10 Dangerous Movie Scenes Audiences Refused To Believe Were Faked

10. Jake Gittes' Nose Gets Cut - Chinatown

Roman Polanski's neo-noir classic Chinatown features an unforgettable scene in which private investigator protagonist Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) has his nose cut by a knife-wielding gangster (Polanski).

Ever since the film's 1974 release, audiences have been wowed by the perceived realism of the effect, given that Polanski can be seen reaching the knife inside Jack Nicholson's nostril and flicking it away - in a relatively close-up shot with little room to hide the trick, no less.

As such, many chose to believe that Polanski and Nicholson, ever willing to suffer for their art, chose to do the deed the hard way, with Polanski wounding Nicholson for real.

But of course, that wasn't the case. Instead, Polanski was holding a spring-loaded prop knife with a tube of blood attached to the other side of the blade not visible on camera.

It's an incredible effect that still looks terrific almost 50 years later, enough that folks can't really be blamed for believing Polanski might've legit nicked Nicholson.