Shoot the Fuel Tank: Difference between revisions

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== [[Comic Books]] ==
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Quite possibly justified in' '[[X Men|X-Men]]''. To quote Cyclops:
* Quite possibly justified in' '[[X-Men]]''. To quote Cyclops:
{{quote| "Blowing up a car is a lot harder than it looks in the movies. Puncturing both sides of a fuel tank to draw in the proper amount of oxygen is a million-to-one shot. Thankfully, [[Improbable Aiming Skills|I'm a pretty good shot]]."}}
{{quote| "Blowing up a car is a lot harder than it looks in the movies. Puncturing both sides of a fuel tank to draw in the proper amount of oxygen is a million-to-one shot. Thankfully, [[Improbable Aiming Skills|I'm a pretty good shot]]."}}
* ''[[Sin City]]'' had a scene in which the Old Town girls opened fire on a cop car with machine guns. Eventually, it blew up, implying this trope.
* ''[[Sin City]]'' had a scene in which the Old Town girls opened fire on a cop car with machine guns. Eventually, it blew up, implying this trope.
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== [[Film]] ==
== [[Film]] ==
* This is how [[James Bond (Film)|James Bond]] makes his escape in the opening sequence of ''[[Casino Royale (Film)|Casino Royale]]'', he shoots a propane tank with a handgun.
* This is how [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] makes his escape in the opening sequence of ''[[Casino Royale]]'', he shoots a propane tank with a handgun.
** He also does this at the end of ''[[Quantum of Solace (Film)|Quantum of Solace]]'' with a hydrogen tank.
** He also does this at the end of ''[[Quantum of Solace]]'' with a hydrogen tank.
*** To be fair, the building was already on fire.
*** To be fair, the building was already on fire.
* ''[[Jaws (Film)|Jaws]]'' did it with a compressed air tank.
* ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' did it with a compressed air tank.
** Also busted by the ''[[Myth Busters]]''.
** Also busted by the ''[[Myth Busters]]''.
* Played straight (and in slow motion) by Morpheus during the freeway chase of ''[[The Matrix Reloaded]]''.
* Played straight (and in slow motion) by Morpheus during the freeway chase of ''[[The Matrix Reloaded]]''.
** Strange, when you consider this is averted in the first movie, though that was with a helicopter and not a car. The only effect [[Shoot the Fuel Tank|shooting the fuel tank]] had was an empty tank a few moments later.
** Strange, when you consider this is averted in the first movie, though that was with a helicopter and not a car. The only effect [[Shoot the Fuel Tank|shooting the fuel tank]] had was an empty tank a few moments later.
** Hell it was averted a few minutes earlier when Morpheus' Cadillac was shot about 1500 times from all directions during the car chase, which must have hit the fuel tank at least once, and nothing happens to it.
** Hell it was averted a few minutes earlier when Morpheus' Cadillac was shot about 1500 times from all directions during the car chase, which must have hit the fuel tank at least once, and nothing happens to it.
* ''[[Silent Night Deadly Night (Film)|Silent Night Deadly Night]] 2'''s "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRBlzttL6Jo Bingo!]" scene (which immediately follows the infamous "[[Memetic Mutation|GARBAGE DAY!]]").
* ''[[Silent Night, Deadly Night|Silent Night Deadly Night]] 2'''s "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRBlzttL6Jo Bingo!]" scene (which immediately follows the infamous "[[Memetic Mutation|GARBAGE DAY!]]").
* ''[[The Bourne Series (Film)|The Bourne Identity]]'': Bourne shoots a propane tank with a shotgun to distract the enemy/provide some smoke cover.
* ''[[The Bourne Series (film)|The Bourne Identity]]'': Bourne shoots a propane tank with a shotgun to distract the enemy/provide some smoke cover.
* Done in ''[[Mission Impossible (Film)|Mission Impossible]]''. To a moving vehicle, ''from'' a moving motorcycle.
* Done in ''[[Mission Impossible (film)|Mission Impossible]]''. To a moving vehicle, ''from'' a moving motorcycle.
* Subverted in ''[[Last Action Hero (Film)|Last Action Hero]]''. {{spoiler|When Jack Slater enters the real world, he chases Benedict until Benedict hops into a taxi. When Slater shoots at the cab, he is surprised to find that it does not explode.}}
* Subverted in ''[[Last Action Hero]]''. {{spoiler|When Jack Slater enters the real world, he chases Benedict until Benedict hops into a taxi. When Slater shoots at the cab, he is surprised to find that it does not explode.}}
* Averted in ''[[Speed (Film)|Speed]]'', when the cop trying to defuse the bomb by suspending himself near the undercarriage of the speeding bus accidently stabs the fuel tank with a screwdriver...which only causes the bus to leak fuel.
* Averted in ''[[Speed]]'', when the cop trying to defuse the bomb by suspending himself near the undercarriage of the speeding bus accidently stabs the fuel tank with a screwdriver...which only causes the bus to leak fuel.
* Fully justified however in ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', as the opening scene has [[Chuck Norris]] loading his sniper rifle from an ammunition case of 7.62mm Armor-Piercing Incendiary rounds.
* Fully justified however in ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', as the opening scene has [[Chuck Norris]] loading his sniper rifle from an ammunition case of 7.62mm Armor-Piercing Incendiary rounds.
* Kyle Reece crouches down and fires his shotgun at the gas tank underneath a car in a vain effort to slow down [[The Terminator]].
* Kyle Reece crouches down and fires his shotgun at the gas tank underneath a car in a vain effort to slow down [[The Terminator]].
** A gas tank does explode after a crash in ''[[Terminator 2]]'', but that's only because a live wire sparked next to the leaking fuel.
** A gas tank does explode after a crash in ''[[Terminator 2]]'', but that's only because a live wire sparked next to the leaking fuel.
* In ''[[Iron Eagle (Film)|Iron Eagle]]'', Doug Masters blows up an oil refinery as part of his scheme to force the bad guys to release his father. Cluster munitions will make fuel tanks burn quite nicely.
* In ''[[Iron Eagle]]'', Doug Masters blows up an oil refinery as part of his scheme to force the bad guys to release his father. Cluster munitions will make fuel tanks burn quite nicely.
* Done in ''[[Inception (Film)|Inception]]'', in the infamous [[Ho Yay|"Dream a little bigger"]] scene. Of course, it was justified in that {{spoiler|it was in a dream}} (oh yeah and that could've been an explosive Eames shot but who really cares).
* Done in ''[[Inception]]'', in the infamous [[Ho Yay|"Dream a little bigger"]] scene. Of course, it was justified in that {{spoiler|it was in a dream}} (oh yeah and that could've been an explosive Eames shot but who really cares).
* ''[[Unreliable Narrator|Might]]'' have happened in ''[[American Psycho]]''; even Patrick seems bewildered at the explosion.
* ''[[Unreliable Narrator|Might]]'' have happened in ''[[American Psycho]]''; even Patrick seems bewildered at the explosion.
* At the very beginning of ''[[Cars 2]]'', Finn McMissile launches a bomb at several oil barrels while escaping the Lemons' oil rig in order to stave off his archnemeses, the Lemons.
* At the very beginning of ''[[Cars 2]]'', Finn McMissile launches a bomb at several oil barrels while escaping the Lemons' oil rig in order to stave off his archnemeses, the Lemons.
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* Happens in almost every episode of ''[[Alarm Fur Cobra 11]]''.
* Happens in almost every episode of ''[[Alarm Fuer Cobra 11]]''.
* ''[[Myth Busters]]'' busted it until they tried special rounds, and a lot of them.
* ''[[Myth Busters]]'' busted it until they tried special rounds, and a lot of them.
** They still didn't get an explosion, just a fire.
** They still didn't get an explosion, just a fire.
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* ''[[Lost]]'': in "The Variable," Jack fires at a gas tank to escape Dharma security.
* ''[[Lost]]'': in "The Variable," Jack fires at a gas tank to escape Dharma security.
** Averted in season 4, though. The helicopter survives a massive firefight with several leaking holes in the gas tank, but never explodes.
** Averted in season 4, though. The helicopter survives a massive firefight with several leaking holes in the gas tank, but never explodes.
* Done in ''[[Torchwood (TV)|Torchwood]]: Children of Earth,'' when the bad guys are pursuing, Gwen uses this tactic to buy themselves some time. It works.
* Done in ''[[Torchwood]]: Children of Earth,'' when the bad guys are pursuing, Gwen uses this tactic to buy themselves some time. It works.
* Subverted in ''[[Burn Notice]]''. Turns out that shooting a car's gas tank mostly just results in an empty gas tank. Shooting a gas tank with plastic bags full of acetone peroxide taped to it, on the other hand....
* Subverted in ''[[Burn Notice]]''. Turns out that shooting a car's gas tank mostly just results in an empty gas tank. Shooting a gas tank with plastic bags full of acetone peroxide taped to it, on the other hand....
** In another episode, shooting a propane tank merely results in a cloud of cold gas, unless there happens to be an open flame nearby...
** In another episode, shooting a propane tank merely results in a cloud of cold gas, unless there happens to be an open flame nearby...
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* The first ''[[Half Life]]'' game had a warhead that could be shot to explode and get a [[Nonstandard Game Over]], and at least ''[[Half Life]]'' 2 and the episodes have [[Exploding Barrels]].
* The first ''[[Half Life]]'' game had a warhead that could be shot to explode and get a [[Nonstandard Game Over]], and at least ''[[Half Life]]'' 2 and the episodes have [[Exploding Barrels]].
* ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'' has fuel canisters and propane tanks that can be set down and shot to create a wall/sea of flames to kill the [[Our Zombies Are Different|infected]] with.
* ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'' has fuel canisters and propane tanks that can be set down and shot to create a wall/sea of flames to kill the [[Our Zombies Are Different|infected]] with.
* In the train level in ''[[Star Fox (Video Game)|Star Fox]] 64'', shooting a fuel car will detonate all adjacent train cars.
* In the train level in ''[[Star Fox (series)|Star Fox]] 64'', shooting a fuel car will detonate all adjacent train cars.
* The Boiler of a [[Steampunk]] tank in ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]'' does this.
* The Boiler of a [[Steampunk]] tank in ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]'' does this.
* ''[[True Crime]]'' has an unlockable feature that allows you to lock on to gas tanks in [[Bullet Time]] for easier destruction.
* ''[[True Crime]]'' has an unlockable feature that allows you to lock on to gas tanks in [[Bullet Time]] for easier destruction.
* Fuel tanks are high-scoring targets in the two ''[[River Raid (Video Game)|River Raid]]'' games, and they explode when you shoot them (but won't destroy any nearby enemies).
* Fuel tanks are high-scoring targets in the two ''[[River Raid]]'' games, and they explode when you shoot them (but won't destroy any nearby enemies).
* One of the more notorious elements of ''[[Modern Warfare]]'' and its sequel, albeit it will take several rounds.
* One of the more notorious elements of ''[[Modern Warfare]]'' and its sequel, albeit it will take several rounds.
* Seen in the latest ''[[Borderlands (Video Game)|Borderlands]]'' DLC, ''The Secret Armory of General Knoxx''. Badass Lance Troopers carry fuel tanks on their backs, which explode if you deal enough damage. Also seen in the original game, where Jakobs fuel storage tanks will explode if shot up enough. Strangely enough, you can't do this to the cars.
* Seen in the latest ''[[Borderlands]]'' DLC, ''The Secret Armory of General Knoxx''. Badass Lance Troopers carry fuel tanks on their backs, which explode if you deal enough damage. Also seen in the original game, where Jakobs fuel storage tanks will explode if shot up enough. Strangely enough, you can't do this to the cars.
* The Red Alert series of ''[[Command and Conquer]]'' has missions which feature explosive fuel barrels that are often conveniently placed next to key targets.
* The Red Alert series of ''[[Command and Conquer]]'' has missions which feature explosive fuel barrels that are often conveniently placed next to key targets.
** And the second game of the Tiberian series does this with less-explosive ammo crates.
** And the second game of the Tiberian series does this with less-explosive ammo crates.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Shoot_the_Fuel_Tank"