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  1. #31
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    Jan 2010
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    Country: UK

    Default 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?

  2. #32
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    Oct 2009
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    The Thunderbolt and Lightfoot movie was based on a true burglary where a big gun is used to blow through the vault wall. The glaring flaw I saw in the Italian Job (new version) was the cops thinking that the safe, which looked quite heavy and fell a good distance, landed in the boat and then sped away. I don't remember the opening of it in the water and my Newton is rusty but unless it was actually floating off of the sea floor, pulling on it would not tend to pull it to you rather than you to it.
    Last edited by Doug MacQueen; 27-07-10 at 06:50 PM. Reason: Rusty Brain

  3. #33
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    Nov 2005
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    Seattle WA
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    If presented with someone running or boating away with what looks like the safe then they would think "They are getting away!" and follow. Now that is not thinking but it is what someone would do as it is a condition I can see happening. As for the underwater opening that would be tough. I wonder if Myth Busters would take this one up.

  4. #34

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    Ac tually underwater opening of a safe has been done live on TV in the past. I don't remember the exact year, but the famous Sal Sallizzi was contracted to open the recovered locked safe from the Andrea Doria. The safe was kept in a salt water pool to prevent deterioration of it or the contents. He opened it on live TV and sadly it was empty so no real excitement, kind of like the Al Capone vault opening on live TV.
    BBE.

  5. #35
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    Oct 2010
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    leeds
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    Country: Great Britain

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    The most realistic movie I can remember with regard to picking & safe manipulation was the Escape Artist.
    Gary

  6. #36
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    Dec 2009
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    The Twilight Zone aired an episode "Time Enough At Last" starring Burgess Meredith as a bookworm bank teller who survives an H-bomb while reading inside a bank vault. See for example:

    Time Enough at Last - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    and

    YouTube - "Time Enough at Last" (Part Two)

    Looking at the vault, it looks genuine but the door seems to be "neutered". The lugs on the pressure bars are missing, the glass covering the boltwork is gone, and probably some of the mechanism has been removed. My best guess is they found a closed bank for filming and the door had been rendered unlockable for safety reasons.

    This in turn reminded me of the SciFi novel "A Canticle for Leibowitz" where it was pointed out a fallout shelter trapped its occupants because the door was designed to open outwards but was blocked by rubble after a nearby blast.

  7. #37
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    Dec 2009
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    A recent movie "Public Enemies" (2009, Johnny Depp, Christian Bale) includes a few scenes of large vaults as the movie portrays some of John Dillinger's bank robberies. It was broadcast recently and I used the DVR to get a good look.

    The first vault is poorly filmed from a vaultophile's viewpoint except for one exceptionally large door hinge. The second may be a Mosler door but the time lock is missing. The third is also nicely displayed and may be a Remington and Sherman. I think it was the middle bank's scene that also panned past the emergency door. One of these banks (I don't know which one) was filmed in the Milwaukee County Historical Society which is a former bank.

    They do seem to be real vaults as opposed to Hollywood mockups.

    Aside from this and a couple of steam locomotives I didn't see much else to recommend.

  8. #38
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    Jan 2010
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    Country: UK

    Default 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?

  9. #39
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    Nov 2005
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    Seattle WA
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    Oh come on! Locksmiths set 3 and 4 wheel locks to a single number all the time! mostly because the safes are for sale on the show room floor and we set the combo to the customers numbers at the time of sale/install. But yes it is hokey when it is done on the screen.

    We have had a few safe rentals to stars or film sets over the years and almost all of them were to single numbers and/or electronic keypad. A famous rock star (No I will not tell you who) had a safe from us for 4 days and it was set to a single number to make it quick to get into. So it isn't totally out of line it just looks dumb and it is if there is anything in the safe.

  10. #40
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    Dec 2009
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    Speaking of "ticking," I cringe whenever an actor turns a lock dial and it makes a ratchet sound. One good example is the series "Nero Wolfe Mysteries" (Timothy Hutton, Maury Chakin).

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