The Latest from Cactus Tactical: Spotlight on Sylvester Stallone

Gun Fights & Cinema

Spotlight on Sylvester Stallone

#1- Rambo II: Released in 1985 & set an estimated three years after 'First Blood', John Rambo is working in a labor camp prison when he gets a visit from his former commander in the military. Colonel Sam Trautman offers Rambo the chance to be released from prison, Rambo had been convicted by a military court after the events of the first film including destruction and theft of military and private property, etc. However, the Colonel was willing to make a deal for his clemency if Rambo agreed to take a mission where he will have to infiltrate Vietnam to search for a group of American POWs that are still being held by the Vietnamese.

Rambo and Trautman travel together to Thailand to meets Marshal Murdock, an American bureaucrat who is in charge of the operation, and freelance contractors Ericson and Lifer. Murdock tells Rambo that the American public is demanding knowledge about the POWs and they want a trained commando to go in and search for them. Rambo is briefed that he is only to photograph the captured POW's and gather intel about the situation but that he is no way to attempt to rescue them or engage in any activity of that nature. With much reluctance Rambo agrees and he is then told that a CIA informant named Co will be there to receive him in the jungles of Vietnam. Before he leaves on his mission, Rambo tells Trautman that Murdock is being dishonest about his combat experience. Rambo confides in Trautman that he's the only person he can trust.

Rambo parachutes into the Vietnamese jungle, but a majority of his equipment is lost in the process thanks to a faulty jump and is left only with his knives, his bow, and arrows. Miles from his landing spot, Rambo is met by a woman named Co-Bao, who introduces herself as his contact. This seems unusual to Rambo but Murdock had incorrectly identified the contact as a man. Co makes the arrangements for her and Rambo to go upstream with a band of local river pirates.

After the boat ride, Rambo is led to a nearby camp commanded by Captain Vinh. Swiftly dispatching a sentry with a throwing knife, Rambo finds an American, Banks, hanging from a makeshift crucifixion and proceeds to free him. Banks warns that several other American POWs are being held near there. As a patrol discovers the dead sentry, and Vinh's second-in-command, Lieutenant Tay, heads out into the jungles in search of the sentry's killer. Rambo, Co, and Banks escape with the pirates, but are attacked by a Vietnamese gunboat and are promptly betrayed by the pirates. Rambo sends Co and Banks to safety and manages to destroy the gunboat with an RPG and kill all the pirates.

Rambo radios and calls for extraction. Trautman, Ericson, and Lifer head out in a rescue chopper. Once it becomes apparent that Rambo has a live POW with him, Murdock radios the chopper, ordering them to abort the extraction and return to base. When Trautman protests, Lifer pulls a gun on him. Ericson tells him they have their orders but Trautman denounces them both as mercenaries. Rambo and Banks watch helplessly as the helicopter flies off, and are forced to surrender as Tay's squad advances. Co, having escaped, watches from the jungle nearby.

Rambo's wrists are bound to an oxen yoke and he is lowered naked into a horrific chest-deep, leech-infested cesspool. The torture is briefly interrupted by the arrival of Vinh's Soviet Liaison officer, Lt. Col. Podovsky. Although Podovsky orders Vinh to take Rambo out of the cesspool and clean him up, the POWs believes things are about to get worse for him. Podovsky orders Rambo to contact the American military and to inform them to not send any more commandos for rescue operations in Vietnam. When Rambo refuses, the torture continues. When they can't get the results they are looking for through this method it's decided to bring in Banks and threaten to kill him. Rambo has no choice but to agree to Podovsky's condition.

Meanwhile, Co enters the camp in the guise of a prostitute to find and rescue Rambo. Rambo is led to use the radio to contact the US base in Thailand, as instructed but instead uses this opportunity to swear vengeance on Murdock. Yushin gets a swift punch from Rambo while Co takes out a guard with her shotgun. The duo proceed to fight their way free. After a brief intimate moment they are then attacked by some Vietnamese soldiers and Co is killed by Tay, who manages to escape. Rambo kills the remaining soldiers in a rage and buries Co's body in the jungle.

Following his escape, the camp's Soviet and Vietnamese soldiers are sent to look for him. Rambo assembles his weapons, and using guerrilla warfare tactics, is able to kill a large number of enemy troops, including Vinh. Yushin appears in a UH-1N Twin Huey and drops a firebomb on Rambo's position. Rambo manages to escapes and hijacks the Huey helicopter after killing Yushin and proceeds towards the POW camp. Upon arrival he decimates most of the camp with the helicopter. After landing he arms himself with an M-60 and kills the remaining Vietnamese soldiers, as well as rescues all the POWs. They all board the helicopter and head towards the American camp in Thailand.

Podovsky persues them in his Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunship. Despite Rambo's helicopter being heavily damaged by Podovsky's helicopter, he manages to land his helicopter on a river, then plays dead. When Podovsky comes near him and gets sloppy, Rambo fires a LAW 66mm rocket and obliterates Podovsky's chopper. Rambo then returns to the base and shoots up Murdock's command center. He threatens Murdock with a knife, challenging him to find and rescue the remaining American POWs in Vietnam.

This film is the second in the Rambo franchise and filled with lots of fire power. Let's take a look at a couple of the weapons Sly uses in this film.

You can watch Rambo rescue the POW's here: https://youtu.be/PGcGIj0ILyQ

The M60E3 is the highlighted weapon wielded by John Rambo in the film. It is first seen being fired by a Soviet door gunner after their UH-1 dropped napalm on the waterfall where Rambo was fleeing. When using the machine gun, Rambo wraps the ammo belt around his left forearm in order to ensure a proper feed. When Rambo lands the chopper at the CIA base, he picks up the M60E3 machine gun from the chopper door and empties it in the command center to destroy all the high tech equipment and intimidate Murdock. The E3 model was not introduced until the 1980's, making it unlikely that this machine gun was a holdover from the Vietnam War.

M60E3 - 7.62x51mm NATO

Rambo covers the escaping POWs with the M60E3.

And when Rambo takes on technology at the base: https://youtu.be/YJEbQwHGygA

Rambo vents his frustration by emptying the M60E3.

I love a good movie marathon and the Rambo series definitely delivers. Grab your popcorn and enjoy some Stallone in your life.

To see more info on the guns used in this film go to http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Rambo_2

#2- Cop Land: Released in 1997 and set in modern day times this film takes us into the gritty world of a fictional town in New Jersey and a safe haven for police officers and their families. They referred to it as "Cop Land". Freddy Heflin is the town's local law but he had always had aspirations to be an officer in New York. However, due to an incident with deafness in one ear he couldn't fulfill his dream. Although admired and respected by his community he always felt disgruntled with his lot in life.

One fateful evening, Murray "Superboy" Babitch, nephew of Lt. Ray Donlan, is driving across the George Washington Bridge when his car is sideswiped by a couple of African-American teens. Babitch tries to make them pull over. One of the passengers points to what Babitch believes is a weapon right as the front tire of his car goes flat. Thinking shots had been fired Babitch shoots back. In an ensuing accident, the teens are killed. Jack Rucker removes the steering wheel lock that Babitch mistook for a gun from the hands of one of the dead teens and is caught trying to plant a weapon in their vehicle to justify the shooting. With concern about the repercussions on his career of having shot unarmed black teens, Babitch is persuaded to fake his suicide. Ray pretends that Babitch has jumped off the bridge. Other corrupt police officers, including Detective Leo Crasky and Frank Lagonda, fear that Babitch will resurface and testify about their corruption to Internal Affairs.

At this point we meet and Internal Affairs investigator Lt. Moe Tilden who approaches Heflin to see if he will provide information on the corrupt cops who live in his town. Heflin is intimidated by the New York City cops and is reluctant to betray them, temporarily derailing Tilden's investigation. Superiors in the department, related to the corrupt cops, order Tilden to shut down the investigation.

Although the Babitch cover-up appears to be initially successful, Ray is told by Patrolmen's Defense Association President Vincent Lassaro that without a body, the case will not stay cold. Ray decides with much reluctance that the only answer to the problem is that his nephew must be killed. Babitch is informed of this by his Aunt and manages to escape. He goes to Freddy's house looking for help, but when he sees Gary "Figgsy" Figgis, he flees.

When Freddy realizes what's really going on in his little town, he visits Tilden and is angrily told that the case was blown by his failure to co-operate sooner. As he leaves, Freddy sees a number of NYPD case files on the corrupt cops and seizes the chance to take them. He studies the files and realizes the extent of his friends' corruption

Freddy returns home to find Figgsy packing to leave, not wanting to be further involved. Figgsy had burned down his own house for the insurance money, and accidentally killed his crack-addicted girlfriend. Heflin manages to convince Rose to reveal where Babitch is hiding, then takes him to Garrison's jail.

As Freddy makes an attempt to bring Babitch to New York City he is swiftly ambushed by the corrupt cops. Rucker fires a gun next to Freddy's good ear, deafening and disabling him. Babitch is taken, presumably to be killed. On foot and almost totally deaf, Heflin follows them to Donlan's house, where an incredible shootout commences. Heflin kills both Jack and Frank. Heflin is shot in the shoulder by Leo Crasky, but is saved by the arrival of Figgsy. In the house, Babitch is trying to escape through a window. Donlan sneaks up behind Heflin, but before he can fire, Figgsy shoots. Barely hearing the shot, Heflin turns and shoots. Figgsy and Heflin end up personally taking Babitch to New York City and to Internal Affairs, refusing to allow any other cop to do the job. Tilden takes the prisoner into custody.

This film is filled with gritty, dramatic subplots and plenty of violence. Everyone in this film gives amazing performances and the cast list is roster of award winning actors. Let's take a look at two of those that Freddy (Sylvester Stallone) uses.

The duty weapon carried by Sheriff Freddy Heflin is the Smith & Wesson Model 686. He is seen pulling it during the final confrontation.

A production still of Sheriff Freddy Heflin during the final shootout with his Smith & Wesson Model 686.

In addition to the Smith & Wesson Freddy uses this as well.

Sheriff Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone) uses an Ithaca 37 in the climactic shootout

Closeup of the Ithaca 37 and Heflin's Model 686 on his duty belt.

To watch scenes from the final epic shootout go to: https://youtu.be/emeGfvVJaBY?list=PLHbTaBrlo7t8eps9N0K7aCy7GZVtqMvJ5

To find out more about the weapons used in this film go to http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Cop_Land

#3- The Expendables: Released in 2010 this action film was co-written and directed by Sylvester Stallone and it follows a team of mercenaries who are hired to eliminate a South American dictator, until they find out the true nature of their mission.

Barney Ross leads the "Expendables", a group of elite mercenaries. The team consists of leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), former SAS soldier and blades specialist Lee Christmas, martial artist Yin Yang, sniper Gunnar Jensen, weapons specialist Hale Caesar and demolitions expert Toll Road.

As we get into the meat of the fim we see that Ross and a rival mercenary, Trench , meet Mr. Church to negotiate a new contract. He offers them a deal with contingency to overthrow a brutal dictator, General Garza, in the Gulf of Mexico. Busy with other things, Trench tells Church to give the contract to Ross. Once on the island of Vilena, Ross and Christmas meet a local contact and drive to the vicinity of Garza's compound to surmise the situation. A truckload of Garza's soldiers suddenly appear. When one of them grabs their contact, Sandra, he calls her the "General's daughter." He drags her to their truck, but before he can take her Ross and Christmas kill them all. Ross learns that Garza is backed by ex-CIA agent James Munroe and his henchmen. Ross decides to abort the mission and make their escape, but they return and attack Garza's men on a pier, killing 41 of them. Jensen, offended at having been fired by Ross, approaches Garza and Munroe and hires on to help them. Ross, Christmas, and Yang deduce that Mr. Church is with the CIA and that the real target is Munroe, as the CIA is unable to control him. Sandra is captured by Munroe's men who waterboard her in an attempt to learn what the Americans had been doing on the island.

After much deliberation Ross decides to return to the island to rescue Sandra. As the Ross and friends go to leave, they are ambushed and chased by Jensen and others during intense gunfight and car chase scenes. The pursuit leads to an abandoned warehouse. Jensen attempts to impale Yang on a pipe and after an intense fight, Ross retrieves a weapon from his truck and shoots Jensen. Jensen, severely wounded, apologizes and tells him about the layout of Garza's palace. The whole group is aboard the next plane ready for their mission.

The Expendables infiltrate Garza's compound. The team fights and shoots its way through Garza's compound and dozens of soldiers. Ross rescues Sandra before she is sexually assaulted by two of Munroe's men. Unfortunately they are both captured by more of Munroe's men, who beat Ross. He's rescued by Yang and Christmas, who are assisted by other members of the team. After Garza sees Munroe torture his daughter, he changes his mind.

Garza calls out for his soldiers to remove the American disease, referring to Munroe as well as the Expendables. Munroe kills Garza. Then, in desperation, Ross blows the charges inside the palace disrupting the attack. They take on dozens of soldiers throughout the compound, destroying them with all the weapons at their disposal: Noveske Rifleworks Diplomat assault rifles, AA-12 12 gauge automatic shotgun firing FRAG-12 explosive rounds, Beretta pistols, knives, and M67 hand grenades. You name it these guys fired it.

Ross and Caesar destroy the helicopter Munroe, with Sandra in tow as a hostage, was set to escape in. Ross and Christmas fight Munroe and kill him, saving Sandra. Instead of taking payment for the mission, Ross gives it to Sandra to restore the village of Vilena. The team celebrates their victory at Tool's tattoo parlor, with the reformed and recovering Jensen.

This film is both entertaining and thrilling. Tons of great scenes featuring gun fights and weapons. Let's take a look at Ross.

Ross (Sylvester Stallone) also carries a Single Action Army with a shortened barrel, compensator cuts and no front sight in a back holster that he usually keeps in the three o'clock position.

Ross opens fire with the SAA.

Ross prepares to draw his SAA.

Ross also carries a pair of Modified Kimber Gold Combat II pistols, which he typically fires and reloads at rapid speeds. In fact, thanks to the rather crude overuse of sound effects, the guns are often implied to be firing far faster than what is actually visible on the screen.

Modified Kimber Gold Combat II used by Sylvester Stallone‎ in The Expendables - .45 ACP

Ross pulls both his Kimbers in the ship

A production still of Barney Ross as he pulls his Kimber on Gunnar Jensen.

To watch the boat scene you can check it out here: https://youtu.be/dm777hwZ0Ws

This film franchise has 3 films and they are all fantastic. Grab some friends, some red vines & have a movie marathon that will have you laughing, crying and on the edge of your seat.

To find out more about the weapons used in this film please go to http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/The_Expendables

Which of these films is YOUR favorite??? Which guns from these films are ones that you've had a chance to fire???

Labels: action, adventure, cinema, cop land, films, gun fights, guns, machine guns, movies, rambo, special ops, Sylvester Stallone, the expendables, war, weapons