What were the bikers in Dawn tossing grenades at?

[JDP]

Does anyone know what exactly is it that the bikers in Dawn are blowing up with grenades when they start invading the mall? They are not aiming the grenades at the zombies. Whatever zombies they blow up in the process are "collateral damage". They are aiming them at something else that is not clearly shown on screen. You can hear pieces of metal clashing on the floor after the blasts, so it must be some kind of structure that they want to remove.

[MinionZombie]

Does anyone know what exactly is it that the bikers in Dawn are blowing up with grenades when they start invading the mall? They are not aiming the grenades at the zombies. Whatever zombies they blow up in the process are "collateral damage". They are aiming them at something else that is not clearly shown on screen. You can hear pieces of metal clashing on the floor after the blasts, so it must be some kind of structure that they want to remove. I think they're generally just causing havoc. They have no regard for property and anyone else's strongholds. They're just off on an extended jolly committing any and all acts of violence, thievery, and so on that they can squeeze in before they meet their end. They have some trouble opening up that side entrance/loading door initially - shooting locks, going on about the little "mouse hole" and how the whole glass side slides open (thus allowing their motorcycles to charge in) - so perhaps some grenades are to do with that in some regard. There's that bit of behind the scenes footage where they're filming an explosion at the side entrance and the charge was a bit larger than expected and it actually caused some damage to the ceiling and some broken glass.

[JDP]

I think they're generally just causing havoc. They have no regard for property and anyone else's strongholds. They're just off on an extended jolly committing any and all acts of violence, thievery, and so on that they can squeeze in before they meet their end. They have some trouble opening up that side entrance/loading door initially - shooting locks, going on about the little "mouse hole" and how the whole glass side slides open (thus allowing their motorcycles to charge in) - so perhaps some grenades are to do with that in some regard. There's that bit of behind the scenes footage where they're filming an explosion at the side entrance and the charge was a bit larger than expected and it actually caused some damage to the ceiling and some broken glass. I think they would not be wasting grenades on just vandalism. There are more pressing matters at hand. These guys were blowing something up on purpose, something that seems to have been on their way and they wanted it removed to facilitate their entry into the mall. It is not the trucks blocking the entrances, as one site I saw claims. These are intact when the bikers start climbing in to try to move them. So, they do not seem to be the intended target. I thought maybe it was one of those storefront security metal gates, but this happens on the outside of the mall, not inside. I don't recall seeing these metal gates on the outside of the mall in any of the sequences that show the parking lot area.

[MinionZombie]

IIRC they shoot at the metal gates on storefronts inside the mall, and one or two shot at locks outside of the mall - and then that's when the guy chirps up about the whole glass side sliding open. Why not use grenades for vandalism? They're not exactly strategic thinkers, just run and gun raiders who do perform an awful lot of vandalism inside the mall anyway. If you're having a jolly and have, most likely, half-inched some army supplies along the way, why not fuck around as much as you like? Longevity and the importance of preserving arms in an apocalyptic scenario are pretty low on their priorities list, I'd wager.

[JDP]

IIRC they shoot at the metal gates on storefronts inside the mall, and one or two shot at locks outside of the mall - and then that's when the guy chirps up about the whole glass side sliding open. No, the shooting of the storefront metal gates happens once they have gained access to the inside of the mall. The part where the leader tells them to open the whole sliding doors happens before, when they are working their way in by attempting to move the trucks. Why not use grenades for vandalism? They're not exactly strategic thinkers, just run and gun raiders who do perform an awful lot of vandalism inside the mall anyway. If you're having a jolly and have, most likely, half-inched some army supplies along the way, why not fuck around as much as you like? Longevity and the importance of preserving arms in an apocalyptic scenario are pretty low on their priorities list, I'd wager. Because they are very different situations: once they are inside the mall they want to have fun, there's lots of room to maneuver, and they have access to a load of free stuff they can afford to waste on just being the jolly ol' vandals they love to be. But before that, they are trying to break into the mall, their main objective, and are surrounded by hostile zombies all over the place. A more pressing situation, they cannot afford to be wasteful. They will employ those grenades on something that can be useful for their objective of breaking into the mall. Further evidence that they are blowing up some kind of structure: in the first blast you can actually see debris falling down (and we can also hear it hitting the floor, and it is unquestionably the clanking sound of metal pieces hitting a hard surface.) Unfortunately, during that shot we cannot clearly see what is it that the grenades are blasting apart.

[shootemindehead]

They threw grenades cos George said throw grenades. I don't think there was much thought behind it other than that.

[JDP]

They threw grenades cos George said throw grenades. I don't think there was much thought behind it other than that. Yes, but George also said "let there be debris falling down and the sound of metal parts clashing on the pavement right after the blasts". So, what is it that he was having the bikers blow up???

[MinionZombie]

Why must you know so pressingly? They're just trying to gain access by any means, including grenades. Also I did say that they shoot locks inside the mall. But if you're looking for absolute logic, you're not really gonna get it. For example, why would directly shooting the metal security gates cause them to automatically rise up? There was a lot of run 'n' gun filmmaking going on (hence the number of times keen-eyed viewers can spot things like crew members, motorists, lighting stands etc in the peripheries of the shot) and a lot of stuff was made up on-the-spot to boot. It's remarkable they were able to gather as much footage as they did, especially for the biker raid, on that schedule and that budget. The raiders aren't exactly the most rational-minded folks, so ammo preservation isn't likely going to be a trait for people who use the raiding time to snatch up gold necklaces instead of food, or use a blood pressure machine in the midst of absolute chaos (the latter is ultimately an excuse for a good gore gag).

[Moon Knight]

I always just saw it as them trying to get a locked gate open. Something like that.

[paranoid101]

I always thought it was just the bikers having fun and causing mayhem in raid, but I really haven't put much thought into and I don't think George did either.

[JDP]

I always just saw it as them trying to get a locked gate open. Something like that. I think so too, or maybe some kind of store display window on the outside walls of the mall. During the first explosion and the last shot of the blasted area we can see part of the ceiling on the inside of the mall. My guess is that there was some kind of obstacle there not making it easy for them to try to break through that spot and thus they wanted it out of the way.

[MinionZombie]

I think so too, or maybe some kind of store display window on the outside walls of the mall. During the first explosion and the last shot of the blasted area we can see part of the ceiling on the inside of the mall. My guess is that there was some kind of obstacle there not making it easy for them to try to break through that spot and thus they wanted it out of the way. Might that be the explosion that went wrong on-location? The one I mentioned earlier - it blew out a chunk of ceiling and smashed glass. You can see that aforementioned footage here - skip to 5:04:

[JDP]

Might that be the explosion that went wrong on-location? The one I mentioned earlier - it blew out a chunk of ceiling and smashed glass. You can see that aforementioned footage here - skip to 5:04: Yes, it looks like this was part of the grenades sequence.

[facestabber]

In the ZA, with access to grenades, the question I would have for myself would be, "what wouldnt I throw grenades at". As far as the film goes I never gave it much thought past "boys with toys". Romero wasnt one to have a weapons consultant for practical application of said weapons. He went for what he thought was cool and could illustrate a neat camera trick. Example was having Peter acquire a large caliber lever action rifle to use the scope camera. The M16 20" rifles would have been so much more practical to use. 5.56 Nato box fed mag(quick reload), accurate, low recoil. ***side note in the movie the prop guns used were actually .22 LR guns(see Peters untactical mag change at airport and ejection port at various scenes). Ok I'm rambling I know. I have no answer to your question JDP. Someone on the cast would know if there was more intention. Doesnt PhillySwat have connections with folks on the inside? Edit. Ok so I decided to try some research on this. I looked up "guns of Dawn of the Dead". And wow it had a topic and photos of the bikers grenade toss of the Mk 2 pineapple grenade. The description said they were used to "blow up the trucks at the mall entrance". I'd say this source confirms you JDP. This sight also confirms my observation of the M-16's actually being .22 LR guns.....Adler-Jager AP-74 (Admittedly never heard of them before but I was 2 when Dawn was released so give me a break)

[JDP]

In the ZA, with access to grenades, the question I would have for myself would be, "what wouldnt I throw grenades at". As far as the film goes I never gave it much thought past "boys with toys". Romero wasnt one to have a weapons consultant for practical application of said weapons. He went for what he thought was cool and could illustrate a neat camera trick. Example was having Peter acquire a large caliber lever action rifle to use the scope camera. The M16 20" rifles would have been so much more practical to use. 5.56 Nato box fed mag(quick reload), accurate, low recoil. ***side note in the movie the prop guns used were actually .22 LR guns(see Peters untactical mag change at airport and ejection port at various scenes). Ok I'm rambling I know. I have no answer to your question JDP. Someone on the cast would know if there was more intention. Doesnt PhillySwat have connections with folks on the inside? Edit. Ok so I decided to try some research on this. I looked up "guns of Dawn of the Dead". And wow it had a topic and photos of the bikers grenade toss of the Mk 2 pineapple grenade. The description said they were used to "blow up the trucks at the mall entrance". I'd say this source confirms you JDP. This sight also confirms my observation of the M-16's actually being .22 LR guns.....Adler-Jager AP-74 (Admittedly never heard of them before but I was 2 when Dawn was released so give me a break) Yes, I saw that site, but it doesn't seem like the trucks were damaged, they were even attempting to drive them. The first explosion clearly happens in an area where there is some kind of window. You can see the ceiling of the mall. What was it supposed to be (in the movie)? Maybe some store display window on the outside of the mall? Regarding the use of the grenades: obviously their best use would be against the most immediate threat, namely the large group of zombies in the area. Throw them at where they are the most packed together in order to maximize the damage against them. Regarding Peter's rifle: I think that was because at this point they no longer have access to large amounts of ammo for their SWAT issued weapons, and now have access to a large amount of hunting weapons and ammo instead. It makes sense for them to adopt this new found arsenal.