# Worst cop movie scene vs real life ever (Lethal Weapon)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** movies
**Created:** [May 3, 2024, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092 "2024-05-03T06:56:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/41 "2024-05-08T01:45:35Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> I almost forgot about the fanfare around Riggs side arm, the Beretta 92. This is clearly a paid product placement.
I’m pretty sure something similar happened in John Wick 4. Lawrence Fishburne’s character hands John a shiny new pistol (a “Pit Viper” IIRC) and he lovingly describes all the features as if it is a pistol handed down by God Himself. I remember seeing a Youtube video of some gun enthusiasts and/or Special Forces types dunking on that gun for being an overpriced, lesser choice of sidearm (including for other reasons I don’t recall offhand). I am not a gun enthusiast myself so I don’t know if they are just being opinionated or if the Pit Viper really is a laughable choice but they certainly seemed to think so.
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### Author:  [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/42 "2024-05-08T02:03:57Z")
Found the scene, it’s two former Green Berets reacting to John Wick 4. They crap on the Pit Viper for several minutes (video should be cued to where they start):
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U2np-NXrYQ&t=1464/)
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/43 "2024-05-08T02:05:08Z")
> [@DWMarch](#):
>
> > [@pkbites](#):
> >
> > I almost forgot about the fanfare around Riggs side arm, the Beretta 92. This is clearly a paid product placement.
>
> I’m pretty sure something similar happened in John Wick 4. Lawrence Fishburne’s character hands John a shiny new pistol (a “Pit Viper” IIRC) and he lovingly describes all the features as if it is a pistol handed down by God Himself. I remember seeing a Youtube video of some gun enthusiasts and/or Special Forces types dunking on that gun for being an overpriced, lesser choice of sidearm (including for other reasons I don’t recall offhand). I am not a gun enthusiast myself so I don’t know if they are just being opinionated or if the Pit Viper really is a laughable choice but they certainly seemed to think so.
It’s a better gun than the Glock 7 in _Diehard 2._
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### Author:  [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/44 "2024-05-08T04:25:31Z")
I always felt John Wick should be firing something capable of penetrating body armor since 90% of the dudes he’s facing in 3 and 4 are wearing that kevlar vest suit things instead of firing a 9mm which is guaranteed to not penetrate.
A Five-seveN or similar pistol would have ended those movies quite early.
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/45 "2024-05-08T05:45:44Z")
> [@Loach](#):
>
> One of the major factors driving the change from pistol to 9mm was the murder of NJ State Trooper Philip Lamonaco in 1981. He was killed after pulling over two members of a small domestic terrorist organization. He had a 6 shot revolver. They had semi-automatic pistols. Other tactical and work culture lessons were taken from that incident but the move to a semi-auto weapon was the most apparent. That incident and a couple others changed things across the country. It was only 6 years before the movie came out.
But back then a lot of semi auto pistols not have the 15 or more capacity mags they have now. They had 7, 8, or 9 round mags. Which is still more than a revolver but not like today.
I got on the job in '82. I didn’t get to carry a semi-auto until 1991.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/46 "2024-05-08T06:55:03Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> But back then a lot of semi auto pistols not have the 15 or more capacity mags they have now. They had 7, 8, or 9 round mags. Which is still more than a revolver but not like today.
I mean, the 13-round Browning High-Power 9mm pistol has been around since 1935. Why did it take so long for weapons like that to catch on?
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/47 "2024-05-08T08:12:09Z")
A lot of semi-auto pistols continued to use single stack magazines which allowed the grip to be narrower but reduced capacity. Narrower grips make things easier for folks with smaller hands but come at a cost of capacity.
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### Author:  [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/48 "2024-05-08T08:32:28Z")
my dad has a fit with vietnam era movies , my stepmom just sighs…
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/49 "2024-05-08T08:49:29Z")
Maybe it has something to do with the shift from shooting pistols with one hand to shooting them with two? If you’re two-handing it, you can manage a bulkier grip.
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/50 "2024-05-08T10:27:33Z")
The grip and stances trained certainly have changed over the years. But I’ve seen women who had a hard time getting even both hands around a Glock 21.
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### Author:  [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/51 "2024-05-08T15:05:40Z")
> [@Loach](#):
>
> It’s a better gun than the Glock 7 in _Diehard 2._
You’re just upset that it costs more than you make in a month.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/52 "2024-05-08T15:06:42Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> > [@Loach](#):
> >
> > One of the major factors driving the change from pistol to 9mm was the murder of NJ State Trooper Philip Lamonaco in 1981. He was killed after pulling over two members of a small domestic terrorist organization. He had a 6 shot revolver. They had semi-automatic pistols. Other tactical and work culture lessons were taken from that incident but the move to a semi-auto weapon was the most apparent. That incident and a couple others changed things across the country. It was only 6 years before the movie came out.
>
> But back then a lot of semi auto pistols not have the 15 or more capacity mags they have now. They had 7, 8, or 9 round mags. Which is still more than a revolver but not like today.
>
> I got on the job in '82. I didn’t get to carry a semi-auto until 1991.
The NJSP changed over in 1983 to the H&K P7M8 which had 8 rounds. The round capacity was secondary to the reload issue. The SP had a holster with two rows of bullets above the revolver. No practical way to reload during a fight. Lamonaco died with 6 empty shell casings in his gun after wounding one of the suspects. They now carry the Glock 19.
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> The grip and stances trained certainly have changed over the years. But I’ve seen women who had a hard time getting even both hands around a Glock 21.
My department carried the Glock 21 gen1 and then went to the gen 4. It’s definitely a big gun.
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### Author:  [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2024, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/53 "2024-05-10T02:43:04Z")
One word:
“MAHONEY!!”
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2024, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cop-movie-scene-vs-real-life-ever-lethal-weapon/1001092/54 "2024-05-10T05:14:15Z")
> [@Loach](#):
>
> The NJSP changed over in 1983 to the H&K P7M8 which had 8 rounds. The round capacity was secondary to the reload issue.
Definitely.
My first duty weapon was a S&W Model 66. We carried the full .357 loads, not .38’s like some agencies did. Shooting that gun was Misérables! And during training with hundreds of rounds being popped off that cylinder got hotter than a mofo!
Even with so called ‘speed loaders’ reloading was a hassle. There are some revolvers that moonclips can be used on. They load pretty fast. With practice almost as fast as a semi-auto.
Eve try speed strips? I don’t know who thought that was a good idea. I’d rather just hand load the rounds.
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