At the beginning, when Scott Glenn is jumped by hired gunmen while he's sleeping in the cabin. What does he do? Hit one end of the rifle and make it go spinning through the air? If so, why? If he's able to reach the rifle, why doesn't he just grab it and pick it up? r is it just one of those movie things one should inquire too deeply about?
shareI suspect that if he reached for a firm grip he would have exposed himself too long. Swatting the barrel allowed him to stay more under cover.
shareI just watched the scene in question. He was sleeping in the lower bunk of a bunk bed when he's attacked. His rifle was laying in the upper bunk with the barrel sticking out. After emptying his handgun (and killing two of the three gunmen), he throws his empty gun at the stove which distracts the shooter on the roof. He then pulls down on the protruding rifle barrel which causes the rifle to rotate in the air so that when he catches it, it's pointing in the right direction and he's able to shoot the third gunman.
Because the rifle barrel was facing him, the gun needed to be turned around before he could use it. Flipping it the way he did was probably faster than just grabbing the barrel and then turning the rifle around in his hands. Besides, it made a cool scene even cooler.
All your exposition can be thrown out. You solved the riddle in your final sentence...it made a cool scene even cooler. I wouldn't read any more into it.
shareYup. It is a pretty cool scene, and a great way to open the movie.
shareHey folks,
Trump hit it on the head. The idea of having the rifle spin in the air and catch it while it is pointed in the direction of the bad guy is completely unrealistic. The whole slap and spinning rifle thing is all about the eye glitter show. Realistic? Absolutely not. Did it look good? Sure it did, and I enjoyed it even though I knew it was absurd.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile