Factual error: Chloroform doesn't render people unconscious almost immediately, it takes a few minutes.
Common movie and TV mistakes - page 5
This is a list of mistakes, things done wrong, etc. that happen so frequently onscreen we barely notice any more. 'Movie logic', stupid behaviours, and everything related.
Factual error: Many times in movies, we can see the hero running into a burning building or approaching a burning vehicle to save someone, then escape from the flames with only a few black coal spots on his face. In reality, the extreme heat would make it impossible for an unprotected person to get THAT close to fiercely burning fire. Even if he can overcome his natural instinct, the pain from hot air would be unbearable (it's nearly as excruciating as direct burning) and leave him with severe injuries.
Factual error: In movies including fighter jet battle scenes, the pilot bailing out from a terminally damaged plane can walk away immediately after touching ground. In reality, emergency ejection is very stressful to the human body, even if trained. The least you can expect is back pain, dizziness, ringing ears and numb legs for days, but the pilot can even fall unconscious from the sudden shock while descending. EE is much more unpleasant and less heroic than usually depicted in films.
Factual error: Movies with trials in which the protagonist is on the verge of losing until a last minute whammy piece of evidence is brought up that ends up winning the trial in their favor (such as "Liar Liar"). In real life, lawyers have to add the evidence in before they are allowed to talk about it, and if the judge doesn't know where they are going with it, they will ask the lawyer to make a proffer.
Factual error: When someone is burying a dead body, one person alone digs a hole big enough to bury a fully grown adult with a garden spade usually in about five minutes. There is also no sign of the earth that has been displaced by the body.
Factual error: Shooting a gas tank with a handgun and causing an explosion. The only way to ignite a gas tank by shooting it is with tracer ammunition, as demonstrated by the Mythbusters.
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.
Factual error: People can be thrown or can dive through plate glass windows without suffering so much as a scratch. In fact, any such thing would cause serious and possibly life-threatening lacerations.
Factual error: Vehicles used in films and programmes set in past decades that have age related number plates, classic car enthusiasts spot these straight away.
Factual error: A character in hospital removes various medical monitors from their body (or someone else's) but alarms don't sound on the equipment in the room.
Factual error: Whenever there's an officer involved shooting in television or movies, the officer in question always goes about their work as though nothing has happened. In real life, this is a big deal. It's blasted all over the news and the officer is always placed on administrative leave pending an investigation to make sure the shooting was justified.
Factual error: Characters who have lost an enormous amount of blood who are not only still alive near the end, but sometimes they don't even display signs of shock from blood loss. In reality, these characters would have died very fast.
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.
Factual error: In recent years, blood tends to be represented with a certain degree of realism, but in past eras especially before the 80s, the industry standard for fake blood appeared to be a much brighter red that often looks odd to a contemporary eye, and distinctly fake. In general, every movie sorta has its own 'blood' not necessarily factually accurate.
Factual error: In numerous sci-fi films and TV series, planets, moons, and other similar celestial objects always appear to have gravity equal to that of Earth regardless of the object's size or mass. For example, a moon the same size as a small planet (such as Yavin 4 or Endor's forest moon from the Star Wars films) has the same apparent gravity as larger bodies, while in reality, the smaller objects would have noticeably less gravity than larger ones.
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.
Factual error: Hotwiring any car made more recently than about 1995.