MovieChat Forums > Match Point (2006) Discussion > The police are so dumb it's not even bel...

The police are so dumb it's not even believable

posted 14 years ago by coolkidm25
42 replies | jump to latest

They thought that he killed her on the way out as she was coming in but why would they think that when it would have been obvious she was turned away from her door when she was shot. Also if he met her on his way out she would have either turned to run which meant she would have been shot in the back or would have stood facing him but in the direction of her door. These things would have been obvious to anyone in forensics. Also a person carrying out a burglary with a shotgun is even more suspicious.

There are so many holes in the burglary theory that even the dumb cop stereotype isn't believable.

[–] go_team_bounty 14 years ago

Not really, she comes out the elevator, burglar stumbles out of the old ladies room with a shotgun, she turns round to see who it is, robber panics and Bang! bye bye scarlett.

If you read this you owe me a dollar.

[–] ohsquigglyline 13 years ago

You watch way too much CSI, dude.

"Miranda has the right to remain... hot"
-CSI Miami

... too damn funny

[–] rogdef 13 years ago

Not to mention the fact that how many petty criminals carry sawed-off shotguns around major cities of England? Not too many, I'd suspect. The fact that Chris had access to shotguns (which the police SHOULD have investigated), and that he had an intense affair with Nola, AND his wife just had a baby, should have sent up red flags. It is only a movie after all, but still I'm not buying it.

[–] samarqand1999 12 years ago

It is just a movie... He shot that old lady and stayed in the room for quite a long period of time, and noone actually called the police. Where were all the neighbours? I mean he made some noice with that gun, didnt he? So it is just a movie.

[–] andykingoftheworld 9 years ago

less then 20* females are shot and killed each year in the UK, the polices behavior is laughable this may be because the script was transplanted from New York to London

*source:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/focus-on-violent-crime/stb-focus-on--violent-crime-and-sexual-offences-2011-12.html#tab-Victims

[–] nicknelson-32447 8 years ago

In the UK sawn-off shotguns are associated with organised crime gangs. The idea that a junkie burglar would have one just doesn't ring true at all.

At most he would have a hand gun. Use of a shot gun would immediately raise the suspicions of the police that the crime was something other than what it appeared.

[–] bazt-93964 8 years ago

Just a movie? What a dumb statement.

[–] luv-italy 13 years ago

First of all, I love this movie.

But, yes, the cops are a bit dumb. Actually, the one cop does figure the whole thing out but because the old lady's wedding ring didn't go over the gate when he threw her jewels away and a real burglar found it and had it on him when he committed a crime, there was reasonable doubt to pursue Chris.

Luck was one of the themes of the movie and he was lucky with the ring.

BUT, the fact that he used his father in laws shot gun AND Nola had written about him in her diary should have been more than enough reason for the police to investigate further. So I do think the cops are dumb. I've watched too much Forensic Files to believe he'd have gotten off that easy.

[–] shauncoop 13 years ago

Someone tell me I'm wrong or right, 'cos I really don't know, but . . .

. . . surely the shot spray from a sawn-off would be much, much wider than the unaltered shotgun Chris used?

Again, don't really know, but surely this'd be immediately obvious to anybody who works in forensic?

[–] PurpleProseOfCairo 13 years ago

You're right, I wondered where they got "sawn-off" from. I rewound just to check Chris the posh tennis coach hadn't sawn off the barrels of his shotgun before going out to do a "blag"! It would have been obvious to even an untrained eye that the spread was not of a sawn-off.

Awight we're The Daamned we're a punk baand and this is called Carn't Be Appy T'day!

[–] bazt-93964 8 years ago

In England shotguns have to be kept under lock and key

[–] carwell 13 years ago

I would say that the theme of this film is "LUCK" as you can see from the movie Woody Allen is trying to compare the tennis ball hitting the net tip with that of the ring hitting the fence and also the Nola 's own diary in the hands of police.

It is that split second of luck that decides all the outcome. But in reality a smart murderer cannot be so lucky or easy to escape the truth of science. The police has not even consider to examine and pick up tissue sample from the suspect to match the sample tissue that should have been spotted and found in the old lady 's flat.

[–] taibeen 13 years ago

I wasn't so much concerned with the weapon as I was that wouldn't an autopsy on Nola reveal to the Police that she was pregnant with his child at the time of the murder?

Wouldn't that up the motive immensely?

[–] zetret 13 years ago

I believe the user "luv-italy" makes a right argument.
The cop just gave up, inspite of all the above arguments.

The question is , "would he have been convicted in court?" .
Think about it. Peel the onion.
(Eventhough she was pregnant, the old lady's coin (with her name in it) was found in another "dead" man's pocket. That is enough evidence for Chris to come out. )

So, The answer is no. The point is, he believed in luck throughout and it was luck that helped him in life rather than in his tennis matches.

The police aren't dumb. They just don't stand a chance against the luck this man had.

Hope this was helpful.

[–] Erinah 13 years ago

In fact it was so unbelievable, I have not even realized, it's the end of the movie. I thought it's just a commercial break and was surprised when some other program started on TV..
:)

[–] chiefbrody62 11 years ago

yeah Chris even said earlier in the movie that we rely on luck more than hard work more than we know.

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 7 years ago

I would say that the theme of this film is "LUCK" as you can see from the movie Woody Allen is trying to compare the tennis ball hitting the net tip with that of the ring hitting the fence and also the Nola 's own diary in the hands of police.

It is that split second of luck that decides all the outcome. But in reality a smart murderer cannot be so lucky or easy to escape the truth of science. The police has not even consider to examine and pick up tissue sample from the suspect to match the sample tissue that should have been spotted and found in the old lady 's flat.

This. I agree.

"I'm the ultimate badass,you do NOT wanna f-ck wit me!"Hudson,Aliens😬

[–] fstopkennedy 13 years ago

The police are dumb or are they busy? Do people really believe in CSI?

The police had usual suspects, they had evidence that some criminal killed the girl, she wasn't such a great celebrity in London, she had no relatives, she had no midia/journalists around the police. So why those policemen would bother?

The case was closed. They had other cases to go through (that is, after some coffee). End of story.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 12 years ago

Bingo. And let's face it: an upper class guy with no criminal history is not going to be hounded relentlessly by the police especially with the old lady getting killed across the hall--it's just too bizarre to think he'd be so diabolical (doubt it's ever happened IRL).

Many murders are never solved, unlike what's portrayed on TV. And many innocent people have been convicted of murder as well.

[–] sillyhat 13 years ago

Presumably, they would have investigated Chris further had they not suddenly found the body of another burglar with the old lady's wedding ring in his possession. That's a pretty major bit of circumstantial evidence there.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] screwtape2713 13 years ago

Uhmm, no it wouldn't. A ballistics test matches a bullet to a particular firearm by matching the rifling in the barrel to the rifling marks indented into the bullet during firing. Even in the same make/model of firearm, minute differences in manufacturing tolerances on the barrel plus individual wear patterns make the rifling marks unique, like a fingerprint.

A shotgun is a smoothbore - it doesn't HAVE rifling. Anything fired from it, even single-round slugs, just goes wobbling down the barrel without being touched by anything. This means a shotgun firing slugs has an accurate range of 100 m or less, like an old-fashioned musket, but it also means that even a shotgun slug cannot be matched positively to a single gun. As for shot pellets - forget it. They go flying down the barrel in a clump.

Your CSI ballisticians will be able to tell you what size shot the woman was hit with, and from the number of pellets and size of the entry wound can probably tell you what gauge shotgun was likely used and from how far away, but that's about it. They might also be able to match the pellets to a specific brand of ammunition if they are very good and/or very lucky, which would help if a suspect has both a shotgun and that make of ammo in his possession. But it's never going to be an exact match.

[–] shoobe01-1 10 years ago

This. And note they showed him keeping the shells, so he did some traceable stuff right.

They /might/ have been able to recover a pellet or get some grooves off the wad that indicated the choke installed, but that's dependent on things not being destroyed on impact so is pretty hit or miss for this range.

CSI-ballisticians: Shotguns spread out VERY slowly. A sawed-off shotgun would have essentially the same pattern as a full choke at inside-a-room ranges we're talking about here.

I thought the sawed-off fixation was perfect. They know that's common with criminals and decided that's the best way to sneak one in the house, so were even looking to things like a /missing/ gun from the estate because sawing is destructive. They were still on the wrong track for a borrowed and broken down gun, returned.

All believable.

[–] MrNobody685 13 years ago

An autopsy of Nola would of revealed that the she was pregnant. The police knew that Chris, had an affair with her. In reality the police would then of taken Chris's DNA to check for paternety, hence providing a strong motive for Chris to be the main suspect.

[–] alzanden-1 12 years ago

I think the way they think it happened was totally feasible. Nola comes home, she walks past Mrs. Eastby's apartment to her own door, as she is fumbling for the keys the "burglar" comes running out of the old lady's apartment. Nola hears the commotion so she turns around, sees the burglar, he panics at being seen and shoots her.

[–] Moovee_fan 12 years ago

Didn't the old lady just let him in earlier and he gave his name, his identity or relationship to Nola and even says he was in the apartment before?

Too many holes and not plausible.

[–] jtf1986 12 years ago

Er, what does that have to do with anything? Its not like the old lady is alive to tell the police that. What isn't plausible? What holes?