MovieChat Forums > The Crow (1994) Discussion > Why was there a real bullet on the set t...

Why was there a real bullet on the set to begin with? And who...


loaded the gun. This has always been one of the most disturbing deaths for me. It seemed completely avoidable and crazy that this happened.

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Yes, there were real bullets on the set. Apparently what happened was they sent a prop guy to buy real bullets and then do a DIY conversion of those bullets into "blanks".

Here's a description (bolding is mine) from Wiki (yes it's Wikipedia but the story is well documented and likely to be as accurate in this case as any other information)

A previous scene using the same gun had called for inert dummy cartridges fitted with bullets (but no powder or primer) to be loaded in the revolver for a close-up scene; for film scenes which utilize a revolver (where the bullets are visible from the front) and do not require the gun to actually be fired, dummy cartridges provide the realistic appearance of actual rounds.

Instead of purchasing commercial dummy cartridges, the film's prop crew created their own by pulling the bullets from live rounds, dumping the powder charge then reinserting the bullets.

However, they unknowingly or unintentionally left the live primer in place at the rear of the cartridge. At some point during filming the revolver was apparently discharged with one of these improperly-deactivated cartridges in the chamber, setting off the primer with enough force to drive the bullet partway into the barrel, where it became stuck (a condition known as a squib load). The prop crew either failed to notice this or failed to recognize the significance of this issue.

In the fatal scene, which called for the revolver to be actually fired at Lee from a distance of 3.6 - 4.5 meters (12–15 feet), the dummy cartridges were exchanged with blank rounds, which feature a live powder charge and primer, but no bullet, thus allowing the gun to be fired without the risk of an actual projectile. But since the bullet from the dummy round was already trapped in the barrel, this caused the .44 Magnum bullet to be fired out of the barrel with virtually the same force as if the gun had been loaded with a live round, and it struck Lee in the abdomen, mortally wounding him.[9] He was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he underwent 6 hours of surgery. However, attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 p.m. EST. The shooting was ruled an accident.




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for film scenes which utilize a revolver (where the bullets are visible from the front) .....

dosent that take all the fun out of Russian Roulette?

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The metal fragment that killed Brandon was not a typical bullet, but a blank, self-made by the crew. They didn't have money in the budget to buy any more blanks, so they made their own (pretty stupid.) The blank didn't fire correctly and got stuck in the barrel. When the second blank was fired, it propelled the stuck blank out of the barrel, like a real bullet.

Also at fault was the prop master who didn't check if the gun barrel was clear before the second shot. If you can find a copy of Unsolved Mysteries episode about this, it explains it really well. They said ultimately no one was charged because the chain of mistakes involved too many people.

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They broke every rule in the book on movie weapons safety to save money. The whole movie production was rife with shortcuts and a lot of people were seriously injured making this movie.

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Not to mention that some of the cast and crew were doing copious amount of blow on set. Brandon once quipped "there goes $50" when a cameraman sneezed during a take. Not saying the prop master was high, but it's likely that the chain of events that lead to this fatal accident, were in some way connected to careless drug use. It was only a matter of time.

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Do you have any articles that mention the drug problem on set?

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Yikes. That's kind of dismaying to hear.

I read the Bridget Baiss book about the making of the film, and she doesn't mention a drug problem on the set, but then again of course she would just likely avoid detailing that.



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[deleted]

superstarlet_04

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What happened to Brandon sort of reminds me of the death of Owen Hart at Kemper Arena in Kansas City six years later. He too died because of work place negligence and cutting corners to save time and money.

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they left the primer in the gun , a deactivated blank was left in the gun so when fired, the metal penetrated his abdomen and he basically bled out

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This is from Chuck Norris' comments on what happened to Brandon while speaking to Dick Cavett:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEDm014q9M8&lc=Ugxeae-A6rqlit22kqd4AaABAg

Instead buying professionally made dummy bullets so they can show the actor loading the gun with real looking unspent ammo and pointing it an pretend like he firing it, some goof on the movie set just removed the bullet slug from the shell and drained out the gun powder and stuck the slug back in the shell. He did not fire the percussion cap when the slug was out of the shell. And the blast inside the shell from the percussion cap put out enough force to fire the slug into Brandon's bowels. He started bleeding badly in side and they could not get him open in time to sew him up. He bleed out and when in to shock, died on the surgery table :( The actor who shot the gun at him was surprised it really fired :(

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Yes that's a real detailed account, Michael Massee is completely innocent, I think the gun smith went home but they continued on with out him, this could of been completely avoided.

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Yes, it wasn't Massee's fault. Poor guy had to live the rest of his life with that.

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How Brandon Lee actually died on set of The Crow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3cE-Azcw44

These are eyewitness accounts from those who witnessed Brandon's death on set, as well as an experienced Armourer showing exactly what they did with the gun on set in those days, so all the conspiracy crap can be put to rest, this is the proof.

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