Of course, this kind of things may happen only in movies: boxers who win when the chances are low; superspies who can easily dodge the bullet; archeologists-pranksters… There are no such people in real life, are there? Sure there are!
John McClane Die hard 1 – 4.0 (1988-2007)
Grizzled retired cop who has a rare talent of getting to the wrong place in a right time full of shadowy characters.
In real life: Ken Hammond
While Ken Hammond, a policeman from the state of Utah was walking down the street with his pregnant wife on the St. Valentine’s Day, some armed psycho started shooting at the customers of the department store in Salt Lake City. Hammond told his wife to hide in a safe place, then took his gun and helped to shoot down the killer.
“I had my gun with me and I thought that I had to do something. No matter where I am: in my own town or not, if I can protect as many people as possible and prevent new murders I must do it, – said Hammond who, to be honest, has not much in common with the main character of the movie, – I had to stop the violence”
Captain Jack Sparrow The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003 – 2007)
Crazy, eccentric pirate with odd taste in clothes but with flawless taste in women.
In real life: John Rackham (Calico Jack)
Rackham a sea-robber of XVIII century who used to wear calico suit could boast a wardrobe and a list of love affairs that could make even the Jack Sparrow jealous. He pitched a woo with woman pirate Anne Bonny, who used to wear man clothes so she could swim with him on his ship. Unfortunately, unlike his fictional offspring Rackham didn’t come back from the dead: British authorities caught him and hung in Port Royal. His body was put in the cage and left to rot on the Deadman’s Reef. That was harsh.
Doc Emmet Brown Back to the Future 1-3 (1985 – 1990)
Scientist with the eyes of a madman, obsessed with idea of time travel.
In real life: Ronald Mallett
Mallett, professor of the Kentucky University, lost his father when he was a kid, in 50s of the XX century. Ever since, inspired by the novel of Herbert Wells “The Time Machine” he’s been struggling to bring to life the idea of time travel. “I thought that if I could create the time machine, I would come back to the past, meet my father, warn him about the future and safe his life…” So far Mallett only came up with idea of rotating laser which warps the space. We still keep dreaming about operative device in form of modernized “DeLorean”.
Clarice Starling The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001)
Brave FBI agent who can get over the bad guys.
In real life: Candice DeLong
Starling may envy DeLong with her 20 years career of federal service. As an operative agent and criminal psychologist she was tracing terrorists, catching serial killers and even helped to seize Theodore Kaczynski (terrorist also known as Unabomber) “Most agents have a certain goal: to catch an A class fugitive, to arrest some dangerous terrorist or to save a child from the kidnapper. I made it all” – said DeLong after she retired.
Rocky Balboa Rocky 1-6 (1976 – 2006)
Unemployed boxer from cheap side who suddenly gets the chance to fight with the champion
In real life: Chuck Wepner
“All my life I’ve been trying to survive. If I overcame the service in Marine Corps, I think I’ll be able to outlive the fight with Ali”. Wepner, the boxer from New Jersey, at the end of his career got an incredible opportunity to fight for the champion title with Muhammad Ali. Nobody believed in him. But even being hardly beaten Wepner held on during 15 rounds. After that the victory was given to Ali for the technical knockout. Wepner even managed to knock Ali down in the 9th round. “Hey, I knocked him down!” – said the boxer to his coach Bufano during the break. “Well done, – he replied. – but he looks really pissed off now”.
Indiana Jones Indiana Jones 1-4 (1981 – 2008)
American archeologist who is afraid of snakes and able to rob the lost artifacts from Nazis.
In real life: Hiram Bingham III
Bingham was as extravagant as the real archeologist can possibly be. He combined his extraordinary intelligence (he graduated from Harvard, Yale and Berkeley) with the passion for action (he was a pilot during the World War II). In 1911 Bingham was exploring the Andes in search of the lost Inca city Machu Picchu and even wrote a best-seller. “Suddenly I saw the walls of the ruined houses. As the centuries went by, they became partly covered with trees and moss, but in shadow, between the thickets of bamboo and vines appeared the walls of white granite”
Quint Jaws (1975)
Do you want to catch a big shark crashed out? You need Quint then…
In real life: Frank Mundus
Forget about fisher’s trawler: if you wanna catch a giant man-eating fish, call Frank. He’s been a professional shark hunter since 1951 and once caught a 1350 kilo white shark only 20 meters away from the Amagansett beaches in the state of New York. “The same summer I caught another big fish there, but authorities told me to shut up course they didn’t want to frighten away the tourists” – just like in movie.
Charles Foster Kane Citizen Kane (1941)
Media megalomaniac tycoon passionate for young girls, big houses and kinder sledges.
In real life: William Randolph Hearst
“News – is something that someone doesn’t want to be published; all the rest is advertising”.
Kane’s image was taken from newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. The movie shows all the aspects of his life: from failed career of a politician to his underage wife, tells about his socialist views and his spacious palace in Hollywood hills. Please note that it wasn’t said a word about his memories of lost toys before his death in 1951…
Danny Ocean Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Ocean’s Twelve (2004), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
The king of thieves.
In real life: Victor Lustig
Do you think that stealing a fortune from the Las Vegas casino vault is a big deal? Then try to sell the Eiffel Tower to a scrap metal buyer. That was not the only thing that Victor Lustig managed to get away with. He had 45 false names, could perfectly well speak 5 foreign languages and was arrested 50 times only in the USA. Born in Bohemia he, without a doubt, was the greatest scab ever. Lustig even gained $5000 from the mafia legend Al Capone. Considering all that, natty episodes with the character of Andy Garcia look a wee bit childish.
James Bond Movies about James Bond (1962 – 2006)
Brilliant superspy who has a license to kill
In real life: Sidney Reilly
At the beginning of XX century in the field of espionage nobody could be compared with Sidney Reilly, originally Russian who simultaneously worked for 4 countries (including United Kingdom). He performed incredible tasks changing his appearance (once he penetrated on the millionaire’s yacht dressed like priest) and didn’t feel the lack of murders, money and women. Reilly with joy went on a journey to Moscow in 1918 to kill Lenin and with the same enthusiasm seduced Russian Minister’s wife to get information about the weapon supply to Germany. Unfortunately Reilly was another object lesson of a quote “we don’t live twice”: Russians caught him and executed in 1925.
Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell Top Gun (1986)
The best shooter of American Naval Forces. 100% free agent
In real life: Randy “Duke” Cunningham
Cunningham (“Duke”) and his navigator Driscoll («Irish») where the only aces during the war in Vietnam. Cunningham nearly lost his chance: he was almost expelled from the Navy infantry Academy. After the war in Vietnam he became a flying instructor in the aviation school and later on started career of a politician. At the moment Cunningham serves 10 years in prison for the participation in multi-million scandal related with pension payments.
Thelma and Louise Thelma and Louise (1991)
Good girls run from the law steering the woman-haters onto the right path
In real life: Rose Marie Turford and Joyce Carolyn Stevens
In 1994 Turford and Stevens changed their boring provincial lifestyle for criminal entertainments and started having fun all along the USA and Canada. They allured about 10 men to the motel where tied them under the pretext of S&M games. After that they robbed their victims and left the crime scene. When Turford and Stevens were arrested they were released on bail and went on the run. Canadian cavalry and FBI had to make a considerable afford to catch them in Toronto…One of their naive neighbors said: “Joyce would never do something like that, she is so timid!”
Michael Corleone The Godfather 1-3 (1972 -1990)
Sophisticated but pitiless head of Italian mafia in New York
In real life: John Gotti
Gotti didn’t inherit the position of the head of a criminal clan Gambino: he got it by eliminating his antecessor. With the same cruelty and aggression as Corleone of Coppola, he pushed his family to the top of New York mafia. Gotti who got his nickname “Dapper Don” for his fancy for expensive suites was a violent leader. When in 1992 he was caught by FBI, the incrimination included 13 murders, crime confederation, usury, racket and r
esistance to the law enforcements.
Andy Dufresne The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Peaceful genius who picked, broke through and bellied his way out of prison.
In real life: David McMillan
Tree years of his 17-year prison sentence in famous prison “Bangkok Hilton” were more than enough for a drug dealer David McMillan. By the year 1996 he finished sawing the bars in his cell with handsaws hidden in posters. McMillan got over four walls and crossed the run-off ditch of 2,5 meters width. Then he covered himself with umbrella and passed over the moat at the front of guards. (“I thought that escapees do not carry umbrellas”). McMillan bought a new passport from locals and abandoned the country. Thai authorities have never bothered him again.
Lara Croft Lara Croft: Tomb Rider (2001) Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life (2003)
Feminine adventurer full of crazy energy.
In real life: Sue Hendrickson
Hendrickson was an amateur hunter for the fossils, sea archeologist and explorer. She discovered fossil whales in desserts of Peru, found 23 million years old butterflies within ember, dived for pearls in Caribbean, revealed Egyptian treasure near Alexandria, got the Chinese porcelain out of 400 years old Spanish galleon and in 1990 discovered the biggest skeleton of tyrannosaur by that time. “I’m just doing everything that any child would dream of: digging out dinosaur skeletons, search drowned ships on the sea bottom” – she says. But nevertheless Hendrickson apparently doesn’t wear skin-tight costumes.
