Question

Hollywood and video games often depict the bad guys being "blown away" when they’re shot by a bullet (i.e. once hit, their feet leave the ground and they fly backwards). Assuming that even if a handgun cartridge did generate enough momentum for the bullet to do this, why is it still nonsense on-screen?

Answer 1

Answer:

Taking a look at Newton's third law of motion which states "for every force exerted, their is an opposite force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first force".

Similarly if a bullet had enough forces behind it to hurl someone through the air when they were hit, a similar force would act on the person holding the gun that fired the bullet.  

What we load into the gun is called a 'cartridge' Each piece is composed of four basic substance the casing, the bullet, the primer, and the powder.  

The primer explodes lighting the powder which causes a buildup of pressure behind the bullet. This powder can be used in rifle cartages because the bullet chamber is designed to withstand greater pressures.  

It is difficult in practice to measure the forces within a gun bagel, but the one easily measured parameter is the velocity with which the bullet exits muzzle velocity, therefore assuming that even if a handgun cartridge which generate enough momentum for the bullet to do this,  it is still nonsense on screen in Hollywood and video.