The Road To Perdition

Dr. Spec

First, please add a prominent spoiler warning to your post and insert a bunch of empty space - not everyone has seen this movie and despite its predictability, might not appreciate knowing the specifics of the ending.

Yes it is a glaring mistake and not the only one.


Spoiler Alert:





















Surprised you missed the bullet through the back window of the car in the diner getaway scene that failed to exit the front window.

Either it was two glaring ballistics errors, or it was symbolic in a way I cannot yet comprehend.

Doc

Steve@3dai

Couldn't the bullet had more of a downward angle and went into the seat or something?

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Steve@3dai
Couldn't the bullet had more of a downward angle and went into the seat or something?

And you have property where in Florida to sell me?

burdette

Sorry about the lack of spoiler notice... I guess I assumed anyone this far into this thread knew to be careful....

Anyway... the failure of the bullet to exit the windshield was noted on the nitpickers site. I hadn't really thought of it because I was focused on the flying glass fragments.. that 'error' also suggested that 1931 car glass would have shattered completely and not just had a hole.. not sure about that one, glass can be tricky stuff. It also wasn't mentioned that the photographer was one hell of a shot.. and that was one hell of an accurate tiny pistol.. at that range. But hey, if Oswald acted alone and the single-bullet theory is true... then the 1931 glass didn't shatter and the bullet was deflected down into the back of the front seat.

I worked as a projectionist through high school and some as an undergraduate. I still suffer from a heightened sense of noticing errors in movies, but have tried to ignore the impulse. It isn't quite so bad when I see a movie only a couple of times. I'd seen most of ET the Extra **** about 90 times before I was 18... and now we own it for the kids... whoo hoo! (actually, that movie is very nonoffensive).

For me, it is absolutely a sign that I was enjoying the movie that I *didn't* notice or wasn't bothered by the mistakes (except the picture window one at the end).

I just really thought RTP was visually enveloping ... I didn't find it slow or dragging. I suppose I consider Hanks a very ... I don't know... I 'bought' him as a Ranger Captain in SPR.. I bought him as a hit man in RTP. As a drastic contast, Robin Williams (and I like some of his movies) is ALWAYS Robin Williams, and I don't think that is a good thing. On the other hand, John Wayne was ALWAYS John Wayne, especially during the Big Jake, Sons of Katy Elder, El Dorado, etc phase. But that was a good thing.

Dr. Spec

While I have never fired any bullet from any firearm through vintage glass, I have shot through more than my share of auto safety glass with a variety of handgun and rifle calibers. I also have a more than passing knowledge of in flight and terminal ballistics.

The caliber of the handgun in question was probably .380 auto. These small guns were fairly accurate in the right hands, but the shooter needs to be practiced and skilled with the handgun in question to hit a target consistently at those ranges. I'd give his display of accuracy a 5/10 on the realism scale.

Regarding the glass - if a bullet passes through the rear glass with a horizontal angle of trajectory (such as in RTP), it would always hit the front window. A deflection might be in progress, certainly, but it cannot occur to that degree in such a short distance due to the velocity of the bullet, which was probably on the order of 800 fps. That would be akin to driving a car around an abrupt 90 degree corner at 90 mph - it can't be done.

Same thing with the finale - if it exits the body and there is a glass pane inches in front of the victim's chest, it MUST hit the glass; it cannot deflect to that extreme in that short of a distance.

I'd give both of these scenes a 1/10 on the realism scale.

Also, the shoot-out in the hotel. Unless that chest was lined with plate steel, those 12 gauge buckshot loads would have blown right through it at that range. He was using it for cover and it absorbed several blasts without losing major structural integrity. At that range, I have blown buckshot right through 55 gallon steel drums - no problem. 3/10 on the realism scale.

Doc