Question: How did the emergency operator start the car when Matt tells them to start? And why did Matt do so when McClane was ready to start the car with just the wires?
Garlonuss
28th Jul 2009
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
10th Jul 2009
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Question: Throughout the film, Thomas Gabriel is shown be to an extremely intelligent and talented computer hacker with enormous resources at his disposal as well as an equally talented entourage of computer hackers. My questions are, why did he hire other hackers to write code for him and then kill them? He must have realised that this would draw attention? Couldn't he or any of his colleagues have done it themselves instead?
Chosen answer: First off, from the time they started killing off their hired hackers, there wasn't much anyone could do about it. They weren't worried about calling attention to themselves because they were doing plenty of that with their fire sale. Secondly, the number of systems they would have to hack would require lots of different methods and directions of attack. Way too much man power for Gabriel to let them all in on the plot without risking exposing their plans way too early. The idea of one hacker breaking into all of the systems they need is a nice Hollywood cliche, but rather unrealistic. People spend hours, days, or even weeks trying to hack one single system. Gabriel doesn't have that kind of time. The reason his one "extremely intelligent and talented computer hacker" is able to do everything he does is because all of their hired hackers had already passed off all of the programs and algorithms they needed. That's why he appears to have "enormous resources at his disposal" at all.
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Chosen answer: The on-board assistance system that Matt was using to contact the operator is specifically designed to allow for emergency usage in just such a way. They usually require a password to verify the user, which is exactly what Matt was trying to BS his way around. However, even though McClane is willing to hotwire the car, there are two problems with this. First, cars in recent years have become much harder to hotwire. Second, even if McClane was able to do it, the on-board assistance would have been triggered and it would assume (rightly so) that the car was being stolen and authorities would be alerted. With a likely GPS in the system, it'd be hard to get away from that one. By using and fooling the system, they now have the ability to get around unencumbered.
Garlonuss ★
Also, the airbags wouldn't have deployed when he hit the bumper with a trash can. They're designed to go off only when the vehicle is in motion thanks to a vehicle speed sensor that arms the system over a certain speed to avoid costly repairs in the event you just bump something or vandals just wanna be vandals. I remember a funny commercial with an elderly woman using her purse to hit a car bumper when the driver honked at her as she slowly crossed the street. Hilarious, but not accurate.