"Boom—"
In the explosion, countless clumps of dirt flew up and rained down on Matthew's body and helmet. An actor next to him was trembling, seemingly terrified by the explosion, unable to move.
The explosions during filming were all real. Although the actual power of the explosives was not great, under the control of the pyrotechnics team, the sound and force were quite astonishing. It was not surprising for a new actor who had not experienced such a scene to be scared stiff.
Matthew held his CAR-15 rifle with one hand, freeing the other to point two fingers at his eyes, then at the front, and shouted, "Cover me!"
Behind the director's monitor not far away, Ridley Scott was about to call cut, but seeing Matthew's actions, he let the filming continue. The person who was originally behind Sergeant Hoot was a recruit who had not experienced actual combat, so such a reaction was normal. This shot could perfectly be used as material for post-editing.
"Boom—"
Another explosion sounded, followed by the gunfire of an AK-47. Matthew looked up and shouted to the other actors dressed as Rangers, "Follow me!"
With that, he was the first to dash out from cover and into the street, lowering his stance and running forward. When he reached the corner of the street, he knelt on one knee, assuming a very standard kneeling firing position, and pulled the trigger repeatedly.
Bang—bang—bang—
Gunshots rang out in succession, and spent casings jumped out and fell to the ground. However, no bullets were fired; the CAR-15 in his hand, of course, did not contain live ammunition, but blank rounds specially prepared by the crew.
According to Matthew's understanding, the film would use very few special effects in post-production. Almost all shots would be completed through live action. Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer were ambitious, wanting to recreate every detail of the battlefield back then.
After firing a few shots, Matthew changed direction and looked back, "Stay low! Stay low!"
He led two soldiers into another street.
"Cut!" Ridley Scott called a stop to the filming. "That's a take!"
Matthew stood up from the ground, took off his helmet, his head covered in sweat. A makeup assistant immediately ran over to wipe away his sweat, while his assistant from the crew came over with a water bottle. Since Matthew had makeup on and was in full gear, he used a straw-type water bottle, which allowed him to drink normally without smudging his makeup.
The actor who had been stunned by the explosion was helped up from behind, looking like he wouldn't be able to participate in filming again for a while.
The crew quickly adjusted the cameras, and two cameras slid along the rails to the street where Matthew was.
Ridley Scott walked over unhurriedly, asking the bearded man walking beside him, "is that the Matthew Horner Helen recommended?"
"Yes," Jack looked over there. "Hoot's name is written on his helmet, no mistake."
Each actor playing an American soldier had their character's surname marked on their helmet. This was designed by director Ridley Scott to make it easier for the audience to distinguish the characters, because under identical, heavy military uniforms, everyone looked similar.
"He's good." Ridley Scott was very satisfied with the recent filming. "Very flexible in his response."
Jack smiled and said, "Helen's recommendations are always spot on."
Ridley Scott nodded, said nothing more, and turned into another street.
He went directly to the actors and said, "Come here! Everyone, come here!"
Matthew immediately put on his helmet and went to Ridley Scott's side. The other two actors also came over, along with the film's military advisor.
"Next, you need to guide the armed helicopter." Ridley Scott demonstrated in person, going to a wall on the street side of a building, squatting down, and pointing to the area ahead where many Black extras were gathered. He said, "You will advance along the wall, all the way to there."
Matthew, squatting behind him, quickly said, "I understand."
"Director Scott!" The military advisor suddenly spoke up, "Excuse me, Director Scott, this scene design does not match the situation at the time."
Ridley Scott immediately stood up. "Oh? Tell me about it."
The purpose of inviting these military professionals from the Delta Force was to restore the battlefield as much as possible during filming and to help them identify errors in detail.
The military advisor was very responsible and said directly, "At that time, Delta Force members wore lightweight plastic helmets. Although they were not bulletproof, they had good anti-impact capabilities. This type of helmet was named 'High-Impact Resistant Helmet' by the Special Operations Command. Delta Force members would not stick to the wall in this situation because walls can cause ricochets. Sometimes bullets would fly far along the wall, making the hit rate higher when sticking to the wall!"
He paused, and seeing that Ridley Scott had not spoken, he continued, "Standing in the middle of the street amidst a hail of bullets requires immense courage to overcome fear. Sticking to the wall is actually more dangerous than standing in the middle of the street, but it feels much safer. The ability to overcome feeling and act according to reason is also one of the differences between Delta Force members and Ranger members."
Ridley Scott thought for a moment and said, "How about this, let's add a scene where Delta Force members discuss this with the Rangers, to prevent the audience from not understanding this part of the scene due to lack of knowledge."
Jerry Bruckheimer did not interfere with the filming; the filming on set was entirely led by Ridley Scott. This kind of adjustment to the scene based on real situations was not a problem at all.
However, this scene was not added for Matthew. Filming then began, and he led two soldiers to advance in the middle of the street until they engaged in a firefight with the Black extras in front, only then was the filming considered complete.
Sergeant Hoot's scenes for the day were finished. Matthew first went to the makeup trailer to remove his makeup, then came to the actors' lounge located on a rooftop, finding James McAvoy and a few others sitting under a large sun umbrella.
"Drink some water." Ben Foster threw a bottle of iced mineral water over. Matthew caught it, then sat on a chair next to Orlando Bloom, twisted it open, and took a sip. The cool sensation went straight to his heart. "That's refreshing!"
Orlando Bloom gestured with the ice cream in his hand, "Want a cup?"
Matthew shook his head, "No thanks."
A series of rattling gunshots suddenly rang out on the street not far away. Filming was still ongoing, and several people, including Matthew, looked over there.
"The way those Black actors hold their guns…" Ben Foster seemed unable to find the right adjective.
Orlando Bloom pursed his lips, "They're playing untrained militiamen." He glanced at the filming set and added, "Most militiamen haven't received formal shooting training. They just pick up a gun and spray wildly, so their hit rate is very low. That's why over 100 American soldiers were surrounded and cut off by thousands of militiamen, yet only 19 were killed."
"There's one thing I've never understood," James McAvoy said, pointing to the Black actor on set who was firing an AK-47. "Why do Black people always like to hold their guns high above their heads when shooting? It's not just in movies; many news footages show Black people doing this."
Orlando Bloom said, "It really seems to be like that."
Ben Foster shook his head, "I don't know."
Matthew put down his water bottle and said, "I've considered this question."
The other three all looked over. James McAvoy asked curiously, "You've considered it?"
Matthew wasn't just talking off the cuff. He had once seen a strange phenomenon in news reports about wars and conflicts in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan regions: Africans rarely aimed when firing, instead holding their guns high above their heads to shoot. Such a captivating posture truly made people curious.
He had specifically looked it up on his smartphone for this reason.
"Tell us," Orlando Bloom urged.
"Well, I've summarized three reasons," Matthew held up one finger. "Faith and cultural issues. In many parts of Africa, due to low levels of education, modern weapons, including firearms and RPGs, are considered a supernatural power. They believe these weapons kill people merely through white magic or some witchcraft they don't understand. They have no grasp of how these weapons actually work. So, they think as long as they pick up a gun and fire in the general direction, the target will be destroyed instantly, and there's no need to aim."
The other three all laughed, clearly not believing him.
"Don't disbelieve it!" Matthew said with a serious expression. "I saw it on a military program. In Africa, except for a few regular armies, most people firmly believe in such ideas. Some even believe that if you tie a cloth strip soaked in lamb's blood to your gun, you can kill your target with one shot, regardless of whether the enemy has bought a bulletproof charm or whether you've aimed. This is a form of faith-based shooting, and it has nothing to do with shooting posture or marksmanship."
Then, he held up a second finger, "The captivating posture is cool! Africans are naturally optimistic, very expressive, and like to follow trends. Even during wartime, there are many fashion-conscious Africans dressed brightly, moving through ruined buildings. Africans bring their love for coolness and individuality to the battlefield."
The three guys were already laughing heartily.
"Think about it…" Matthew continued, "On the battlefield, vibrant clothes and strange hairstyles, plus holding a submachine gun under the shaman's magical blessing, hitting every shot—at this point, the shooting posture no longer matters. Combat has become an art. Holding the gun above the head shows strength and courage, scaring the enemy out of their wits."
He then held up a third finger, "Alright, jokes over, let's get serious. The real reason should be a lack of training and no one to teach them. Whether it's regular army soldiers or private armed forces in Africa, they receive very little military training. There are no instructors to tell them how to properly use firearms, and no one tells them how guns kill."
James McAvoy nodded, "Only the last point makes sense."
"You said it's faith-based shooting…" Orlando Bloom asked, "Which is more powerful, faith or shooting?"