Accidents, improvisation and production problems can sometimes improve films by creating scenes that feel more spontaneous, memorable or better suited to the story.

– Food poisoning led Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones to shoot, rather than fight, a swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
– The Usual Suspects’ famous police lineup emerged from the actors joking rather than the written script.
– Al Pacino improvised Heat’s “great ass” outburst, producing Hank Azaria’s genuine surprise.
– The article argues that apparent on-set chaos does not necessarily determine a film’s eventual quality.