Safes & Vaults versus Hollywood
Purely for fun I though I'd start a discussion of how Hollywood treats safes & vaults. Sometimes it's quite ridiculous, sometimes it's interesting. What are your favorites?
- James Bond, I forget which movie, used a credit-card-sized X-ray viewer to open a wall safe by viewing the wheels. Very difficult to do unless the X-ray source is on the other side, and even then quite unlikely. Nevertheless the lock industry has long offered "radiation resistant" wheel packs and other countermeasures. What impressed me was the image looked like a real X-ray view of a real safe lock. And the wonderful product-placement choice of "Sharper Image" on the imaging card.
- Ocean's 13 used a similar idea in the opening, this time to view the locks and boltwork of a massive vault door. The image looked plausible though the device was pure baloney.
- Goldfinger. Quite silly representation of a vault, and it seemed that everybody knew the combination. But it sure was impressive-looking, and the door was moderately realistic.
- Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (I think). Over a lunch hour, he uses a suitcase-sized auto-dialer to open a safe. A clever idea, and portrayed more realistically than most gadgets and techniques. Today they are somewhat common; did they exist in 1969?
- Ocean's 11, my favorite scene is near the beginning when the vault/explosives expert "blows" what looks like a real York door (US patent 929,907, dated 1909). It looks to me like they even got the boltwork right (easy if it's a real door) and the mechanism is even shown in the "locked" position as the door is opening. Just ignore the utter silliness of shaped charges cutting through the door and slicing through the bolts :-)
Any thoughts on the above, or addition?
Jim
Sherlock Holmes... the new one with Downey/Law
Just watched this, there is a good view (briefly) of a wall mounted safe with a nice brass plate saying....
Prize Medal London 1852
G Price and Co
Patent
Fire-proof Safe
+ Lock Manufacturers
Wolverhampton
Regd. Trademark R370?
There is an escutcheon plate that says...
??????
Patent Lock
and a nice hexagonal knob for the boltwork.
The safe plays no part in the plot, our hero just checks it to ensure it has not been opened.
Safes and Strongroom doors V Hollywood
Well as having open a few of both and installed them I must admit that I make a habit of not watching any of them as, well; we can all see the reality of them is no where near real life.
Is it just me?
I just watched some unconvincing TV Strongroom opening
Ok Its a long time since I posted but I am in the process of watching A TV serial "Inside Men" where the acting is really good. But of course. Opening the Tann 650 Strongroom is not! I have to sit there and both my Son and Wife looking at me and now wait to hear me say to the TV You have got that wrong!! When the character on the screen is turning the Dial check lock after he has opened another "ticking" S & G K/C/L 4 wheel. and both locks turned to one number once to open!
I suppose it has to be so or else how would save time for the rest of the sex and violence.
I find it the same with so many other programmes, steam locos (running on the wrong lines Out of era aeroplanes in the wrong places and in wrong colour schemes.
Perhaps I have become grumpy?