Movielover1996

Deliberate mistake: In many instances, when a traumatic incident in a story has been resolved and taken care of, the story will gloss over the recent events and the characters will celebrate as if it's a happy day to be alive, rather than still adjusting to the almost tragic events that have taken place very shortly before. But of course, there wouldn't be as much satisfaction or catharsis for the audience if that were to happen.

Movielover1996

Factual error: Many times, when someone in a respected position (like a cop) is fired or suspended by superiors, they decide to solve the problem on their own. When they do fix the problem, they will be given a free pass and celebrated by the very people who fired them. In reality, this would never hold up, and they would be further punished for dealing with it when not on the case. Not to mention this is reinforced by the fact that the job they work for is deemed "incompetent" to handle it themselves.

Movielover1996

Deliberate mistake: When someone discovers evidence that another person has been up to no good, instead of notifying the police or others who may have been taken advantage of, they'll confront the villain in question head-on. In the end, the only thing they've managed to accomplish is sealing their own fate and letting the villain get away scot-free.

Movielover1996

Stupidity: When the protagonist is trying to get away from the villain who is hunting them down, they will usually do something without forethought that will only end up exposing their recent whereabouts to the villain, such as personal information that is told through mutual relationships being exploited, doing something that puts them in the public eye, not properly cleaning up their tracks, etc.

Movielover1996

Deliberate mistake: When the protagonist becomes entangled in a problem, they will never relay this to the most important character in the story that should know about it, justifying that the hero will solve it themselves. Prominent examples include Double Jeopardy (not contacting her lawyer that her husband set her up), "The Shawshank Redemption" (telling the corrupt warden rather than a lawyer), "Obsessed" (not telling his wife about being stalked), and Disturbia (not alerting the police to the first lead of the car).

Movielover1996

Deliberate mistake: In crime films, when the protagonist is being stalked by the villain and manages to alert law enforcement, it will always be only one cop showing up. This isn't how actual crime procedure works, as cops are required to work with a partner or backup in potentially risky situations, and the lone cop will always let their guard down or not observe their surroundings carefully enough. This gives the villain a chance to kill them and crush not only the hero's hopes, but the audience's as well.

Movielover1996

Factual error: The idea of a suspect being shot in the shoulder or leg to apprehend is a myth that is often driven by Hollywood media. In reality, the femoral artery is a major artery in the leg that a person can bleed out and die in minutes with a clean shot, and the shoulder also has major blood vessels nearby, which can cause critical problems. In reality, cops are encouraged to only use lethal force "to kill," as opposed to the "shoot first, ask questions later" scenario seen in multiple works.

Movielover1996

Factual error: Hollywood tends to greatly exaggerate people who are killed as dying immediately, when the reality is that most people tend to bleed out or "shut down" gradually. Even seemingly lethal methods, such as a bullet to the head, are not a guaranteed instant kill; a non-example is in Reservoir Dogs, where it takes a bit of time for a character to die after being shot in the head. This is often most used for story and plot demands, though it can also be easier for filming as well.

Movielover1996

Plot hole: In situations where the protagonist is framed, they will be firmly believed to be guilty by everyone despite the lack of sufficient evidence. This is often achieved by focusing more on motive or odd circumstances that make the hero look guilty, rather than the little evidence which could establish reasonable doubt, with some evidence even being inaccurately seen as proof of a crime. It's a plot device for the hero to solve the mystery by themselves for dramatic purposes.

Movielover1996

Plot hole: Movies in which the protagonist isn't believed is often exaggerated to the point of crushing suspension of disbelief. Most times, other characters will not even give the protagonist the slightest benefit of the doubt and may even be needlessly angry for even suggesting that the "very loving and considerate nice guy" is actually a bad person. The Good Son and Orphan are classic examples where the villain is believed over the hero, despite there being no evidence to contradict the hero's claims.

Movielover1996

Plot hole: Despite there being hundreds of witnesses, a villain who assaults someone or commits some other crime are not arrested or sued and are free to just walk away and live their daily lives as if nothing ever happened.

Movielover1996

Factual error: Mostly in horror films, people going through prolonged periods of physical pain or torture never fall unconscious. In reality, they would pass out much quicker under so much pain.

Movielover1996

Deliberate mistake: Trains should stop when the engineer is killed or otherwise incapacitated because of the "Dead Man's Switch," which is used in these events to stop the train. This mistake is often done purposely to keep the action going and for plot purposes. This is especially common in action films.

Movielover1996

Other mistake: Bullets pass through people, but don't shatter any glass windows behind them. Likewise bottles in bars without hitting mirrors behind the bar.

Movielover1996