MovieChat Forums > Assassins (1995) Discussion > Movie Cliche - Money in a Case has no ma...

Movie Cliche - Money in a Case has no mass or Volume

posted 18 years ago by BigDaddyHuah
34 replies | jump to latest

Stallone goes to the bank to collect his $20 million dollars in CASH. Even with the banks 20% fee this leaves $16 million. Assuming he was paid with all $100 bills - the largest US bill in circulation, that amount of money would weigh over 300 lbs. and would have a volume of a couple cubic feet. In spite of this Stallone leaves the bank carrying a bag barely large enough to carry $2-3 million waving it around as if he holding a loaf of bread. To have been realistic he would have to have had a large foot locker so heavy that he would have barely been able to drag it out of the bank -- either that or many more cases of the type he had weighing 40-60 lbs each.

Just in case you might think that he got gold instead of cash. That would be even worse, since $16 million in gold weighs almost one ton.

I wonder what the technology is that causes money carried in a briefcase in a movie to have neither mass or volume? Maybe I could get a wallet using that technology so when I go shopping I can keep pulling money out of it like circus clowns out of the clown car.

[–] ajfax 18 years ago

True story.
But have you thought that this scene could happen after he had carried more than one case (and this, in his hands, ist the last one)?

[–] BigDaddyHuah 18 years ago

Doesn't fit the movie timeline or events. I suppose it could be the the first of a half dozen cases, but even though they were all very fit, they waved that bag around like a loaf of bread and 50 pounds does move with some inertia.

I suppose someone could have been waiting at the Bank for him to return and get the other cases, but the movie implied that the Bank was closing and Stallone had to go face Banderas because he was out of time.

[–] frontiersmantanis 18 years ago

Couldve been bearer bonds, I dont remember if they show whats in the briefcase or not its been a while since ive seen the movie but there are $100,000 negotiable US bearer bonds

[–] BigDaddyHuah 18 years ago

Bearer bonds (while being a sexy target for TV movie crime capers) have been illegal in the US since 1982 since their primary purpose is to hide ownership and defraud taxes. Some foreign ones exist exactly for that purpose however.

It is also why no bill over $100 is in circulation anymore. The government figures that anyone preferring to use that much cash must be doing something illegal, and it doesn't get much more illegal than murder for hire.

The Treasury claims that it still uses some $100,000 notes for internal transactions only but none are released to the public.

While $16 million in bearer bonds would physically fit in the case, they really aren't the easily negotiable financial instrument the international criminal living off the grid really desires.

For that matter, a $16 million dollar cashiers check would have fit in his pocket (no case required), but once again that wouldn't be the preferred form of payment for the international criminal living off the grid.

[–] walteraugusto 18 years ago

everything is true, but, would you've enjoyed the film if stallone had to drag a locker? Its just a movie. It doesnt have to be real.

[–] stijntje44 18 years ago

[–] bastinnana 15 years ago

hahahaha

[–] DeAd_MiKe_187 11 years ago

LOL

[–] Soodinum 13 years ago

I agree: if you get hyper-realistic, that's 99% of movies you'll no longer enjoy. Example - I LOVED Kick Ass, especially the Hit Girls scenes. But in her gunfight in the corridor, she gets like a million shots out of the first cartridges, and about 4 shots out of the next set. The director explains this as a result of a lot of the shot being edited out. If you were to focus on that little imbalance, you'd not ejoy much of the scene. Forget about it? You'll have a blast.

[–] jmbwithcats 17 years ago

Suspension of Disbelief

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[–] KrustytheDude 17 years ago

Someone said that bearer bonds are illegal in the US but they were in Mexico so would it be possible to use bearer bonds there? But even if it was legal, I'm pretty sure the money was all in cash because remember the bank employee told Stallone that they were finish counting the money and had to do a recount. If it was bearer bonds there wouldn't be much to count. It's true that too many movies, including this one, use this cliche.

[–] eoghann 17 years ago

Very interesting point. I had not thought of that crucial detail.

[–] Tedronai 16 years ago

The bearer bonds argument is still valid imo - given his line of work he would surely know peoplel who could exchange them at a later date.

[–] oonagimaki 15 years ago

A good writer can use this knowledge and create a very interesting plot point or obstacle in a film like this. Freebie for you newbies out there--from me to you.

-This is my signature. There are many like, but this one is mine.

[–] chatroux13 15 years ago

They were in Puerto Rico, not Mexico!!!

[–] heherrera 15 years ago

they are actually in puerto rico my friend... thats pretty far from mexico.

[–] AtheistRevolution 16 years ago

Yea, TV shows and movies always do that. They carry out millions in gym bags,briefcases,etc.

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.

[–] dannyvazmon1 16 years ago

There were no bonds inside the briefcase. There is a scene where they open the briefcase at the bank and it clearly shows cash.

[–] KnowTheScore 16 years ago

Dude.

Stallone was in great shape during the filming of Assassins.

He could've carried the case no problem.

Look at his arms throughout the entire movie.

Need anything else be said?

[–] KrustytheDude 16 years ago

If what the OP said is true, I doubt even Stallone could carry a case weighing 300 lbs with one arm.

[–] Tedronai 15 years ago

This is very likely a moot point but the OP stated that $100 is the largest bill in circulation, i now know that there is at a $1000 bill is also in circulation. I have seen several, sadly none belonged to me. My this stretch the 300lbs (if that calculation is correct) becomes 30lbs which could easily be carried.

[–] youaresquishy 15 years ago

According to this, it would weigh about 352 pounds, but you could put it all together with 64 stacks each a little over a foot high.

It's hard for me to visualize how big 64 stacks is. I think the case would need to be maybe a little bigger, but not all that much bigger?

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=441929

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bj_arni 15 years ago

"Even with the banks 20% fee this leaves $16 million"

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

What kind of effed up thing is that? They get 20% of the fee? For WHAT? Handing it over? Is that such a hard job that they need 4 million dollars?

"Don't look down on yourself, just because other people do."
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[–] BigDaddyHuah 15 years ago

If the transaction were legal you could do it anywhere.

Since the transaction is most certainly meant to be "hidden" from any "official" regulation, 20% seems quite reasonable.

I'm sure there are lots of government officials that need to be bribed for example.

Furthermore, if the transaction were officially recorded somewhere, Stallone would certainly have to declare it as income and pay taxes that could amount to as much as half of it. When this is considered he's not "paying" 4 million, but actually "saving" 4-6 million.

Another example is in the movie "Heat" ... Neil and the crew in the opening sequence stole barer bonds and were willing to fence tham off at 40 cents on the dollar. Even though the bonds were anonymous and freely negotiable, it wasn't like just anyone could just walk them into a broker and sell them without offiical notice and inquiry. In fact it is the greed of trying to salvage an extra 20% sets up most of the killing in the rest of the movie.

[–] imdb-ary 14 years ago

Nice posts Bigdaddy, I've actually learnt something from imdb lol! And that weightless money cliche is pretty annoying.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies 14 years ago

Fiction. It's not a documentary about the weight of paper money, and that's hardly important.

http://www.rateyourmusic.com/~JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies