael Caine in the younger role, was relatively more successful in deceiving the audience, though, it too, was fairly obvious. The 2007 version, directed by Kenneth Branagh, seemed to assume that most of the audience already knew about the plot twist and, as it comes midway through the story, it appears the movie instead focused on the psychological aspects of the cat-and-mouse relationship between the two characters.

raywest

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