Plot Devices: Chekov's Gun.

3380   7.7   8.3 

Loading The Gun:
During a heart-to-heart over the radio, Sgt. Al Powell tell McClane that he's never drawn his gun in active duty since accidentally killing a kid, back when he was a rookie.


Firing The Gun:
At the climax of the film, henchman Karl managed to whip out an automatic rifle from under his police blanket and it about to lay waste to McClane, when out of nowhere Sgt. Powell steps in and blows Karl away.

The Flagship's rating:

3349   6.2   6.7 

Loading The Guns:
1. Graham's younger brother Merrill is a former Minor League Baseball star, making him rather handy with a bat...

2. Graham's daughter Bo has a peculiar habit of leaving glasses of water lying around the house, complaining that they taste funny.


Firing The Gun
1. Merrill manages to attack the alien with his baseball bat, remaining a safe distance from it's poisonous gas.

2. The water lying around the house it potently toxic towards the alien invader, and Merrill uses the multiple glasses lying around as a weapon against the invader.

The Flagship's rating:

3053   7.6   8 

Loading The Gun:
Discussing an antiquated Winchester Rifle and whether it would actually work during a casual drinking session in the pub.



Firing The Gun:
Later on, following the small matter of a zombie apocalypse, the survivors find themselves holed up in the same pub and are temporarily saved by using the Winchester rifle to annihilate zombies.

The Flagship's rating:

4187   7.2   7.6 

Loading The Gun:
Despite being set trillions of years in the future, Dallas still prefers to use matches to light his cigarettes. Lo-and-behold though, he only has a few matches left...


Firing The Gun:
In the climax of the film, an example of 'fire' must be introduced to the final pillar of the four natural elements. Luckily, Dallas has his matchbox.

The Flagship's rating:

589   7   7.3 

Loading The Gun:
Blank is given a pen containing the business details of a former friend at his High School Reunion.



Firing The Gun:
Blank later uses the pen to dispatch another assassin in self-defence. This leads to many major characters discovering that Blank is in fact a professional killer after all.

The Flagship's rating:

6017   6.7   7.2 

Loading The Gun:
At the Men In Black headquarters, a picture of two flying-saucer-shaped towers at Flushing Meadows hangs on the wall.



Firing The Gun:
Later on in the film, the villainous alien attempts to make his final escape from Earth by commandeering a UFO atop one of the towers, which happens to be in perfect working condition.

The Flagship's rating:

4166   7.7   8.6 

Loading The Gun:
Early in the film, John Connor is shown displaying his prowess at hacking number pads, using a machine which decodes PIN numbers at ATMs.



Firing The Gun:
Later on, the stakes are much higher and Connor uses the device to hack a keypad at Cyberdyne Systems.

The Flagship's rating:

1598   7.1   7.6 

Loading The Gun:
After rescuing a girl from being raped by no-good hood rats, rookie cop Jake Hoyt pockets the girl's wallet after she leaves the crime scene.



Firing The Gun: Later, Hoyt is about to be assassinated by thugs when they find the girl's wallet. The thug in charge is related to the would-be rape victim and upon hearing that Hoyt saved her, lets him leave with his life.

The Flagship's rating:

1999   7.5   7.5 

Loading The Gun:
In what looks like just another game-cultured special effect, Scott Pilgrim claims a 1-Up from the corner of the screen.



Firing The Gun:
In the grand finale, Scott loses a battle with the final boss, but don't worry! He has the extra-life and is able to return for another crack at the big bad.

The Flagship's rating:

2237   7.1   7.5 

Loading The Gun:
Whilst tied to a bomb, about to be detonated on a container-ship, McClane takes time out to ask Gruber for some aspirin for his hangover, despite his hands being tied and there being no plausible way for him to take them. Gruber duly obliges, throwing him the entire pot.



Firing The Gun:
After making a miraculous escape from the stricken ship, it appears Gruber has escaped. McClane whips out the asprin and sees the address that they were purchased, thus leading him to the villain's main hideaway.

The Flagship's rating:

3249   7.5   8.1 

Loading The Gun:
This entire film is littered with Chekov's guns, but perhaps the one that sticks out the most is when we learn that Jamal has no idea who the third musketeer is from Dumas' novel.



Firing The Gun:
We all knew it was coming from that point onwards. The final question in the quiz show asks: 'Who is the third musketeer?' No worries though, Jamal flukes it.

The Flagship's rating:

2577   7.8   8.5 

Loading The Gun:
In a throwaway remark early on, Ripley is trying to be useful in a room full of gung-ho marines. When asked what help a weak ol' female could possibly be, she replies "Well, I can drive that loader over there..." and proceeds to demonstrate efficient prowess with the loading machine.



Firing The Gun:
In order to even the odds with the humongous Queen Alien at the end of the film, Ripley dons the loading suit again and takes her on in a fight to the death!

The Flagship's rating:

1046   6.5   7.1 

Loading The Gun:
In an early sojourn through the forests, the travelling party pass an unexploded World War II bomb, sitting happily in the undergrowth, harmless to all around...



Firing The Gun:
...until John Rambo gets his hands on it! Apparently on his list of skills is the re-wiring of antiquated demolitions into deadlier booby traps, and Rambo manages to wipe out half of the Bolivian army with a quick reprogramming of the bomb.

The Flagship's rating: