BaconIsMyBFF

Manhunt - S1-E15

Factual error: While talking with the gang leader alone, Bradford declares, "I'm never alone," and suddenly a swarm of officers descend on them, and a helicopter appears directly overhead. The helicopter makes no noise until the spotlight is turned on. A helicopter makes deafening noise and can be heard from miles away. There's no way you could be surprised by one being directly above you.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: Stun guns and Tasers do not knock people unconscious. They are designed to incapacitate by either interrupting motor control or causing pain. Movies and TV shows often show someone is zapped with a stun gun and falling unconscious almost instantly. Electroshock weapons simply cannot be used this way, nor are they designed with this in mind. It is absurd for a spy to use a stun gun as a stealth weapon, the first thing the target would likely do is yell from the pain.

BaconIsMyBFF

Season 4 generally

Factual error: Ruth applies to have her criminal record expunged. She meets with the judge privately to discuss the matter. This is an ex parte meeting and would not be allowed. The state's attorney needs to be present for this meeting. The judge also says she will check up on Ruth to make sure she is living right, again without any input from the state. It should be the state's attorney checking up on Ruth, not the judge.

BaconIsMyBFF

Trouble the Water - S4-E12

Factual error: The judge rules in favor of Wendy's father despite not hearing any testimony from his primary witness, who fails to appear. The judge states on the record that he is making this ruling because of the Byrdes' "reputation" rather than any testimony. This is absolutely ludicrous. A judge is not allowed to make a ruling on a child custody case based entirely on his opinion of the litigants, which he doesn't even elaborate upon, rather than any evidence or testimony before him.

BaconIsMyBFF

Show generally

Factual error: A passerby tells Sheldon Sampson that the stock market has just gone "tits up." This is a British expression that you would likely not hear in the United States, and you certainly wouldn't hear it in the 1920's.

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Factual error: Diplomatic immunity does not give a foreign diplomat carte blanche to openly and brazenly commit extreme crimes in their host country. Arjen Rudd and his men are known money launderers. Once Riggs begins harassing Rudd at the consulate, Rudd launches a violent campaign against the Los Angeles Police Department, assassinating half a dozen police officers. At the very least, the United States would be well within their rights to expel Rudd from the country and bar his re-entry. There is no way the South African government would oppose prosecution of Rudd given these circumstances, doing so would fracture all diplomatic relations with the United States. It is absurd for Rudd to shoot a cop and smugly proclaim "Diplomatic immunity!" after he has done so because it is not a "get out of jail free" card. If Rudd were expelled, he could face prosecution in his home country.

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Factual error: Knocking someone out by hitting them in the head is in no way a "safe" means to incapacitate them. Leaving a person unconscious after a head injury is extremely dangerous and can lead to death. It is absurd for a hero who doesn't want to kill anyone to go around punching people out and just walking away.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: Computers, security keypads, cellular devices, etc. that make loud beeps with each button press or mouse click and every image popping up on the device screen accompanied by a loud sound effect. Working in an office where computers make as much noise as they do in films and TV would drive the average person mad.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: The importance of leaving a crime scene undisturbed is greatly exaggerated in films and TV. Crime scenes are often disturbed deliberately by responding police officers. Immediate safety and the preservation of life are paramount to all other concerns. If a body is found, the scene must be secured to be sure a suspect is not still present and the area is safe; this often involves searching through the scene itself. The body must also be inspected to be certain the victim is deceased and doesn't require medical attention; this act often involves moving the body. The idea of police stopping anyone from going anywhere near a crime scene until forensic examiners arrive is a movie cliche not based in reality. It is rare, to the point of being almost unheard of, for a criminal case to hinge on the positioning of a dead body or the exact location of evidence in a room.

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Factual error: After escaping the hospital, Harvey Dent wears the same charred suit he was wearing when he was brought to the hospital. That suit would not have been neatly taken off and left intact. It would have been cut off with shears so as not to accidentally remove any damaged skin and flesh when pulling the pants and shirt off. The blazer might still be intact but certainly not the pants and shirt.

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Factual error: The time period of the story has been updated from when Frank Dux claims he actually participated in the Kumite, however the scenes with young Frank take place in the mid to late 1970's. When Tanaka's son is assaulted, the clothing and hair styles worn by young Frank and his schoolmates is not period accurate and is contemporary to when the movie was filmed. One child is even wearing a Bartles and Jaymes T-shirt, a product that didn't exist until 1981.

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Factual error: Characters referring to another star system as a "Solar System." Solar System is a proper name, it refers specifically to the system that contains Earth. Our sun is called "Sol", hence "Solar System." Any time an alien from another planet uses the term Solar System to refer to an alien star system it indicates the writer or actor is making a common error.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: If the hose hanger isn't heavy enough to instantly yank McClane out of the window, but instead slowly pulls him down, then it should be light enough for McClane to simply stand up and reel it in. If his weight is enough to slow the hanger's decent, then that means it only weighs slightly more than he does. He should have no trouble standing up and walking backwards to pull the hanger back up. The mistake is that the hanger pulls him slowly at all, it should have yanked him directly out of the window the second the line ran out of slack because McClane is not anchored to the floor in any way. This scene suggest that the hanger is both heavy enough to pull McClane but light enough that McClane's weight significantly slows it, which is impossible.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: Police detectives working cases in which they are personally involved; such as the murder of a friend, family member, or their partner. Even though their superiors will often warn them to stay away from the investigation, the cops will continue to work the case on their own. Oftentimes films will imply that the cop should leave the investigation alone "for his own good", but in reality a cop investigating a case they are part of would seriously taint any evidence they uncover. If taken to trial, a defense attorney could easily have that evidence thrown out. Writers tend to get around this by having the villain engage in more crimes and be caught "red handed" or by simply having the villain be killed by the end. However it is still borderline insanity to see a cop investigating his wife's murder.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: Lawyers making a scene in the courtroom, such as raising their voice or being forceful/threatening with a witness. This sort of behavior is never allowed. Even when the attorney has permission to treat a witness as "hostile", it doesn't mean they can scream and yell. Courtroom trials are in general very quiet affairs. Any emotional outbursts by an attorney could lead to a mistrial, as this sort of behavior can influence a jury. An attorney would never be given enough leeway to badger a witness until they break down and confess to a crime on the stand, no matter what evidence they present during questioning.

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Factual error: There are several mistakes after McClane steals the 18 wheeler that give away the highway scenes were shot in California instead of Maryland. There are palm trees visible at one point outside the window. There are highway signs that indicate Route 118 and Highway 110, both in California. The scene with the fighter jet is supposed to be on I-695, the Baltimore Beltway, but that road is single-level, not multi-level as the movie shows. A green bridge is visible after part of the highway collapses but there is no bridge that looks anything like that on I-695.

BaconIsMyBFF

Factual error: In many action movies someone will instantly kill a man by approaching them from behind, grabbing their cheek, and twisting their head to the side, breaking their neck. The move is even frequently used one-handed. The torque required to actually break a neck this way is enormous and would require much more leverage than simply standing behind someone and twisting their head. Neck cranks are certainly real but they are done in a more traditional "head-lock" style on a grounded opponent. Also, a broken neck is not always fatal, let alone instantly fatal. A broken neck is not even an assured knock-out, so it is absurd to use this move as an effective "stealth kill" in spy movies.

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