Taps

Taps (1981)

4 corrected entries

(1 vote)

Corrected entry: At the end of the movie when the cadets finally give up, David Shawn shoots Colonel Kerby in the upper chest with a M-16 type rifle, but Kerby lives, gets up and runs in the building later. It is assumed that he was wearing a Kevlar vest. This cannot possibly happen because that type of rifle shoots a high velocity .223 caliber bullet that would penetrate any kind of protective vest. Bulletproof vests are only able to stop a lower velocity handgun round.

Correction: In the moment before the shot, the camera shows us the colonel overlayed by the reticule of the cadet's scope. This point of view puts the point of aim near the colonel's throat. The next thing the audience sees is the trigger finger of the cadet, which appears to be tightly rapped over the trigger. We then see that the cadet is aiming from a third story window, and he fires three shots. We then see the colonel's helmet flying off as he falls backwards, which suggests that the cadet's rounds went high. In fact when the colonel is seen seconds later calling in the helos over the radio, his uniform blouse shows no signs of penetration even zoomed in on freeze frame. Given that the cadet's finger was so far into the trigger guard, and given that the M16A1 has a trigger weight between 6 and 7 pounds, it's clear that only the first round hit the colonel's helmet and the next two must have impacted either the tank or beyond.

Corrected entry: When Gen. Besh is seen preparing for the Ball, he is shown holstering his pistol. (A Presentation model .45) The hammer of the pistol is visible and uncocked. Later in the fight scene when the kid jumps on the General's back and pulls the pistol he is able to fire it without cocking the pistol. Pistols of this type are single action on the first shot, in order to fire you must 1. Chamber a round or 2. Pull the hammer back with your thumb. The boys' hands are visible from the time he draws till he fires and he does neither.

Correction: It was not a 1911A1. It was hammerless, possibly a 1903 Colt. If you listen you can hear some sort of clicking sound just before the shot.

Corrected entry: When Major Moreland walks into the armory, he is informed that because of the shooting, the local sheriff has ordered the confiscation of all arms on school property. This is a violation of both the 4th amendment (no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property w/out due process of law) and the 2nd amendment (the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed) of the U.S. Constitution. The local sheriff would not have had the authority to issue such an order.

Correction: These weapons are not the private property of the cadets, but of the academy, and while the sheriff's authority to seize them may be technically illegal, he can still order it and suffer the legal challenges that might follow. He would do so in favor of securing the weapons to prevent further escalation in local tensions and the possibility of additional shootings (like the convoy incident), temporarily at the very least, and at least until higher authorities can step up and settle the situation.

johnrosa

Corrected entry: The "Warning Keep Out" signs are on the inside of the armory doors, as is the padlock.

Correction: In military armories there are two doors, a solid door and a gate. The solid door has warning signs so they can be read during normal operations. Also, there is a padlock setup on the inside so the door can be secured during inventories.

Continuity mistake: When Cadet Major Morelan is unbuttoning his jacket he unbuttons the top 2 buttons and the bottom 2 buttons. This leaves the middle 3 buttons fastened. He then sits down and is talking to Tom Cruise, Sean Penn and 1 other Cadet. In the next shot when he stands up, the bottom 3 buttons are now unbuttoned and only 2 buttons are fastened. He had sat down with his hands on his knees and that never changed. The button could not/would not unbuttoned itself.

luchador

More mistakes in Taps

Brian Moreland: They want us to be good little boys now so we can fight some war for them in the future. Some war they'll decide on. We'd rather fight our own war right now.

More quotes from Taps

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