Hollywood has many misconceptions and errors about firearms.Sometimes, however, the movies are so good that even pros can use them to teach.Business Insider: A daily selection of stories, curated just for you. Loading Click Sign up to receive marketing emails and other offers from Insider.Movies often get it wrong when they refer to firearms and how they are used in fights.Filmmakers have always valued what looks cool more than what is actually possible. This includes every 80's hero refusing to carry their guns when they fire and every magazine that every hero's gun can hold.Even though it looks pretty awful, the act of diving sideways and firing pistols from both hands is quite dreadful.There are exceptions to the rule in Hollywood's portrayal of firefights movies. These movies offer a realistic depiction of how armed conflicts actually unfold while still offering something for the audience to be excited about.Although these movies are not realistic from the end, they offer at least one firefight that is realistic enough for even the most highly-trained warfighters to reach the edge of their seats.1. It's Delta's moment to shine: "Sicario"The 2015 Sicario border scene is worth examining from many angles. Although some aspects of the scene may not be realistic, it offers an excellent exercise in filmmaking and a demonstration of the abilities of those who make it onto elite teams like Delta.These men, unlike the Chuck Norris portrayals of Delta in the past, are short on words but heavy on action. They use their skills to not only neutralize enemies, but also to keep the situation contained.The viewer feels the tension build up to the rapid conclusion, even though the operators seem unphased.It's not about being unphased, but getting the job done. As special operators will testify, it's more about being focused and less about being uninhibited. For the rest of us, it looks almost the same.2. 2.I vividly recall my parents returning home from their long-planned date night in 1998 when "Saving Private Ryan” premiered.My father was a Vietnam veteran who had struggled with certain elements of his service. He was excited about the new Tom Hanks wartime epic by Steven Spielberg, but found the opening scene, which depicts the graphic reality of World War II's Normandy invasion, too real to handle.My dad, who had never spoken of his deployment time, decided to leave the theater and spend the remainder of the evening in his bedroom.Although this list celebrates realism in cinema in spirit, it can sometimes feel too heavy.Many veterans echo my father's feelings about the film. He did finally watch it at home alone, and he called the opening sequence, often hailed as a masterpiece in filmmaking, one of their most difficult scenes.3. Val Kilmer helps train Green Berets: 'Heat'Hollywood's legendary 10-minute shootout in Heat is well-known for its dramatic scenes.The film's production team shut down downtown Los Angeles for six weeks. On Saturdays and Sundays, it turned the city into an open-air war zone. Actors arrived prepared to play their roles. The production brought in British SAS operatives to teach the actors combat techniques at the LA County Sheriff's combat shooting ranges.Legend has it that Val Kilmer was so good at the training that the shot of him setting fire to multiple directions and then reloading his weapon (without cutting the scene) was shown at Fort Bragg in training for the American Green Berets.Marines in training at MCRD San Diego were also shown how to retreat from fire under fire.
