Common movie and TV mistakes since 12 Feb '25, 10:22

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: Often in movies, you'll see someone light a premium cigar by quickly puffing on it once or twice with a match, and that's it. However, this is basically never going to properly light the cigar, and it'll go out near instantly. You often need to "toast" the cigar (carefully singe the tip with a flame) before lighting, and even if you don't, you're going to need to puff on it at least 5-6 times while rotating it over a flame to evenly light it and keep it lit. (Likely done to keep scenes moving.)

TedStixon

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.