5 simple things movies get wrong about clearing houses

Hollywood works hard to produce great movies, there's no doubt about that. Plenty of industry professionals are working around the clock, 7 days per week, to provide top-shelf entertainment to the masses. And while (most) studios try their best to depict military tactics as accurately as possible, they often fall short. One area in particular where they always seem to get things wrong is urban combat — specifically, the most fundamental component: clearing buildings.

Now, don't get us wrong — there are plenty of movies that nail it perfectly (typically the ones with a good military adviser, hint hint) but we've seen plenty of mistakes make it all the way to the silver screen. After all, there's a reason I'm writing this article.

Here are some of the most basic rules that get broken consistently in movies.

If you've got someone watching your back, no worries.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Melanie A Wolf)

Never enter a room alone

It's the cardinal rule of military operations in urban terrain (or, MOUT): You should never, under any circumstances, enter a room by yourself. At minimum, you need to bring one other person with you. If you enter a room alone, you could get cut down by an enemy and there'd be nobody to back you up.

Time and time again, we'll see brazen heroes kick down doors solo — even when they've got teammates available.

Drop your gun, enemy drops you.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jesus Sepulveda Torres)

Keep your gun up

Keep your gun up; keep your guard up. If a building hasn't been cleared yet (we'll get to that in a minute), your gun should remain ready to go. If you drop it in an unclear house, you could be caught off guard at the wrong moment — and it could mean the end of you.

We can't tell you how many times we've seen characters walk through houses with their muzzles pointed at the dirt.

You better yell like someone's life depends on it.

Communicate everything

Everything you see, everything you hear, and everything in between needs to be communicated or repeated. No one can see every space of the room, so it's your job to tell everyone else what you see. This way, if you find enemies, everyone in your unit knows immediately.

We've seen plenty of shows and movies that feature silent warriors that rely on hand signals. In fact, one of the only times we've seen it done right was in Sons of Anarchy. In the second episode of the third season, the Sons close in on the location of the leader of a rival gang. As they move through the house, they communicate every little thing loudly and clearly. Leave it to the lawless to abide by the rules of war.

Make sure to maintain muzzle awareness as well.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jesus Sepulveda Torres)

Move your muzzle with your eyes

If you turn your head, your gun goes with it. If your gun isn't locked with your eyes, you'll need an extra second to get it there if things go south. Needless to say, your enemy doesn't want to give you that extra second.

Characters in movies are always looking around without their gun, even when the character is supposed to be some Special Ops badass.

You never know when an enemy is hiding in a corner or under a table.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Garrett White)

Check every space

A building can only be declared "clear" when every space has been observed. If a building has a basement, attic, or both — you better check 'em. Drawers, cabinets, closets, shelves, holes in the walls — it all gets inspected. If it doesn't, that one drawer you decided was okay could have a f*cking bomb in it.

Funnily enough, in movies, when a character doesn't follow this rule, they'll often been made an example for the rest of the squad.