Why is disarming bombs so hard? [closed]

Here we have a typical Hollywood bomb, which is featured with relatively minor variations in hundreds (if not thousands) of titles:

However, just looking at it, I’m confused. Why are these bombs supposedly so difficult to defuse? It seems like the hero could just pull the blasting cap out of the explosive, or cut the wire to the blasting cap. Instead, they always seem to struggle with cutting the correct wire to stop or disable the timer. But who cares about the timer if it’s no longer connected to the explosive?

I know without naming a specific title it’s hard to give an in-universe answer, but is there some out-of-universe answer, such as directors (or at least prop designers) universally not caring whether their bomb scenes are remotely realistic? Or is there some sort of agreement to show only stupidly-built bombs so that amateur terrorists will include this obvious flaw and make real bomb squads’ job easier?

props

Best Answer

Generally, because of anti-handling devices, which have at least an 80 year history in real life:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-handling_device

Whether it’s a time-delayed or remote detonated device, a bomber has incentive to prevent the bomb from being moved or rendered safe before it is detonated. Both military forces and terrorists have used anti-handling systems in real life.

One real life render safe technique that doesn’t make it into the media very often is controlled detonation. If a device or suspected device can be moved, it is often placed inside a container in a safe area and exploded by another device.

Since revealing techniques for defeating anti-handling devices would make doing so more difficult, it’s not easy for a writer, director, or producer to conduct authentic research on the topic. So they are left to their imaginations, which often are less technical and more focused on compelling dialog and dramatic narrative.

So just like with imagined future scientific advances and cyber security threats and defenses, bomb defusing in movies and TV usually ends up with a lot of hand-waving, impressive sounding dialog, and sweaty brows, but not always a lot of believability.

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Can you disarm a bomb with water?

Known as the Stingray, the device uses conventional military explosives to craft a blade of water sharp enough to slice through a metal bomb and scramble its innards. A watery blade is saving the lives of American soldiers in Afghanistan.

What do you call someone who defuses bombs?

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist.

Which wire do you cut to disable a bomb?

Which one(s) should be cut? \u201cIf there are no red wires, cut the second wire. Otherwise, if the last wire is white, cut the last wire. Otherwise, if there is more than one blue wire, cut the last blue wire.

How do robots defuse bombs?

Bomb disposal robots typically achieve this by firing a high-pressure jet of water at wires on the device. An explosive device usually requires a power supply to detonate: disrupting this wire means the circuit is broken and thus rendered inert, if not safe.

FBI Agent Explains How Bombs Are Disposed Of | Tradecraft | WIRED

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