Lockpicking in Motion Pictures? ( Picking in Movies & Film )

[billdeserthills]

I had a client a year ago with 8-10 of those padlocks. He didn't have any of the keys & just wanted them off. I picked off a few for impressioning practice later on and turned my Harbor Freight padlock master key on the rest. Those hex shaped shackles sure looked tough, but not for very long

Yes. Those may look though, but they aren't. I'm guessing the only reason masterlock does this is to deter criminals who don't know how to pick locks. Thats the majority of them.

Actually I'm guessing that Master Padlock paid a butt-load of $$$$$ to re-tool their factory, in order to produce the new hex-shaped shackles and then wrote that cost off of their taxes as well. Master padlock is continually changing some minor detail about their padlocks and here I am still stocking the old crappy crap from 25+ years ago. It's soo cute when the client buys a new/ old padlock and then points out how his other one's have a blue plastic border or some such detail. I bet I still have new old stock that still has the code #'s inked on.

[GWiens2001]

That would be some old stock! Have not seen that in well over a decade!

The reason for the hex shackles is simple - the flat surfaces increase the surface area bolt cutters contact - harder to cut with the bolt cutters. Of course, they still pick plenty easily. They do not seem to have improved that aspect since BDH's new old stock was manufactured.

Gordon

[YouLuckyFox]

Did I see Tom Cruise take some old wiring and use it to pick a lock in MI:3?

[billdeserthills]

Did I see Tom Cruise take some old wiring and use it to pick a lock in MI:3?

I missed it, did you see Tom Cruise come out of the closet on Southpark?

[KPick]

Did I see Tom Cruise take some old wiring and use it to pick a lock in MI:3?

I missed it, did you see Tom Cruise come out of the closet on Southpark?

LoL funniest part ever on SP

[billdeserthills]

That would be some old stock! Have not seen that in well over a decade!

The reason for the hex shackles is simple - the flat surfaces increase the surface area bolt cutters contact - harder to cut with the bolt cutters. Of course, they still pick plenty easily. They do not seem to have improved that aspect since BDH's new old stock was manufactured.

Gordon

I cut off a bunch of both old round & the newer hex style and I think they made the hex shape cause they think it looks cool. Didn't feel any harder to cut than the round shackle

Anyone ever cut off the Boron Shackles? I wonder if they are really all that? Aww you aren't gonna tell me this is advanced now are ya?

[Divinorum]

There is a scene in 22 Jump Street where the "brothers" break into the school psychologists office to find medical records. One of them "picks" the lock using a single tool in about 1.5 seconds. It was over in a flash.

[_NSAKEY]

In episode 4 of NBC's Crossbones, the main character has to pick a lock in the course of breaking into a mansion and make a copy of a map. He actually had two tools in the scene, but there weren't any good angles and the keyway looked like it took an old skeleton key.

[KPick]

In episode 4 of NBC's Crossbones, the main character has to pick a lock in the course of breaking into a mansion and make a copy of a map. He actually had two tools in the scene, but there weren't any good angles and the keyway looked like it took an old skeleton key.

I'm sure the media doesn't want to teach anyone how to pick a lock.

[YouLuckyFox]

Yeah, also there is expert viewership. It's way cool when people show us a lock being picked in a movie, but the typical user who is not familiar with it will be confused or bored and disbelief will no longer be suspended. For the typical audience it would be as if they were watching a movie and then it turned into Discovery Channel's "How It's Made." That is why you'll watch a movie and they will have an odd moment where someone has to explain a "firewall" to the protagonist (even though the protagonist would totally know what a firewall was even if he is not a security expert); it's to ensure that if the word must be used in the movie the typical audience member will not be lost and hate the movie. Also known as: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ViewersAreMorons

[Joe Gerardi]

By its very definition, half of the people in the world are below-average intelligence. When intellectual pursuits are beyond them, they veer to non-intellectual pursuits: TV, Facebook, Michael Bay and James Cameron movies, et al.

It follows that 50% would have no clue as to whether the picking is correct; now factor in that many of those of above-average intelligence are ignorant to the requirements of picking, and you end up with a majority of people that don't need to know whether it's correct or not, only that the act in some form is occurring.

That said, in the original Die Hard the SWAT team member was trying to rake the lock to the building correctly, and couldn't get it done, hence the frontal assault.

..Joe

[nite0wl]

Robot and Frank has some very inaccurate lock picking (stick pick in sideways, wiggle, turn) but they do show a well used and customized Peterson tri-fold set with a bunch of euro (.015) picks.

[smokingman]

I was watching a TV series called "Rogue" and saw an undercover cop
use a blank key and a carpenters claw hammer to "bump" a
deadbolt open in 2 stout whacks to enter a perps apartment.
She had the claw hammer stashed inside her leather jacket
like she always carried it there.

[dmanthelocksmith]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already but I heard that the movie "The Bank Job" is pretty accurate as far as showing safe deposit boxes being drilled.

[Lauren]

I had a client a year ago with 8-10 of those padlocks. He didn't have any of the keys & just wanted them off. I picked off a few for impressioning practice later on and turned my Harbor Freight padlock master key on the rest. Those hex shaped shackles sure looked tough, but not for very long

Yes. Those may look though, but they aren't. I'm guessing the only reason masterlock does this is to deter criminals who don't know how to pick locks. Thats the majority of them.

Actually I'm guessing that Master Padlock paid a butt-load of $$$$$ to re-tool their factory, in order to produce the new hex-shaped shackles and then wrote that cost off of their taxes as well. Master padlock is continually changing some minor detail about their padlocks and here I am still stocking the old crappy crap from 25+ years ago. It's soo cute when the client buys a new/ old padlock and then points out how his other one's have a blue plastic border or some such detail. I bet I still have new old stock that still has the code #'s inked on.

......Only to put a cheap case around the laminated body to make the lock look more robust. Peter robbed Paul.