commentary by Michael L. Bromley
copyright 2005

More entries: see index

... of Automobiles

Mar 14/05: "24" Realistic?

Thought I'd give my piece to the discussions as to whether "24" is realistic. I picked up on last year's show to see how it looks. Okay, it's a good show -- I guess. In tone, imagery, and mood it reminds me of Miami Vice, which was a killer-new, killer-different program in its day. And, like Miami Vice, "24" relies on the dramatic whisper. It's as if Don Johnson and Kiefer Sutherland have set their televised fortunes by speaking in foreplay.

In the episode I watched, the bad guy's daughter is being driven to the Government safe house in a Mercury sedan -- not armored. Big mistake, especially if the free world depends on the car's defenses. They drive along, and we're given that sense of doom, heavy music, vivid graphics of them in route. Then -- da-da-da-dahn -- the car slam stops at train crossing, and as they await the passing cars, a motorcyclist slides up alongside. An agent in the back seat nervously looks his way. The camera shines on the girl next to her. Tension builds.

And the bloody car just sits there!

As I wrote in Stretching It: The Story of the Limousine, the security-conscious chauffeur would never allow this situation. Quoting from security expert Marcel de Kock,

The chauffeur's attention is always to the outside, to the surroundings, not to the client or the hotel. The chauffeur always keeps his hands free. The client will have to carry the attaché case himself. The chauffeur looks around the car. His attention is drawn to the outside area.

Marcel would never have allowed this situation, sinister or not. "There are lot's of ways to know if you're being followed," he says. "Every time I hit the brake, I'm looking in the rear view mirror." He is always looking around, always aware. "Are there three mean looking guys, or just an old lady? Of course, old ladies can be dangerous, too." Motorcycles, he says, "are of great concern."

So I've given up on the reality of this show, even if, as it turns out, that motorcycle was just a dramatic ruse. They lost me on a bad chauffeur.
 

Here for previous entry
More entries: see index