Apocalypse Now: Difference between revisions - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
Apocalypse Now: Difference between revisions
[[Image:ApnowM16-11.jpg|thumb|none|601px|Gunner's Mate Lance Johnson ([[Sam Bottoms]]) with his M16A1.]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-11.jpg|thumb|none|601px|Gunner's Mate Lance Johnson ([[Sam Bottoms]]) with his M16A1.]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-3.jpg|thumb|none|601px|Clean ([[Laurence Fishburne]]) with his M16A1.]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-3.jpg|thumb|none|601px|Clean ([[Laurence Fishburne]]) with his M16A1.]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-4.jpg|thumb|none|601px|One of the Air Cavalry soldiers sets the bullets in his magazine by tapping it against his helmet (note the crimp-nosed blank protruding from the magazine).]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-4.jpg|thumb|none|601px|One of the Air Cavalry soldiers sets the cartridges in his magazine by tapping it against his helmet (note the crimp-nosed blank protruding from the magazine).]]
[[Image:AN 1220.jpg|thumb|none|601px|Soldier (left) with an M16A1, soldier (right) with an M16 on a Huey.]]
[[Image:AN 1220.jpg|thumb|none|601px|Soldier (left) with an M16A1, soldier (right) with an M16 on a Huey.]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-7.jpg|thumb|none|601px|'''Kilgore:''' Smell that? You smell that? <BR> '''Lance:''' What? <BR> '''Kilgore:''' Napalm, son! Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body! The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill! Smelled like...victory!]]
[[Image:ApnowM16-7.jpg|thumb|none|601px|'''Kilgore:''' Smell that? You smell that? <BR> '''Lance:''' What? <BR> '''Kilgore:''' Napalm, son! Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body! The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill! Smelled like...victory!]]
Revision as of 21:00, 9 February 2013
Apocalypse Now is the 1979 epic Vietnam War film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay was co-written by Coppola and John Milius and was based on the Joseph Conrad novel Heart of Darkness. The film stars Martin Sheen as a Special Forces officer sent on a mission downriver to terminate a rogue American colonel (Marlon Brando). Coppola encountered several production problems while making the film, much of which was documented in the acclaimed 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness. In 2001, Coppola would release an extended version of the film under the title Apocalypse Now Redux.
The following weapons were used in the film Apocalypse Now:
M16A1 fitted with 30 round "curved" magazines are used by various characters throughout the film. While the 30 round magazine was not the norm for the M16 in Vietnam, it would technically be accurate (since the film takes place in 1969), but probably not as prevalent as in the film.
M16 (SP1)
Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall) is seen briefly holding an M16 (SP1) rifle noted by its "slickside" upper receiver (lacking a forward assist) after the battle at Vihn Din Drop. The gun notably has an A1-style lower receiver, as evident by the fencing around the magazine, meaning this is likely a "franken-gun". The combination of a slickside upper receiver and a full fence A1 lower receiver is correct for USAF issued version of the M16, the Colt Model 604 (as the movie is set in 1969 colt would have started producing Model 604s with the full fence lower used in the M16A1) although its use by an Army officer is inaccurate.
MGC M16
When the PBR boat is taking incoming tracer rounds, two MGC M16 replica's are shot up.
M60 machine gun
An M60 machine gun is seen carried by one of Col. Kilgore's (Robert Duvall) soldiers that rides in the helicopter with Chef and Clean. Clean (Laurence Fishburne) is the M60 gunner on the Navy PBR. Chef (Frederic Forrest) is seen firing the M60 briefly while taking incoming arrows from natives, but switches to the single mounted M2.
M60D
M60D machine guns are mounted on Col. Kilgore's (Robert Duvall) choppers during the battle at Vinh Din Drop.
Browning M2HB
Browning M2HBs are single and double hand mounted on the Navy PBR. Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Frederic Forrest) is the rear gunner with the single mounted M2HB (nicknamed after the band "Canned Heat"). Lance Johnson (Sam Bottoms) is the front gunner with double hand mounted M2's. While traveling on the river through the Do Lung Bridge two soldiers are seen firing an M2 trying to kill a single VC under all the dead VC bodies.
M1911A1
An M1911A1 is seen on the nightstand of the Saigon hotel bedroom of Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen). Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) is seen carrying one with pearl grips that have a Air Cavalry symbol imprinted as his sidearm throughout the movie. In a deleted scene, Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) aims Willard's 1911 at him when he's caged.
M79 grenade launcher
An M79 grenade launcher is used by The Roach (Herb Rice) to kill an NVA soldier hiding in the barbed wire during the scene at the Do Lung bridge. Roach had customized his with a tiger-stripe paint job.
GE M134 Minigun
A GE M134 Minigun is seen door-mounted on one of the UH-1 Huey choppers during the famous raid scene. Being that the movie was filmed in the Philippines, they also supplied the helicopters which were outfitted with real guns. Since the weapons require no blank adaption to fire, all they needed was lots of blank ammunition to get the guns running.
Fake DShK heavy machine gun (mock up)
What appears to be a DShK heavy machine gun is used by the NVA during the Kurtz's helicopter assault. Pilots over the radio is heard calling the weapon a "50 cal". In reality, the machine appears to be a mocked up Browning M2HB machine gun.
NVA are seen using Norinco Type 56 assault rifles throughout the film, and they are also seen in the hands of Kurtz's men. It is noteworthy that this film was released in 1979 and took nearly three years to complete (thus photography started in 1976). During the 1970s, the Norinco Type 56 were not being imported into the U.S., and none were in U.S. Armorer inventories. The only reason Coppola's film had them was because they were supplied by Filipino armorers in Luzon.
Ithaca 37
Capt. Colby (Scott Glenn) carries an Ithaca 37 fitted with a heat shield and bayonet lug. In a deleted scene, he uses it to kill the photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) for taking Kurtz's picture only for Willard to throw his knife hitting him in the gut, killing him.
Madsen M50
One of Kurtz's men is armed with a Madsen M50 submachine gun.
M1 Carbine
In "Apocalypse Now Redux", most of the colonists are armed with M1 Carbines.
MAT-49
In "Apocalypse Now Redux", a French Colonist is seen armed with a MAT-49 submachine gun.
Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2
In the "Redux" version of the film, a Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2 is seen resting on the shoulders of one of the French colonists confronted by Willard and the crew.
M3 Aerial Rocket Artillery
M3 Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA) launchers are mounted on the sides of the UH-1 Hueys in the film.
During the raid scene, Kilgore calls in an airstrike which is conducted by Air Force F-5A & F-5B Freedom Fighters, complete with Pontiac M39 cannons, though the fighters do not fire their guns during the attack.