MovieChat Forums > Warning Sign (1985) Discussion > Why did people even have guns?

Why did people even have guns?


It seemed most of the problems in this movie could've been avoided if people actually used the guns they had lol. Let's see, first the wife/security guard didn't pull the trigger when people chopped down the door to her office. Then the military personnel didn't use their weapons when confronted by infected in the hall way. Next, the soldiers outside standing guard didn't even fire warning shots when a posse of pissed off citizens come storming the perimeter. Lastly, Jack McCoy could've saved his friend Dale from getting jumped and infected if he'd used his gun on the crowd of infected that were chasing his wife instead of retreating and abandoning the guy lol.

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I'm sorry to have to ask this, but...Were you actually paying attention?



Joni's reaction (even for security personnel) was extremely realistic. She
didn't want to have to fire and kill her co-workers. More modern
movies showing people shooting each other and not showing hesitation nor
concern is extremely unrealistic. Ask a cop who's had to pull his sidearm
in the line of duty. If your a normal human being and not a psychopath,
being in an actual situation where you may have to kill someone (even to
save your own life) is fraught with indecision. Joni pulling her gun was more
warning then anything else.

That being said:

The first team of soldiers that entered had one of them open up on
a charging terrified doctor/lab assistant. Note that the first time
no one was actually showing the aggressive symptoms yet - It was just
one guy that wanted to get the hell out of there. The young soldier freaked
and killed him.

Then, when the solders are ambushed in the maintenance corridor, they thought
it was only Dr. Nelson and didn't really get the chance to fire (Connelly even mentions that its a tight spot and no room for maneuvering) The fact that they
had accidentally killed someone already unnerved them.

Then, when Sheriff Morse and Dan Fairchild broke in and were ambushed, you
hear his gun fire quite a few times and blood was shown on the glass of the
sealed room. Before that, they killed Bob (one of the most terrifying momments
in cinema history, IMHO)

When it was all over, you see plenty of bodybag-bound stretchers...Most of them
from the fight in the corridor. Only two exceptions are shown: Dr. Shemit (cant remember the spelling from the credits) And Dr. Nealson, who died by his own hand



Watch it again, and pay attention this time.

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The movie could have been called Warning SHOT. Fire a simple warning shot or 5, and not AT your co-workers, trying to hit them, as you seem to infer is the only outcome... There are 2 wonderful deterrents that a gun poses without actually shooting AT someone. 1 is merely brandishing it (which, obv doesn't deter from behind a door). The 2nd being a warning shot in the air, or away from them. Sight and sound. Pretty *beep* obvious to anyone not obsessed and paralyzed with a fear of guns. Now this is a movie, yes. But I think the whole argument was started as a "real life scenario" kind of thing, cause otherwise, you don't even have a movie to critique. Haha, the ol idiots-in-a-horror/thriller-movie paradox.

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If you compare this movie with contemporary "biohazardous pathogen is running wild", the characters seem incredibly smart. Joanie doesn't hesitate; as soon as the Biohazard alert sounds, she locks down everything. She's also smart enough to ignore the director's requests to cancel the alert and to burn the unlocking codes. The things I can point out that seems to be weak for plot's sake are:

- Compartimentalized lockdowns. We see a lot of doors sealing, but it seems that they don't actually isolate the zones at all. Sure, nobody can get out, but those infected in the "biohazardous" lab can easily reach the rest of the complex, which means any biohazardous pathogen can do so as well. For some reason, the "regular" doors do seem to block this, as the personnel locked in the cafeteria remain unaffected.

- Hackable security doors. By "hackable" I mean "hack with an axe". You'd expect that the Security Office would be designed in such a way that the Security Officer should be able to lock him/herself in to avoid the very thing that happens halfway through the movie: people rushing the office trying to get the doors open.

By the way, ever shot a gun in an enclosed space? That's an easy way to get someone seriously injured.

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Depends on the space, and the gun, doesn't it.....
-length/height of room
-hard surfaces vs soft
-furniture
Have you ever purposed a room for sound? I have. And have recorded things (and stood near) louder than a gunshot, in rooms smaller than an office.

Injured, or dead? I stand by my initial statement.
But I dig the rest of what you're getting at!

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Lastly, Jack McCoy could've saved his friend Dale from getting jumped and infected if


LOL, very clever references, there...

---
Into every life a little coffee must spill.

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Why do people nowadays think you have to end a sentence with "lol"?
A full stop "." is enough.

And this was filmed in 1985. That's 30 years ago. Maybe people weren't so trigger happy back then? It's easy to critize, but before you do, think about how it was BACK THEN!

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I see Mallard Ducked the question

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