We all know that writers and other artists like to take a bit of creative license every now and then. It’s necessary to keep their stories flowing and to communicate more clearly with their audience. But this has created a number of false perceptions among the general population that just don’t stand up to reality.
Here are some of the most prolific mistakes that Hollywood continues to make.
Casinos
Online casinos have become incredibly popular over the last 20 years or so, especially after smartphones allowed people to play on the go. With so much demand, competition in the sector is strong, so most casinos offer free spins and other bonuses to new customers. It also means the vast majority of people are familiar with the games that are played in casinos.
Despite this, Hollywood continues to perpetuate myths about traditional brick-and-mortar casinos. Films like “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001) and “Casino” (1995) would have you believe these businesses are run by gangsters that regularly beat up customers they don’t like. Except this simply isn’t true — they are legitimate businesses, and many are even listed on the stock market.
If you’re caught breaking the rules you’ll just get banned and possibly reported to the police, not taken into the back to have a chat with a guy called Knuckles.
Car Chases
Cars in movies behave very differently from those in real life. In the remake of the “The Italian Job” (2003), three Minis are packed with bars of gold and then driven through some sewer pipes. Partway through they have to jump the cars from a significant height and then just carry on driving. In real life, those cars would have all been totaled due to broken suspension.
Similarly, many racing films see drivers drop down a gear while already at full throttle to go faster than their rival. Except, in real life, doing so would either destroy the gearbox or cause the car to spin.
Explosions
Hollywood explosions are beautiful. They’re colorful bursts of red and orange fire that mushroom up, often in the background while the protagonist walks away in slow-mo, looking incredibly cool.
Except, that’s almost never how explosions work. For example, the destructive force of a grenade comes from the rapid expansion of air, which causes a shockwave to knock down anything in its path.
However, blast waves like this are almost entirely invisible, so they don’t look great on camera. So, Hollywood makes its explosions using a lot of fuel, creating a spectacular ballooning flame and a cloud of smoke, while also keeping film crews safe.
