What ammo does the Jonah Hex's super weapon fire?
In the movie Jonah Hex, the super-weapon that Turnball builds fires (seemingly) ordinary cannon balls, and is followed by an orange ball.
The orange ball is not only highly explosive (even more explosive than something like C4!), but they seem to send out an explosive "detonation wave" that explodes the "ordinary" cannon balls.
Was it ever explained what the orange balls are, and how they worked, other than a plot-device?
Best Answer
From the Internet Movie Firearms Database
The "superweapon" that is the focus of the film's action is a belt-fed Gatling-style cannon (similar to an oversized, clunkier CIWS system) supposedly invented by Eli Whitney (the father of the cotton gin). The weapon is designed to blanket an area with a volley of explosive shells, which are then detonated simultaneously by firing a glowing orange "trigger" shell from the central barrel. Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich) mounts the weapon on an ironclad and plans to use it to level Washington, D.C.
From the same page:
Detail of the multiple barrels. Note the design seems to assume a cannonball works the same way as a modern artillery shell; there is no system for replacing propellant charges behind the cannonballs, and nowhere for charges to actually go even if there was such a system.
Ultimately, a lot of digging hasn't turned up anything concrete other than the charges might be 'Magic Dragon Balls' - so I think we can chalk this one up to sloppy writing and badly thought out plot devices.
Pictures about "What ammo does the Jonah Hex's super weapon fire?"
Is Jonah a hex?
Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the right side....Jonah HexNotable aliasesThe Mark of the Demon28 more rowsWhat is the super weapon in Jonah Hex?
Colt 1874 Gatling Gun An 1865 Gatling Gun. Close-up of one of the Gatling guns mounted to the right of Hex's horse. Hex opens fire with his Gatlings.What went wrong with Jonah Hex?
In October 2008, when Josh Brolin first read their script for Jonah Hex, he thought it was awful. As an over-the-top action movie, he was not too keen on the incessant swearing, nudity, face melting, zombies and exploding eyeball violence. However, he was interested, so long as changes could be made.What were the orange balls in Jonah Hex?
Magic balls are the lynchpin of Jonah Hex's finale. Specifically, big black explosive balls which are detonated by small orange glowy balls.Superhero Origins: Jonah Hex
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