Photo Courtesy of the FBI
Let’s face it, action movies are awesome. On some level, action movies probably helped many of us get into firearms. I know they definitely did for me. And while some movies have down-to-earth, realistic depictions of firearms (sup, Heat), others definitely don’t. Hollywood doesn’t really understand guns. Sometimes, that means they make movie guns utterly ridiculous.
In this post, we’ll look at 3 of the most ridiculous movie guns from classic action films.
#3: Suppressed Revolver: A Surprising Number of Movies
If you need any proof that Hollywood has no idea how guns work, take a look at how many movies have suppressed revolvers. The Man with One Red Shoe, the original Manchurian Candidate, the list goes on and on.
If you’re not familiar with how either suppressors or revolvers work, this may not seem like a big deal. When you shoot a gun using a suppressor, it collects expanding gas and distributes it. This reduces the overall “bang” the gun makes.
However, this wouldn’t be possible with a revolver. Revolvers have a tiny gap between the cylinder and the barrel. Since expanding gas takes the path of least resistance, it’s going to exit the firearm through the cylinder gap. That means the suppressor won’t absorb and distribute it.
As a result, you’re still going to get a huge “bang” sound if you shoot a suppressed revolver. But hey, it looks cool.
#2: Suppressed Scoped MAC-10: Escape from New York
Let me begin this section by saying that I love Escape from New York and wouldn’t change anything about it. However, the weapon that the future US government issues to Snake Plissken is nothing short of ridiculous.
Tasked with saving the president in 24 hours, Snake receives a MAC-10. But not just any MAC-10. This MAC-10 has a suppressor and an optic on it. “But George,” you might say. “That’s not that crazy, I’d love a MAC-10 with a suppressor and optic.”
You’d be right – except for one small detail. The optic is attached to the suppressor, not the actual gun itself. That thing is going to have a hard time holding zero… it’s probably going to get really hot, too…
Anyway, this one specific detail earned Snake Plissken’s MAC-10 the #2 spot on our list.
#1: Scoped 1911: Once Upon a Time in Mexico
This is actually the firearm that inspired this post. I was really bored one night and saw this movie on Netflix. I love Antonio Banderas (I had the Mask of Zorro and 13th Warrior on VHS growing up) and egregious shootouts, so I figured picking this was a natural choice.
I definitely got what I was looking for. There’s a ton of ridiculous stuff going on in this movie. Director Robert Rodriguez even shows us his own take on the suppressed revolver with Eva Mendez’s character. But what really took the cake for me was the scoped 1911.
Antonio Banderas’ sidekick Lorenzo (played by Enrique Iglesias) carries the gun. If you watch the movie, it’s impossible to miss. Whenever Lorenzo draws the gun, you know he means business. I even found a 1911 similar to the movie gun at one of my local shops (see picture above). Maybe one day I’ll have the guts to actually take it home with me.
That about wraps it up for this post. Keep an eye out for Part 2 – there’s plenty more where this came from!
Are there any other ridiculous movie guns you want us to talk about? Let us know on social media.
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