A Gun is a Range Weapon Right? Film Logic Rant 01

Ever since the advent of cinema, audience imaginations have long been captivated and seduced, losing themselves to the story by witnessing the impossible and amazing feats performed in the world of the celluloid. As an audience hungrily devouring a movie, there is this unspoken agreement that actions happening within this fiction does not necessarily pertain to the real world. After all, this is the movie world; a hyper-semi realistic depiction of a reality much like our own wherein the laws of physics, logic, and common sense are sometimes singularly or altogether dismissed. Film logic as we call it is a natural offspring of this agreement.

The topic of film logic is multitudinous and so it would be silly for me to try and cover all the aspects that it presents. I'm sure there are film scholars or more articulated bloggers out there in the inter-web whom have written dissertations on it -- I assure you, I am not he. This is by no means an academic discourse on film logic...I am no expert. But I am a geeky raving film-going lunatic (no I'm not living in my parent's basement) so I will occasionally sprinkle Celluloid Fury with rants on certain film logic that never ceases to piss me off.

Before I begin let me start with this, there are two types of film goers: ones who enjoy movies because it gives them a sense of wonder by making the unattainable attainable. They just want to experience something they don't normally experience in real life. Film is a fantasy; it is not hampered by physical restrictions or creative limitations -- leave your brains at the fucking door and just let the story take you to a place otherworldly. And then there are ones who expect a little more in their movies. Not because they feel entitled to it, but because they expect film to evolve in it's storytelling techniques.

Obviously I agree with the latter. Since Birth of a Nation (1915), cinema has been thriving for almost a century. You'd think that  filmmakers and their storytelling methods would have evolved by now. Audiences are much more educated and film savvy and yet we are still inundated with antiquated blunders that can render a decent television show or movie laughable because of the intentional or unintentional inheritances of film logic.

One in particular that has constantly annoyed me is when characters uses a gun unlike a gun. I'm pretty sure that guns, "a weapon consisting of a metal tube, with mechanical attachments, from which projectiles are shot by the force of an explosive" (Dictionary.com) are meant to be used as ranged weapons. Used any other way and they cease to be effective. For example take this screen shot:

Dollhouse

Villain has heroin dead to rights at point blank range. We all know what happens next right? Heroin kicks the gun from villain's hand and a furious fight ensues. Hey, I'm all for a good cat fight between two sexy honeys, but I digress. If the villain (in this case Whiskey) stood a few feet back, our heroin (Echo) probably wouldn't have had a chance in hell deflecting her attack. But then Echo would be dead and there wouldn't be much of a story right? It's all too common that filmmakers set the main villain up as a brilliant mastermind only to dumb them down in the end by having them perform acts of stupidity. The gun used as a blunt instrument during close quarter combat is prevalent in many action oriented movies and television shows and Dollhouse is no exception (but so far it is the most egregious offender and hey, I love Dollhouse...but I could love it that much more). Personally, I feel that this tiresome plot device has worn out its welcome.

So how can filmmakers rectify this problem? I don't know, maybe write better screenplays? And I don't say that to be brash. Screenwriters make serious dough, it's what they are paid to do...there's no crying here. We have almost a hundred years worth of film history for research. Study it...evolve it...make the experience fresh again.  That is the trick isn't it?

Mathew Vaughn's "Kick Ass" is about to be release next week. It has tons of villains with guns and heavy firepower. I'm curious to see how Hit Girl and Big Daddy overcome this adversity. I hope they kick ass properly.