Gunfights and Films: The Presidential Edition

Gunfights and Films: The Presidential Edition

Today we take a look at a non-fiction film about a very famous President as well as a look at a very famous fictional President. Both movies came out in the beginning and the end of the 90's, with JFK arriving in 1991 and Air Force One appearing in 1997. Both films include a lot of action, well written dialogue and fantastic cinematography. The actors in both movies are award winning and bring their A game to the screen. 

Air Force One is a 1997 thriller starring Harrison Ford as the President of United States, who finds himself the only one who can stop the terrorists who have hijacked the Presidential airliner. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and is distinctive to movie gun enthusiasts for being the first documented film to feature the M4A1 Carbine. Harrison Ford plays James Marshall, a onetime combat hero in the Vietnam War who is now President of the United States. While visiting the former Soviet Union, Marshall gives a speech in which he supports a get-tough attitude against both terrorists and a right-wing general and war criminal from Kazakhstan imprisoned in Moscow, earning him few friends in the Eastern Bloc. While flying back to the United States aboard Air Force One, Marshall and his staff discover that one of the journalists returning with them is actually Ivan Korshunov, a Kazakhstani terrorist, who hijacks the plane with three associates and holds the president hostage as well as his  wife and daughter on board. Marshall must use his strength and intelligence to keep the terrorists at bay and devise a plan to allow his family to escape to safety, while on the ground the vice-president, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general grapple over what to do and how much control to take in this crisis.



The film begins with an American Special Forces unit capturing General Ivan Radek, the dictator of Kazakhstan. Radek's regime had caused an enormous amount of bloodshed for Kazakhstan, and there was word that his stockpiling of nuclear weapons would have plunged the world into a second cold war. His capture was made through the joint cooperation of President James Marshall  and Russian President Petrov.



Several weeks after the capture of Radek, President Marshall visits Moscow, along with his wife Grace and daughter Alice. While Marshall is praised for his help in freeing Kazakhstan from Radek's grip, Marshall surprises everyone by deviating from his planned speech. Marshall says that they were too slow to act, and vows to not allow such a thing happen again.



Marshall, his family, and his men are then returned to Air Force One, which takes off on its return trip to Washington D.C. Unknown to the President or anyone else, a rogue secret service agent named Gibbs has secretly allowed into the plane several men who are supporters of General Radek. Gibbs kills several agents in a crucial protective position on the plane and the hijackers, led by Egor Korshunov don bulletproof vests and collect weaponry that is used by the Secret Service. Korshunov and his men quickly gain control of the plane, killing several Secret Service officers and capturing the 1st Lady and the president's staff. In the chaos, Marshall is ordered into an escape pod in the cargo hold.



Air Force One's pilots attempt an emergency landing at Ramstein Air Base, but are soon killed with one of Korshunov's men taking control of the plane. A group of F-15's are sent after Air Force One as an escort. The plane is piloted towards Kazakhstan, and Korshunov places a direct call to the White House, where Vice-President Kathryn Bennett and Defense Secretary Walter Dean listen to Korshunov's demands. Korshunov requests the release of General Radek, with the stipulation that a hostage will be executed every half hour until his demands are met. Shortly thereafter, the President's escape pod is found, but he is not inside. During the firefight, Marshall hid aboard the plane, intent on saving his family, a fact which neither the White House or Korshunov are aware. Korshunov assumes that the President escaped Air Force One, while the empty pod's discovery by the White House has them speculating that Korshunov and his men have killed Marshall.



Bennett calls President Petrov, in hopes that he can release Radek temporarily, thinking that once Ivan has released the hostages, they can quickly recapture him. However, Petrov is not willing to give into this request without proof that the President is alive. After 30 minutes, Korshunov calls the White House to find out if Radek has been released. When Bennett tries to stall for time, Korshunov coldly executes National Security Adviser Jack Doherty. Korshunov then has Grace and Alice brought to the cockpit, leaving several men to guard the rest of the hostages.



Marshall attempts to find his family, but almost is taken out by a henchman, before he kills him. Marshall returns to the cargo hold where he manages to find a cellular phone, and places a call to the White House switchboard. Marshall argues with the switchboard operator when she questions his claim to be The President, and he demands she trace the call. As she realizes that Marshall is who he says he is, one of Korshunov's henchmen finds Marshall. Marshall sticks the phone in his pocket. At this point, the call is transferred through to the White House situation room, and Marshall gives indirect orders for one of the F-15's escorting the plane to fire on them. Bennett relays the order, and the shock wave from the blast throws the henchman off-balance, allowing Marshall to kill him. Marshall then speaks directly to Bennett and the others, claiming they cannot give up Radek, and need to find some way to get the plane on the ground.



Meanwhile, Korshunov has found out about the killing of two of his men and has assumed there is a Secret Service agent hiding in the cargo hold. After having Deputy Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell brought to the cockpit, he turns on the plane's speaker system, threatening to kill Melanie if the person in the cargo hold does not surrender. Painfully, Marshall does not comply, and Melanie's execution is heard throughout the plane.



In a storage fridge in the cargo hold, Marshall notices a punctured milk container, and gets the idea to dump the plane's fuel, which should force the plane to land. When the plane registers that it is leaking fuel, Egor sends two of his men to check on this. They are almost killed by Marshall, but as they go to fix the fuel leak, Marshall sneaks up to the main cabin, and subdues another henchmen.

The two then gain entrance to the room where the hostages are. Marshall states emphatically he is not leaving without his family, but wants to save the hostages. Major Caldwell proposes that if they can get the plane to descend to 15,000 feet, and use the parachutes in the cargo hold, they can get off the plane. The secret fax message is received by the White House, shortly after Korshunov calls demanding a mid-air refueling. Bennett attempts once more to negotiate for a hostage release by requesting they land the plane for refueling, but Korshunov's threat to kill a passenger every minute until they are refueled forces her to give into his demands. Bennett soon has to deal with the matter in another way, when CNN reports a rumor that Air Force One has crashed. Bennett goes before the White House Press Room to quell the rumor, and informs the public for the first time regarding the hijacking of the airplane.



A KC-10 is dispatched and soon after refuels Air Force One. Both planes descend to 15,000 feet. Caldwell and several others activate the cargo hold doors, and numerous people begin dropping from the plane, activating their parachutes. However, the opening of the cargo doors is seen in the plane's cockpit, and several of Korshunov's men are sent to investigate. Finding the door locked, one of them uses an oxygen tank to blast the lock, causing a number of people to plummet out of the plane. The sudden blast causes the refueling effort to go wrong, and the KC-10 struggles to break free. However, the fuel leaking from the plane ignites and the KC-10 explodes.



Marshall just barely survives being sucked out the cargo hold, clinging to part of the cargo door. Caldwell manages to pull Marshall to safety, and they are soon taken hostage by Korshunov's men. Egor then calls the White House, announcing that he now has the President, and orders the F-15 escort to divert once they enter Kazakhstani airspace. Bennett immediately complies with this request.



Marshall is brought before Korshunov, who demands that Marshall call Petrov to release Radek, promising that they can go free once the General is released. Marshall refuses, until Korshunov threatens to kill Alice. Forced to save his family, Marshall gives in, and calls Petrov for the release of Radek. As Radek's release is broadcast through the plane's P.A. system, Korshunov explains further that he lied to Marshall. He further intends to turn Marshall and his family over to Radek.

At the same time, Marshall secretly gets hold of a piece of glass, and cuts through his bindings. Marshall then attempts to subdue Korshunov, but is almost shot by one of Korshunov's henchman. The bullet meant for Marshall is taken by Agent Johnson. Marshall then manages to take out the gunman, but in the ensuing struggle, Egor escapes to the cargo hold with Grace. Marshall finds Korshunov wearing a parachute, but also throwing the remaining chutes out the open hold door. Korshunov mocks that with no one to fly the plane and no parachutes, he has won. His short-lived victory is enough time for Grace to distract him, before Marshall tackles Korshunov. As they struggle, Marshall wraps a strap around Korshunov's neck before activating his parachute. Marshall sharply orders Korshunov to "GET OFF MY PLANE!" and lets go of the terrorist. The strap snaps Korshunov's neck, killing him as he is pulled out the cargo hold door.



Marshall manages to call Petrov and halt the release of Radek. However, Radek makes a run for it when ordered to halt, and is killed. Marshall manages to get assistance from a friend in the White House on how to pilot Air Force One, with Caldwell serving as co-pilot. The plane heads for an airfield in Turkey, but is soon intercepted by some rogue MIG fighters piloted by Radek loyalists. The F-15's that turned away at Kazakhstan's borders move in to intercept the MiGs. Most of the MiGs are destroyed by the American pilots but Air Force One loses an engine and suffers major damage to its tail gear, preventing a safe landing.



With no way to land and the plane losing fuel, a C-130 Hercules is routed towards Air Force One, and a mid-air zip line rescue is put into effect. Though efforts are made to save Marshall first, he demands that his wife and daughter be transferred first. The wounded Agent is the third person across, but due to Air Force One's continued engine failure and rapid descent, only one more person can be rescued. Marshall refuses to leave the other men behind, but his words are interrupted as Agent Gibbs shoots the zipline attendant, and also kills Caldwell. Both Gibbs and Marshall fight for the zipline strap, with Marshall just barely getting it attached when the zip line breaks free from the door frame, leaving Gibbs aboard the plane as it crashes and breaks up in the Caspian Sea.

Marshall continues to struggle to secure his zip line strap as the team aboard the Hercules reels him in. Once he is finally secure aboard the Hercules, the pilot changes the plane's call-sign from "Liberty 2-4" to "Air Force One" (this title applies to any aircraft that the President is aboard). As Marshall is reunited with his family, the F-15 squadron resumes flanking positions as they escort the First Family home.

A great film and the actors are absolutely award winning icons. This movie has everything you could want, patriotism, intense action scenes and well written dialogue. Let's take a look at the weapons that were used in this iconic film.



Secret Service Agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley) uses a Beretta 92FS fitted with a suppressor to execute the Secret Service Agents guarding the armory. Some of the other Secret Service Agents on board Air Force One also use them, even though in real life the Beretta has never been issued to the Secret Service. There is an interesting continuity error in the film, where Agent Walters (Glenn Morshower) (who is trying to evacuate President Marshall via the escape pod) switches from a SIG P226 to a Beretta 92FS.


N.B. USSS Agent Gibbs shares the name of the NCIS Special Agent Gibbs (portrayed by Mark Harmon) on the TV series NCIS and in the series premiere "Yankee White" (S1E01) has the agent investigating a possible terrorist sleeper aboard Air Force One, and a few references to this film are made during the episode.

    Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm

Gibbs (Xander Berkeley) with his suppressed Beretta 92FS.

Secret Service Agent Walters (Glenn Morshower) fires on the terrorists while trying to protect President Marshall. He starts out using a SIG P226 (left), but somehow switches to a Beretta 92FS (right) before he dies.





The Secret Service Agents on Air Force One are armed mostly with SIG-Sauer P226 pistols. When the terrorists take over the plane, many of them also use these pistols; Ivan Korshunov carries a P226, which he is commonly seen using to threaten and/or execute hostages. Later in the film, Agent Gibbs is also seen using one.


In real life, the Secret Service would have been using the smaller SIG P228 and P229 at the time of the film's production.

         

    SIG-Sauer P226 - 9x19mm

Korshunov (Gary Oldman) prepares to execute Marshall's press secretary, Melanie Mitchell (Donna Bullock), with his SIG-Sauer P226.

   Korshunov threatens Marshall's daughter with his P226.

 

Korshunov holds the SIG P226 to Marshall's head.

A close-up of a P226 in the hands of Gibbs during the film's climax.

To watch the sequence where the plane gets hijacked you can watch it here:




Don't forget to take a look at our website to see what we have in stock for your SIG today:
Sig Sauer accessories


When Secret Service Agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley) opens up the weapons storage cabinet on Air Force One for Ivan Korshunov's (Gary Oldman's) Russian Ultranationalists, the terrorists get their hands on a number of Heckler & Koch MP5A3 submachine guns. President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) also uses one of these weapons after taking it from one of the terrorists, and both Agent Gibbs and Major Caldwell (William H. Macy) also handle these weapons.


The MP5A3s used in this movie are the same partially-converted HK94A3 carbines from the Stembridge Gun Rentals inventory that have appeared in numerous other motion pictures (including Predator, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, etc.). Throughout the movie, close-ups of the guns reveal that they have the all-metal 0-1 trigger group of the HK94 (with a "2" position for full-auto engraved), as well as barrels that are missing the attachment lugs (for bayonets, flash hiders, and other accessories). IMFDB's exclusive picture of a "mock MP5" (seen below) is believed to be one of the actual screen-used weapons from Air Force One.

A Heckler & Koch HK94A3 converted to a resemble an MP5A3, with a chopped barrel and converted to auto, with a third firing position added to the lower receiver. This may be one of the actual screen-used guns from Air Force One (unconfirmed).

Russian terrorist Vladimir Krasin (Ilia Volok) with an H&K MP5A3 (actually a partially-converted HK94).

  Marshall in the cargo hold with a MP5A3.

.

  Agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley) holds an MP5 on terrorist Igor Nevsky (David Vadim).

Marshall gets cornered by terrorist Boris Bazylev (Andrew Divoff) while holding his MP5A3. Note that the barrel of the gun lacks the attachment lugs, indicating that the MP5 is actually an Heckler & Koch HK94A3 that has had its barrel chopped.

Major Caldwell (William H. Macy) covers the hostages' escape from the conference room with his MP5A3 at the ready. Note his trigger discipline.

To watch the sequence where Marshall gets armed you can do so here:



The terrorists also take several Colt M4A1 carbines from the weapons cabinet, all of which have had their carry handles removed and replaced with C-More optical sights (they also have something attached to the barrel...laser sights?) Ivan Korshunov uses this weapon when the terrorists first start to take control of the plane, firing in vain at the cockpit door at one point. This weapon is also fired by Andrei Kolchak (Elya Baskin). Later in the film, Major Caldwell (William H. Macy) can briefly be seen wielding Korshunov's M4 when President Marshall is running back to the cockpit to call off Radek's release.


Although the fixed-carry handle Colt Model 727 (which is a full-auto version of the earliest M4, AKA the Model 777) had already appeared in Crimson Tide and Broken Arrow when this movie came out, it appears that Air Force One is the very first Hollywood film to feature the flattop M4 carbine that is so familiar to American audiences today.

               

Colt M4A1 Carbine - 5.56x45mm

Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) loads up an M4A1 as the terrorists prepare to take over the plane.

Korshunov on a conference call in the command center of Air Force One. The M4 is lying across the table in the foreground.

                                         A closer view of an M4A1 in the weapons cabinet.





To watch the scene titled "The Commander-In-Chief" you can do so here:


For more information on the weapons used in this movie you can go here: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Air_Force_One





Air Force One is slam-bang action sequences and plot twists that fly fast and furious in this nail-biter of a film. Grab some hot dogs, some soda pop and settle in for this all American movie this weekend.

JFK

is a 1991 drama directed by Oliver Stone and stars Kevin Costner as Jim Garrison, the New Orleans District Attorney who comes to believe that there was an conspiracy behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The film's cast included Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Ed Asner, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Michael Rooker, John Candy and Joe Pesci.




The film opens with a narration showing newsreel footage, including the farewell address in 1961 of outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower, warning about the build-up of the "military-industrial complex". This is followed by a summary of John F. Kennedy's years as president, emphasizing the events that, in Stone's thesis, would lead to his assassination. This builds to a reconstruction of the assassination on November 22, 1963. New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison subsequently learns about potential links to the assassination in New Orleans.



Garrison and his team investigate private pilot David Ferrie, but are forced to let them go after their investigation is publicly rebuked by the federal government. Kennedy's alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is killed by Jack Ruby before he can go to trial two days after the assassination, and Garrison closes the investigation.



Three years later, the investigation is reopened in late 1966 after Garrison reads the Warren Commission Report and notices what he believes are numerous inaccuracies and conflicts. Garrison and his staff interrogate several witnesses to the Kennedy assassination, and others who were involved with Oswald, Ruby, and Ferrie. Russell B. Long, a Democrat senator, privately tells Garrison about the FBI investigation into Oswald and evidence surfaced that it was technically impossible for Oswald to fire off three shots from a bolt-action rifle in pinpoint accuracy that killed John F. Kennedy.



Garrison and his associates question Jack Martin a former private investigator who worked with the late Guy Banister where Martin recalls Banister beating him with a pistol that day three years earlier after discovering that Banister's office had been broken into and several files stolen from the office. Banister was a career member of the FBI before he became a private investigator and then died suddenly of a what was thought to be a heart attack nearly one year after the Warren Commission released its report. Martin tells Garrison that Oswald had met with Banister a few times during his brief stay in New Orleans and that Oswald and Ferrie knew each other and were employed on some special project with Cuban anti-communist militants.



Garrison meets with Dean Andrews, Jr., an eccentric lawyer who claims that an alleged phone call was made to him by one of his clients, named Clay Bertrand on the day after the Kennedy assassination in which Andrews was asked to represent Oswald in the assassination charges against him. Andrews tells Garrison that he may be in over his head with those who may have been involved.

Another witness Garrison meets with is Willie O'Keefe, a male prostitute currently serving five years in prison for soliciting, who reveals he witnessed Ferrie discussing Kennedy's assassination with Oswald, and a group of Latin men. As well as briefly meeting Oswald, O'Keefe was romantically involved with a man he knew as Clay Bertrand also known as Clay Shaw, a wealthy New Orleans businessman. Upon Garrison's informal questioning, Shaw denies any knowledge of meeting Ferrie, O'Keefe or Oswald, but he is soon charged with conspiring to murder the President.

In Dallas, others come forward, including Jean Hill. She tells the investigators that she witnessed shots fired from the grassy knoll and she heard four to six shots total, but Secret Service agents threatened her into saying only three shots came from the book depository; the implication is that changes that were made to her testimony by the Warren Commission.



Garrison and a staff member also go to the sniper's location in the Texas School Book Depository and aim an empty rifle from the window through which Oswald was alleged to have shot Kennedy. They conclude that Oswald was too poor a marksman to make the shots, and two of the shots were much too close together, indicating that one or two more additional assassins were also involved.

Another person comes forward named Rose Cheramie, a Dallas prostitute who was allegedly beaten up by Jack Ruby's bodyguards. She tells Garrison that she was taken to a clinic on that day where she tried  to warn the doctors that the Mafia was planning on killing President Kennedy.

After discovering electronic surveillance microphones that had been planted in his offices, Garrison meets a high-level figure in Washington D.C. who identifies himself as "X". "X" suggests there was a conspiracy at the highest levels of government, implicating members of the CIA, the military-industrial complex, Cuban exiles, the Mafia, and Secret Service, FBI, and even Kennedy's vice-president, Lyndon B. Johnson, as either direct conspirators, co-conspirators, or, as having motives to cover up the truth after the assassination. "X" explains Kennedy was assassinated because his foreign policy would have meant diminished profit for the military-industrial complex, and enraged high-ranking military officials who viewed such diplomacy as weakness. Kennedy ordered control of secret paramilitary operations to be removed from the CIA and handed over to Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff. This would have diminished the agency's power. Further, the Mafia had helped Kennedy win the 1960 election as a favor to his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr, who had done business with the Mafia dating back to the 1920s, and felt betrayed that he had let his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, continue his crusade against the Mob. Furthermore, the Mob wanted revenge for the April 1961 Bay of Pigs incident, which they had helped fund and support in order to get their Cuban casinos their biggest moneymakers back from the hands of the Castro government.

In flashbacks, "X" reveals how his superior, General "Y", had "X" sent on a trip to Antarctica just before the assassination. One of "X"'s duties was to supplement presidential security. He points out all the lapses in security during JFK's fatal trip to Dallas: the open windows along the route, the hairpin turn from Houston to Elm which slowed the limousine, and bystander activities which would not have been allowed. "X" suggests he was ordered out of the country in order to strip away the normal security measures he would have had in place during Kennedy's fateful trip to Dallas.

On his way back from Antarctica, "X" touches down in New Zealand. He reads a local newspaper which mysteriously presents a full dossier on Oswald and his guilt in Kennedy's death. This was hours before Oswald would be charged with the crime and anyone investigating the case knew much about him. "X" views this as clear proof of a cover story of the type used by CIA black ops. In other words, CIA assets in the media were being used to persuade the public of Oswald's guilt.

"X" further states that Kennedy was intent on pulling U.S. troops from Vietnam by the end of 1965 as evidenced by National Security Order 263. This was countermanded immediately by Kennedy's successor, Lyndon Johnson, with National Security Order 273. Therein, concludes "X", lay the foundation of the Vietnam War. "X" encourages Garrison to keep digging and make further arrests.

Two of Garrison's staff, one of whom is Assistant District Attorney Susie Cox (Laurie Metcalf), quit the investigation, doubting his motives and methods. Garrison's marriage is strained when his wife Liz complains that he is spending more time on the case than with his own family. After a sinister phone call is made to their daughter, Liz accuses Garrison of being selfish and attacking Shaw only because of his homosexuality. In addition, the media launches attacks on television and in newspapers attacking Garrison's character and criticizing the way his office is spending taxpayers' money. Some key witnesses become scared and refuse to testify while others, such as Ferrie, die under suspicious circumstances. Before his death, Ferrie tells Garrison that he believes people are after him, and reveals there was a conspiracy around Kennedy's death that involved co-conspirators that were involved in the CIA planned Operation Mongoose.



In June 1968, fellow Assistant District Attorney Bill Broussard meets Garrison at the New Orleans airport where Garrison is boarding for Phoenix, Arizona and tells him the Canadian mob will attempt to assassinate him and is about to get Garrison some serious protection when Garrison confronts Broussard about his orders not to pass rumors about someone going to be killed. Broussard tries in vain to get Garrison to listen, but Garrison refuses, dismissing it as "paranoid garbage." He accuses Broussard of disobeying orders and decides to take him back to New Orleans as punishment. Broussard tries to apologize, but Garrison is too busy to accept it. After a few minutes, he has to flee from a public restroom when he hears strange noises in the adjacent stall and is approached by an unknown man who pretends to be a friend of his. Garrison flees after figuring out that is is about to be set up to be arrested by the airport police as part of a plot by the conspiracy to set him up as a homosexual.


After Garrison returns to New Orleans, he and his staff discovered that Broussard has joined the FBI and disappeared from his apartment. They argue about the real reason why Shaw has been brought to trial. After Liz retires, he sees Robert Kennedy on TV and witnesses Kennedy's assassination. Garrison, who predicted it, and Liz, whose faith in her husband is renewed as a result, reconcile.

The climax of the film is Clay Shaw's trial which takes place in January-March 1969. Garrison presents the court with further evidence of multiple killers while attempting to debunk the single bullet theory, proposes a scenario involving three assassins who fired six total shots, but the jury acquits Shaw on all charges. The film reflects that the jury's members publicly stated that they believed there was indeed a conspiracy behind the assassination of JFK, but there was not enough evidence to link Shaw to that conspiracy. The film ends with Garrison stating to reporters that he'll continue to find out what else may be there in the cover up. The final shot shows Garrison and Liz leaving the courthouse together.



In the end credits, it is mentioned that Clay Shaw died of lung cancer in 1974, but in 1979 Richard Helms testified under oath that Clay Shaw had, in fact, been a part-time contract agent of the Domestic Contacts Division of the CIA. The Justice Department has done nothing to re-open the investigation of the Kennedy assassination. The end credits also state that state secret records related to the assassination will be released to the public in 2029.




Over the years conspiracy theories surrounding the somewhat mysterious demise of the President and although some seem legitimate others seem like tall tales. This film explores some of those theories and presents it with brilliant cinematography and dialogue. JFK is jam packed with award winning actors and there is no denying they all had stellar perfomances. Let's take a look at the weapons used in this controversial movie.


The infamous rifle allegedly used by Oswald is the Carcano M91/38. In several flashbacks, it's seen fired not only by Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman), but a fake Oswald (Frank Whaley) as well. Both Lou Ivan (Jay O. Sanders) and Jim Garrison are seen holding it while sitting in the depository window.

Carcano M91/38 Short Rifle - 6.5mm

Lou Ivan (Jay O. Sanders) is seen working the Carcano rifle in an attempt to duplicate Oswald's shots.

Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) holds Oswald's Carcano rifle as he re-enacts the infamous shot.

            Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) fires the Carcano in Garrison's description of the scene.



To watch the scene titled "Crossfire In Daley Plaza" you can watch it here:



The Cuban rebels who are trained by the CIA are seen carrying M1903 Springfield rifles during their drills. Lee Harvey Oswald appears to be cleaning a disassembled Springfield when he's greeted by Willie O'Keefe (Kevin Bacon).

   Springfield M1903 Mk 1 - .30-06

Cuban rebels train with M1903 Springfield rifles.

Lee Harvey Oswald appears to be cleaning a disassembled Springfield when he's greeted by Willie O'Keefe (Kevin Bacon).

Oswald holds a Springfield while Cuban rebels are being trained.

During Garrison's explanation of the assassination, the "Grassy Knoll" shooter appears to be armed with a Winchester Model 70.

Pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 - .30-06

During Garrison's explanation of the assassination, the "Grassy Knoll" shooter appears to be armed with a Winchester Model 70.

The "Grassy Knoll" shooter fires the Winchester Model 70.

To watch the scene in which they go over the Zapruder Film you can do so here:




For more information on the weapons used you can go here: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/JFK





This film is a little lengthy so when you grab your popcorn make sure you grab enough to last awhile. It's one of those movies that I enjoy watching but is best on a rainy day when I have a whole afternoon to devote to it. Intense but well directed this piece of cinema is mesmerizing. Once you enter the rabbit hole of theories tho, you could spend awhile there so stock up on those snack first.


If you are in interesting in parts for any of the fine Remington series of weapons, take a look: Remington gear

www.CactusTactical.com

www.USGunWorks.com

Shawn in the Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

For more info on these and other weapons
Technical specs compiled from:
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/Active_FM.html
http://world.guns.ru/index-e.html
https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.militaryfactory.com/
http://www.olive-drab.com/
http://www.army.mil/
http://dok-ing.hr/products/demining/mv_4?productPage=general
http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/

"The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

Gunfights and Films - Urban New York Edition

Gunfights and Films - Urban New York Edition

Gritty, urban streets and the shady dealings of gangland activity are what drives these two films set in New York in the 60's and 70's. American Gangster tells us the true story of Frank Lucas and his rise and fall in being a Crime Boss. Dead Presidents follows the story of two young men that turn to robbery to help out their woes. Both stories show the various sides of cause and effect in crime that is both fictionalized as well as based on actual events in our history in poverty stricken cities of America. There are some intense scenes that feature gunfights, gunshots and amazing dialogue. Let's take a look at these urban classics.

American Gangster is the 2007 biographical crime drama that centers on the life of Frank Lucas, a low level gangster working out of Harlem who in the late 1960's rose to power after devising a way to smuggle a pure form of heroin to the States directly from the Far East during the height of the Vietnam War. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film stars Denzel Washington as Lucas and Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, a New Jersey detective who was instrumental in taking the crime boss down. (Ironically, both actors previously starred together in Virtuosity, in which Washington played the cop and Crowe played the criminal.)

The film opens with Bumpy Johnson  and Frank Lucas pouring gas on a man and then lighting him on fire. As the man screams in pain, Frank shoots him. Bumpy runs Harlem in 1968 and says to Frank that big business in taking over and there is no more room for the little guy. He has a heart attack and dies in a nearby store. We see other mobsters showing up to this funeral. It is seen as a huge loss in the community and the crime world struggles with what to do with his share of the neighborhoods and their dealings.

Meanwhile Richie Roberts is a New Jersey detective who is taking classes to become a lawyer and hates public speaking. He's a complex man filled with anxieties and frailties but passionate about bettering himself, to an extent.  He and his partner find a million dollars in cash and they argue about turning it in, but Richie turns it in anyway. Because Richie won't keep any of the money for himself or let his fellow officers keep it, his fellow officers mock and ridicule him. Richie is seen as weak and his coworkers aren't shy about how they feel about him and his decisions.

Frank is unhappy with the way the mob is being run and it seems he always has to pay off another mobster named Tango. Tango is an old associate of Bumpy who wants control of part of Bumpy's old territory. As Frank is having breakfast one morning Frank makes it clear to Tango and everyone else that he is the boss now. Frank takes over Bumpy's roll as community saviour and will be in charge off all illegal business dealings in those neighborhoods. As  Frank decides how he can improve business  sees on T.V. that drugs are very cheap in Vietnam and so he buys a passport and goes to visit his cousin who owns a night club in Vietnam. He comes up with a plan that succeeds for quite some time. Frank makes a deal with his cousin to bring heroin back to the U.S. by smuggling it in coffins of dead soldiers returning from Vietnam. He goes to Nam to talk to his future provider directly. Since there is no middle man, Frank can sell heroin cheaper than anyone else in New York; it is also pure heroin nicknamed "Blue Magic."

Richie's marriage is failing because his wife says he doesn't spend enough time with their son. After they divorce, his wife says she and her son are moving to Vegas. Richie struggles with being a good cop and a good father. He also has trouble staying out of trouble when it comes to women.

Richie gets a phone call in the middle of the night from his partner, Javier, who is flipping out because he killed a guy in his apartment, claiming the man opened fire on him. They bandage the dead guy's neck to make it look like he isn't dead. Richie tells his partner that he needs help because he is hooked on drugs, which is why he killed the guy in the first place. His partner freaks out and jumps out of the ambulance. His partner says that it was Richie's fault to begin with, because he takes drugs to forget that everybody at the police station sneers at him. It's getting tougher for Richie on the job.

Frank at this point is doing very well. He owns several nightclubs and moves his brothers and mother from North Carolina to New York. He buys his mom a very nice house, a mansion with a huge garden and gives her a vanity for her bedroom that he'd had made from his own memories as a child in North Carolina. Success seems to flow from every direction.

We see Richie trying to fight for custody but it turns out that his chances aren't that good because even though he's an honest cop he hangs out with bad people and likes to sleep with hookers. He even has sex with his lawyer. Richie once again struggles with the balance of being a good cop with bad associates and wanting to be a good father to his son. I imagine it's not far off from the everyday struggles those that work in law enforcement face when it comes to their families. Afterall, Richie was part of this true story as well.

Frank gets his brothers from the south to help him sell his drugs and gives them good money for doing their job, the were called The Country Boys. He distrusts strangers and wants to give back to his family. He works hard to build his empire and wants to hold onto it at all costs. At one point Frank, yells at one his family members for dressing too nice because he feels that if you dress too nice you draw attention to yourself. It is also at this point that he meets Eva , a Puerto Rican Beauty Queen, and falls head over heels for her. Adding a more complex level of life to Frank's empire.

Richie's partner overdoses on drugs which promotes Richie in order  to start a Narcotics Unit and go after the big guys, not any small time dealers. They aren't too successful at first so Richie decides to start on the streets. This newly formed law enforcement unit was mired down in the basic street hustles and small deals. Then Richie discovers Blue Magic and tries to figure out who could sell such powerful stuff so cheaply. Upon finding a lead  he and his partner follow a large sum of money they'd given to a dealer and take the tunnel to New York to follow it. While trying to retrieve the money he runs into detective Trupo. Trupo doesn't much care for Richie but feels it's best to return the money and tells Richie not to come back to New York again because it isn't his jurisdiction.

One fateful night Frank and his girlfriend go to highly publicized boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis. He sits right up front and has better seats than some of the world's biggest entertainers. Frank also wears an expensive chinchilla fur coat and hat Eva had bought for him, and he has the opportunity to shakes hands with Joe Louis. Richie sees all of this and figures it's a good time to get the license plate number from the limo Frank was riding in. Richie is not the only one who notices Frank is doing a little too well. Trupo stops Frank's car crammed with drugs and takes them away, and tells him that he wants his share of the money he's making to the tune of 10,000 dollars each month. When he arrives home, Frank throws the expensive coat which has put him under the spotlight into the fireplace to burn.

Richie discovers that the man he saw was Frank Lucas and wants to bring him down. The only problem is Richie has no evidence that Frank is a drug dealer. The picture that Frank has painted as him being a family man and pillar of the community was difficult to break through and Richie continued to come up against road blocks when following the path of Frank Lucas.

After the wedding of Frank and Eva detective Trupo stops the couple as he wants to extort them for ten thousand dollars a month to keep his mouth shut. Frank also has to deal with local competition mobster Nicky Barnes who was trying to sell heroin under the name of Blue Magic, but Nicky has been cutting the supply and selling it himself while still using Frank's brand name. Barnes was nothing but trouble for Frank from the beginning.  Shortly after all of this Frank and his wife almost get shot by an unknown. We never find out exactly who it is, but we are lead to think that it was Nicky.

One night Richie gets lucky and sees one of Frank's men almost kill his girlfriend. Instead of putting the guy in prison they have him wear a wire. This is where Richie learns how Frank gets heroin back into the U.S. Things don't look too good for Frank now. Since the war is over he can't get his drugs back into the U.S. the way he was before.  Richie manages to search a U.S. plane but finds no drugs. He also teams up with Trupo who is more than happy to take down Frank as he blew up Trupo's car. Trupo goes so far as to search Frank's house. Richie gets into an argument with some U.S. General because Richie is making it look like the U.S. military is smuggling drugs. Richie's men find drugs in coffins located at a warehouse and invade. There is a huge shoot out and they arrest Frank while he is at church. All the pieces of the empire crumble to the ground.

Richie and Frank finally meet and Frank says he isn't concerned as to what happens to him However, Richie offers him a deal which strikes Frank's interest. If he turns in all his offshore accounts and he gives in all the corrupt cops' names, he will have a much more lenient sentence.

Frank turns in other drug dealers and crooked cops and gets his sentence reduced because he is being so helpful to police. Richie ends up relinquishing  custody of his kid and lets his wife take him to Vegas. Frank is released from prison in the 1990s.

This movie is one that I've spent a lot of time watching. In the era that all of these events occurred, Frank was a trailblazer both legally and illegally. He helped law enforcement during his time incarcerated and has assisted in the war on drugs. Let's take a look at the weapons used in this film.

 Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) carries a Fegyver és Gépgyár PJK-9HP. This weapon is chrome plated with wood grips, and has been converted for blank fire. During production the gun was set up as a "solid plug" version, meaning the barrel was completely blocked off so the gun could safely be fired close to a person's skin. This was necessary for the scene in the film where Lucas shoots a rival gangster in the forehead, and then places the gun on his chest.
There was only one FÉG pistol rented for the production, so the same gun can be seen on screen in every shot. It can be matched by the wood grain of the grips and small scratches on the frame.

 FÉG PJK-9HP - 9x19mm. This is the screen-used hero blank-fire weapon used by Denzel  Washington throughout the film.

Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) with a nickel plated PJK-9HP threatens Tango (Idris Elba) who owes him money.

 Frank with his PJK-9HP after shooting Tango.

Frank drops the PJK-9HP on his victim.

To watch the scene with Frank & Tango you can watch it here:




A MAC-10 is used by one of the drive-by shooters during a assassination attempt on Frank and his wife.

 Ingram MAC-10 open bolt submachine gun - .45 ACP

A drive-by shooting on the streets of Harlem with a MAC-10 9mm.

 The shooter fires at Frank and his wife.

To watch the scene with the drive by you can do so here:



Detective Roberts (Russell Crowe) and various other police officers use Ithaca 37 shotguns during the raid on Frank's heroin distribution center. Another Ithaca 37 is seen in the hands of one of the thugs at the distribution center.

      Ithaca Model 37 riot version - 12 Gauge

   Detective Roberts fires the Ithaca 37 during raid.

The Colt Official Police revolver is used by various police officers throughout the movie. Both the 2" snub nosed version and the 4" standard configuration are carried.

  Colt Official Police - 4" Barrel - .38 Special

Police Officer during raid on drug factory.Note the exposed ejector rod.

To watch the Heroin House raid you can do so here:



To watch the Gangland episode featuring Frank, you can watch it here:

To see what other weapons were used in this film you can go here: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/American_Gangster

This movie is perfect for when you're in the mood for gritty truthful tale set in New York. Grab a hot dog and a soda from the corner vendor  and plop on the couch for a great film.

Don't forget to visit our website to see what we're carrying in tactical gear today!
Magazine loaders from Cactus Tactical

Dead Presidents

This action drama was the second film by the movie-making twins, Albert and Allen Hughes. The two started their careers with the urban drama, Menace II Society, and this effort has a 70s urban setting. The style and skill of these talented filmmakers is immediately apparent and the script which they co-wrote with Michael Henry Brown has well-developed characters and great tension along with explosive action scenes framed with an engrossing small scale story. The acting is excellent, but the real star here is the Hughes direction which is cool and inspired.

We open the film in the spring of 1969, Anthony Curtis  is about to graduate from high school. However, Anthony is not going to college, but needing to get away from home to find himself, he enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after graduating high school. He is sent to Vietnam, leaving behind a middle-class family, a pregnant girlfriend, and a small time crook, Kirby, who is like a second father.

Anthony voluntarily joined the military and his close friend Skip later joined Curtis's squad after flunking out of college, and Jose, got drafted into the Army also in 1969. Once in the Marines, Curtis meets the gung-ho lieutenant, Dugan, and his wartime friend, Cleon, a religious yet deadly staff sergeant. During their tour in Vietnam as members of a Force Recon unit, they experience the horror of war, losing several fellow Marines during combat. The Marines also commit atrocities, including executing enemy prisoners and beheading corpses for war trophies. One of their squad is the victim of terror tactics of the North Vietnamese: D'ambrosio , who is disemboweled and castrated alive. While waiting for medevac, Anthony, succumbing to the request of the dying D'ambrosio, gives the man a fatal dose of morphine. One of their squad is killed by stepping on a land mine and a night ambush ensues, with NVA troops and half of Anthony's team killed; Dugan is killed after Skip can't perform during the gunfight when he is ordered to cover him. Cleon manages to hold off the enemy long enough for Anthony and the last of the crew to escape.

When Anthony returns to The Bronx in 1973, after four years of service and presumably multiple combat tours in Vietnam, i.e. multiple tours of duty, and attaining the rank of sergeant, he discovers that returning to a normal life isn't easy or pleasant. He finds his friend Skip, who used drugs during the war, is now a heroin addict. Jose, after serving as a demolitions expert, during which he lost his hand, has become a pyromaniac. Cleon is now a devoted minister. And Kirby has since become legitimate due to police cracking down on his criminal business. Anthony is laid off from his job in a butcher shop and finds himself unable to support his daughter. During a pool game at Kirby's Cowboy makes fun of Anthony and informs him that Cutty  was having sex with his girlfriend Juanita while he was deployed in Vietnam, he beats up Cowboy with a pool stick out of anger. Anthony pesters Juanita into admitting to sleeping with Cutty to provide for their daughter, in which there is speculation if the child is even Anthony's.  Anthony meets his girlfriend's sister Delilah. She is a member of the "Nat Turner Cadre", a fictional group similar to black revolutionaries.  Delilah has always had a crush on him and decides to help him with a plot he devises. Anthony, Kirby, Skip, Jose, Delilah and Cleon plan to rob an armored car making a stop at the Noble Street Federal Reserve Bank of the Bronx.

Skip and Cleon act as lookouts, Kirby is the getaway driver, Delilah waits in a dumpster across the street and Anthony and Jose hide under the loading docks, all armed. Though they plan the heist very carefully, it goes horribly wrong when a policeman stumbles on the scene by accedent. The policeman interferes, resulting in Kirby's attacking him, only to be shot in the arm, and Skip's shooting the policeman in the head. The security guards engage the robbers in a gunfight, ending with Anthony and Delilah's killing the most and Delilah's dying while saving Anthony as the truck leaves. After Kirby tries to block the truck with his car, Jose makes use of an excessive amount of explosives, destroying the armored car and burning most of the cash. They escape with what money is left, but Jose has been killed after being struck by a police car.

The surviving four try to lie low after the robbery. Cleon however begins handing out cash to members of his congregation, also buying a new Cadillac car which he obviously cannot afford. Anthony and Skip give out presents to poor children on Christmas. Cleon is finally arrested at his church and gives up the other thieves. NYPD officers storm Skip's apartment to find that he has died of a heroin overdose. As Kirby and Anthony prepare to leave the country, they are ambushed at Kirby's pool hall by the police and arrested. In court, Anthony is tried, convicted, and sent to prison for 15 years with an L. Anthony berates the judge, a war veteran himself, who also goes so far as to call him a disgrace to any person who put on uniform and served his country. Upon receiving his sentence, Anthony gets angry and throws the chair at the judge. After the court, Anthony on a police bus and goes to jail.

Not known to be a film of truly uplifting nature this movie does speak to some of the socio-economic issues of those neighborhoods and the problems in that era. Action packed and charged with an underdog plot line this movie does have a lot of intense gunfight scenes. Let's take a look at some of the weapons used.

During Anthony's tour in Vietnam, he carries an anachronistic Mossberg 590 shotgun, which wasn't introduced until 1987. In order to make the shotgun resemble a more accurate Mossberg 500, the 590's original wood has been replaced with sporting wood taken off of a 500C model.

Mossberg 590 Combat model (Parkerized) with 500C wood forearm and stock - 12 gauge. Custom assembled and photographed for IMFDB by MoviePropMaster2008.

Anthony fires his Mossberg 590 in the jungle. Note bayonet lug, heat shield, and Mossberg Sporting wood furniture. Historically, this gun would not be introduced until 1987.

Anthony realizes his shotgun is out of ammo. Note the Mossberg style chamber and trigger guard.

Many of the men in the Marine Recon unit use the M16A1 rifle. Lieutenant Dugan's is noteworthy in that it is an M16A1, but it has the original M16 three prong flash hider, indicating that it was mocked up to resemble the XM16-E1. Historically this would be unnecessary, since the M16-A1 was already widespread in the field throughout Vietnam by the 1970s.

M16A1 with 20 round magazine - 5.56x45mm

D'Ambrosio, and another member of the Marine Recon unit firing on the enemy with M16A1 rifles.

Dugan aims his M16A1, made to resemble an XM16-E1 by the addition of the 2nd model three prong flash hider.

As Anthony is the designated shotgunner, the platoon Staff Sergeant, Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine) is the designated autogunner. He carries an M3A1 "Grease Gun", which in the movie has a very memorable muzzle report and slow fire rate. The sound of fire for this weapon, is obviously taken from a much larger caliber weapon.

                                 

 M3A1 "Grease Gun" - .45 ACP

 Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine) reloads his M3A1 "Grease Gun".

                                         Cleon aims his M3A1 "Grease Gun" next to Dugan.

To watch the footage from the scenes in Vietnam you can watch it here:



During the robbery, a nickel plated model M1911A1 is used by both Kirby (Keith David), who fires a whopping 11 rounds without locking, and Skip blows alway the NYPD Officer on beat (Chris Tucker).

      Nickel plated M1911A1 - .45 ACP

Kirby (Keith David) fires on the police officer attempting to intervene in the armored car robbery with a nickel plated 1911A1.

Skip fires the nickel plated 1911A1.

The police officer who attempts to intervene in the armored truck robbery uses a Smith & Wesson Model 10. He is drawn by Kirby's 11 rounds fired from his Commander, and returns 9 of his own from his six shot revolver, making their gun battle highly fictitious. Another Smith & Wesson Model 10 is used by Joe in the planning room, and after the robbery as he fires 8 rounds without reloading at a pursuing police car.

   Smith & Wesson Model 10 HB (Heavy Barrel) Revolver - .38 Special

 Joe pulls his Smith & Wesson Model 10 in the planning room.

 The intervening police officer fires on Kirby with his Smith & Wesson Model 10.

 Joe aims his Smith & Wesson Model 10 at an approaching police car.

Delilah uses a blued Colt Government Model as well as an M1911A1 during the armored car heist.

     Colt Government Model M1911A1 - .45 ACP

Delilah armed with a blued Commander in her left hand, and a Colt Government Model in her right hand.

  No notes were given for this shot of Delilah but it captures the scene beautifully.

Delilah lies dead with an empty Colt Government Model. Somehow it managed to get into her left hand.

To watch one of the scenes from the heist you can watch it here:



This film features some amazing actors and captures the dialogue and issues of the era and neighborhoods. Well directed, action packed and hard hitting. Grab some popcorn and settle in to a film that portrays the urban life of New York.

To see what other weapons were used in this film you can go here: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Dead_Presidents

This three day weekend make sure you take a moment to look at the tactical items we're offering on sale right now here: Current specials from Cactus Tactical

Be safe out there tonight and we wish you all  a very happy New Year!

www.CactusTactical.com

www.USGunWorks.com

Shawn in the Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

For more info on these and other weapons
Technical specs compiled from:
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/Active_FM.html
http://world.guns.ru/index-e.html
https://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.militaryfactory.com/
http://www.olive-drab.com/
http://www.army.mil/
http://dok-ing.hr/products/demining/mv_4?productPage=general
http://www.peosoldier.army.mil/

"The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."