The James Bond franchise is full of epic moments that have left us on the edge of our seats for decades now. Granted, we don’t watch these films for their commitment to authenticity, and we all enjoy the theatricalism of 007, but one particular scene has been picked apart for its mistakes.
Ever since 1962, James Bond has been lighting up the big screen with his incredibly entertaining missions and he has put a stop to some of the best movie villains of all time throughout his career. When you watch the James Bond movies in order, it’s easy to be charmed by the super spy and his crazy antics.
But what happens when we look a little closer? Sure, the James Bond films are some of the best spy movies of all time, but they are not without their issues.
Speaking to Insider, former Special Ops sniper Nicholas Irving has been dissecting famous sniper-related moments from some of the best movies around, and one scene from Skyfall has found itself in the crosshairs.
It may be one of the best action movies of the modern era, but in the opening scene where Moneypenny is forced to ‘take the shot’ and ends up sending James to a watery grave (sort of), Irving spots a whole host of discrepancies.
“She’s offhand, like there’s no support, it’s all muscling it in to make that shot. And that gun, the Olympic Arms K23B is what it is, that weapon is, literally accurate for like 50 meters. That distance looks like it’s at most a couple of hundred yards… put it back in the case and go back and get a different [gun],” Irving explains. “I don’t think she had a clean shot at all. In the military, a clean shot would be – you’re not gonna wound or kill or injure something you don’t intend to. If her target is one of those two men, that bullet is gonna zip right through the bad guy and potentially wound or kill the guy she’s trying to help out or save.”
“If I was forced to take the shot, I’ll pull the trigger but I’m not going to guarantee you anything. Luckily, the train does kind of come towards her as opposed to moving left-to-right. That takes out so much more of the mathematics behind making a shot, when its moving close or away from you, it’s all about just aiming above the target or a little bit below the target as opposed to aiming in front of it, and having that individual essentially run into the bullet… I would grade [the scene] a one [out of ten], like it’s just not happening at all.”
Well, there you have it, James Bond is nonsense. Still, bloody brilliant movies, though, right? Right now, we are eager to learn who will be the next James Bond, but until then, you could check out our lists of the best thriller movies for more adrenaline-pumping action.