Posted on 02/02/2014 6:12:05 PM PST by DogByte6RER
In the second season of the BBC's hit show "Sherlock," shadowy snipers threaten the eponymous detective's friends by skulking around stairwells with high-powered rifles or infiltrating their homes and workplaces.
In real life, targets of assassination in Britain are more likely to be killed while walking their dogs or going shopping, new research finds.
The study of contract killings spanning from 1974 to 2013, published in The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, finds that assassinations are often rather mundane.
"Hit men are familiar figures in films and video games, carrying out 'hits' in underworld bars or from the rooftops with expensive sniper rifles," David Wilson, a criminologist Birmingham City University's Center for Applied Criminology, said in a statement. "The reality could not be more different."
• The four types of hit men
Wilson and his colleagues were interested in studying contract killing, in which someone pays another person to carry out a murder. These types of killings are rarely studied, the researchers said.
They combed through newspaper archives for examples of hits in Britain and found evidence of 27 murders carried out by 35 hit men — and one hit woman. They also used court transcripts and interviews with offenders to find out details such as how much killers had been paid.
The results revealed a wide variety of ages and expertise in killing. Hit men were as young as 15 and as old as 63, with an average age of 38. There were four types of hit men: Novices, who were caught after their first murder; dilettantes, who are the least likely to have a criminal background and may lack enthusiasm for killing; journeymen, who are career criminals but not particularly stealthy; and masters.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
I tried this show last night for the first time and gave up on it almost immediately when “Sherlock Holmes” abruptly kissed some woman. sorry, that’s not the Sherlock this woman knows and loves, in the purest and most chaste sense of the word.
If I’m missing/misinterpreting something, straighten me out, thanks!
In the Sherlock Holmes world, stabbings were probably the preferred method of assassination.
now sit there and drink your hot water and whatever.
Mike was more of an all purpose cleaner who just happened to clean people every so often.
Heisenberg's Law ...
Just caught that episode today. Yeah, I know I’m late to the game.
What movie is that graphic from?
Breaking Bad; AMC series which came to a close.
Many differ on it but I found it to be hands down one of the best series “aired” and came to a timely conclusion which also made for its lasting legacy.
Thanks, looks interesting.
BTW, while the gif’s are cool, nothing compares to Gus and his assassination of an upper echelon cartel. Or ultimately Gus’ assassination by Walter. Great show, I highly recommend.
I loved that scene. Don’t know if the show will be too fast for me yet.
True genius in casting. I call it Breaking Hal because you couldn’t have more thoroughly have destroyed a stereotyped past acting history like they did with Bryan Cranston.
You have speed limits on shows?
/johnny
“Don’t know if the show will be too fast for me yet.”
Do you mean too fast paced to follow, or too racy (fresh)?
Well, I just turned it off, I didn’t delete it. I might try it again.
And then there’s the OTHER new Sherlock show (I can’t think of the name) with Lucy Liu as Watson. Tried that once too, maybe twice, and fell asleep.
but that happened to me dozens of times with “numbers” which we ended up really liking a lot.
I am just now watching Sherlock. I love the travelogue of my fave city London it gives me and I like Watson, but don’t see myself becoming a big fan of The show or of Cumberbatch as Holmes. Fangirls are WILD about him so I’m in the minority.
Note — there was a reason for that kiss — don’t give up on the show!
Tonight is the last episode this season. It had been renewed for next year.
Both actors are busy making films
OK, I’ll heed what you say. For me nobody will ever top Jeremy Brett as Sherlock.
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