Reality Check: 5 Common Blockbuster Tropes That Don't Actually Work At All

Many people have long since stopped believing what they see on television. And you certainly shouldn't believe blockbuster movie directors, right?

But some movie myths have become so ingrained in our lives that we don't even think twice about taking them at face value, and by the way, repeating them in real life can actually be extremely dangerous.

1. Chloroform Does Not Put You to Sleep in a Few Seconds

In thrillers and detective movies, criminals put their victims to sleep in a matter of seconds – usually when the villain suddenly appears behind the hero and holds a chloroform-soaked rag to his nose.

Such a drug does exist and can put a person to sleep. But there's a catch. The fact is that the victim has to inhale the chloroform vapor for at least 5-7 minutes to fall asleep.

2. It Is Impossible to Knock Out Someone by Hitting the Head Without Consequences

You can stun a person with a blow to the head. However, thanks to the movies, people get the wrong impression that this is easy to do. In fact, a blow to the head is much more likely to kill or injure a person than to knock them out.

It is possible to render a person unconscious with a blow to the back of the head, but in practice this is extremely difficult. A blow that is not strong enough will most likely just leave a bleeding cut on the head. A blow that is too strong will knock out a person, but will most likely also kill them.

3. Silenced Weapons Still Make a Noise

Action movies try to impose another stereotype on us: that a pistol or any other weapon with a silencer shoots with no sound at all. However, this is a huge misconception.

A silencer can reduce the sound level, but only by 20-30%. The sound will still be so loud that all the neighbors in the house or even people at a considerable distance will hear it.

A silencer reduces recoil, but it cannot completely reduce the sound of a shot.

4. An Aerosol Can Flamethrower is Extremely Dangerous

An extremely common scene in movies, especially comedies – the character grabs hairspray or deodorant and a lighter and turns the can into an improvised flamethrower.

In reality, such a trick is definitely should not be repeated. If the can gets hot, it will explode and cause serious injury, at least to your hand. It can easily set a person on fire or injure them with shrapnel.

5. Gas Tank Cannot Be Exploded by Accidental Shooting

Who would turn down a scene where the main character shoots a car and it blows up? It looks impressive and allows the main character not to look at the explosion, so we understand that he is a real tough nut to crack.

But it doesn't work in real life. An accidental shot will not be able to set the gas tank on fire. And even if the car does explode, it will not go up in the air (like they usually do in movies).