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AK-47
The AK-47 and variants are used by the following actors in the following movies, television series, anime, and video games:
NOTE: Please keep in mind that while "AK-47" is often a catch-all term for 7.62x39mm Kalashnikov rifles, most so-called "AK-47s" in movies - particularly American movies - are actually either Egyptian Maadi ARM copies of the highly improved AKM, or variants of the Chinese Norinco Type 56. Please check carefully to make sure that the rifle in question is a true AK-47 and not an AKM or a Chinese Type 56. When in doubt, it is probably safer to assume AKM or Type 56.
Specifications
Type: Assault Rifle
Caliber: 7.62x39mm
Capacity: 10, 30, 40-round box magazines, 75-round drum magazine.
Fire Modes: Safe/Full-Auto/Semi (600 RPM)
AK-47
It is noteworthy that the U.S. government had a ban on all weapons imported from Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War years (1947-1989). Communist nations which were not part of the Warsaw pact, such as Yugoslavia and Mainland China, were allowed to negotiate trade agreements with the U.S., thus the influx of Chinese AK type rifles and Yugo AKs (Zastava). The Maadi ARMs (the US version of the MISR) were allowed because Egypt was never a Communist country nor a member of the Warsaw Pact. But, as a result of this, virtually no U.S. movie has a real original AK-47 prior to a certain date. The exceptions are, custom build ups after the mid 1990s when original AK-47 rifle kits were available (as was done on "We Were Soldiers", using original blueprints and US made milled receivers), and movies filmed overseas where foreign movie armorers had no such restrictions. This is particularly true for films made in Israel and some parts of Europe. This is not the case now, with the current crop of films made outside the U.S., mostly in the newly democratic Eastern European nations (Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Poland,Czech Republic, etc.) However, Russia has firmly blocked the export of their old AK-47 surplus guns outside of the country, having distributed most of them to client nations and guerillas throughout the world in the previous five decades. So the AK-47 one 'thinks' one sees may very well be a Poly Technologies Legend series AK (from China) or another AK Variant.
Film
| Actor | Character | Title | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Rebels and Russian Alfa commandos | Hitman | 2007 | ||
| Leonardo DiCaprio | Danny Archer | Blood Diamond | 2006 | |
| RUF rebels | Blood Diamond | 2006 | ||
| ANC fighters | Catch a Fire | 2006 | ||
| Nicolas Cage | Yuri Orlov | Lord of War | Type III model | 2005 |
| Touraeg fighter | Sahara (2005) | 2005 | ||
| Sue Price | Alex Sinclair | Nemesis 2: Nebula | 2005 | |
| Criminals | Breaking News | Possibly Polytech Legend model | 2004 | |
| Cameroonian border guard | Tears of the Sun | 2003 | ||
| Viet Cong and NVA soldiers | We Were Soldiers | Built by armorer Mike Papac | 2002 | |
| Sniper 2 | 2002 | |||
| Serbian soldier | Behind Enemy Lines | 2001 | ||
| Ukrainian Soldiers | Godzilla (1998) | 1998 | ||
| Viet Cong fighters | A Better Tomorrow III | 1990 | ||
| Waise Lee | Little Wing | Bullet in the Head | 1990 | |
| Afghan Mujaheddin | The Beast of War | 1988 | ||
| Afghan Mujaheddin | Rambo III | 1988 | ||
| Enemy Soldiers | Iron Eagle II | 1988 | ||
| Art Malik | Kamran Shah | The Living Daylights | 1987 | |
| Enemy Soldiers | Iron Eagle | 1986 | ||
| Terrorists | The Delta Force | 1985 | ||
| Soviet Soldiers | Rocky IV | 1985 | ||
| East German border guards and Soviet Soldiers | Octopussy | 1983 | ||
| Viet Cong fighters and Kurtz's men | Apocalypse Now | 1979 | ||
| Viet Cong fighters | The Odd Angry Shot | 1979 | ||
| East German (NVA) border guards | Escape from East Berlin | 1962 |
Television
- Somali militiamen in Seven Days (episode "The Fire Last Time")
- Tour of Duty
- X-Files Season 5 episode "Folie a Deux"
- Iraqi insurgents in Over There
- Weaponology
Anime
- Islamic revolutionaries in an unidentified desert state and USSR soldiers seen in flashback in Noir
Video Games
Animation
AKS-47
Basically the same as the AK-47, but the rear-trunion is altered with a swivelling mechanism to allow for the under-folding stock.
Film
| Actor | Character | Title | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy SEALs | Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil | Modified with AK-74 style muzzle brake, gas block and bayonet lug | 2006 | |
| North Korean soldiers | Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil | Modified with AK-74 style muzzle brake, gas block and bayonet lug | 2006 | |
| A Bittersweet Life | 2005 | |||
| Criminal gang | Breaking News | Poly Tech AKS-47 side-folder copy | 2004 | |
| Indian Army soldiers | Lakshya | 2004 | ||
| Nomads | Flight of the Phoenix | 2004 | ||
| Edward Norton | Steve | The Italian Job | 2003 | |
| Branko Duric | Ciki | No Man's Land | w/ two magazines taped together | 2001 |
| Mustafa Nadarevic | Old Serbian soldier | No Man's Land | Fitted with orange bakelite magazine | 2001 |
| Gangbangers | Darkman II: The Return of Durant | w/ AKM-style muzzle brakes | 1995 | |
| Iraqi soldiers | Hot Shots! Part Deux | 1993 | ||
| Navy SEALs | Navy SEALs | 1990 | ||
| Lebanese terrorists | Navy SEALs | 1990 | ||
| Colombian terrorists | Toy Soldiers | 1990 | ||
| Soviet tank crew members | The Beast of War | 1988 | ||
| Enemy soldiers | Iron Eagle II | 1988 | ||
| Soviet soldiers | Rambo III | 1988 | ||
| Aliens | Bad Taste | 1987 | ||
| Enemy soldiers | Iron Eagle | 1986 | ||
| Soviet Marines | Solo Voyage | 1985 |
Television
| Actor | Character | Show Title / Episode | Note | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Cantor | Rocko | The Kill Point | 2007 | |
| Frank Grillo | Albert "Mr. Pig" Roman | The Kill Point | 2007 | |
| Keifer Sutherland | Jack Bauer | 24: Redemption | 2008 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 007: The World Is Not Enough | Soviet KA-57 | 2000 | ||
| Timesplitters 2 | Soviet SV7 | w/ an M203 grenade launcher | 2002 |
AKM
The improved version of the AK-47, featuring a number of refinements such as a stamped receiver (as opposed to the milled receiver of the original AK-47), a slant compensator on the tip of the barrel (to reduce recoil), an improved gas tube (without vents), and use of lighter materials to reduce weight and simplify construction.
Most of the AKMs seen in Hollywood movies are actually Egyptian Maadi MISR copies, which were sold in the U.S. as the ARM in the 1980s - such weapons were first procured by Stembridge Gun Rentals for Red Dawn and subsequently re-used in numerous other motion pictures. The Maadi is almost identical to the original Soviet-built AKM, save for the markings, and is nearly impossible to tell apart.
Film
- Soviet soldiers and the "Wolverines" in Red Dawn
- A terrorist in The Siege
- Reynaldo A. Gallegos as Tito Vargas in Bad Boys II
- Crimson Jihad terrorists and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker in True Lies
- Tommy Lee Jones as Mitch Garnett in The Park is Mine (with two magazines taped together 'jungle style', loaded with blanks and live rounds)
- Serbian soldiers and Owen Wilson as Lt. Chris Burnett in Behind Enemy Lines
- Guerrillas in Predator
- Libyan terrorists in Back to the Future
- Cuban Army soliders in Bad Boys II
- Colombian drug cartel henchmen in XXX
- Clint Eastwood and various Cuban Soldiers in Heartbreak Ridge
- Mel Gibson as Detective Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon 4
- IRA terrorists in Patriot Games
- A cartel member in A Man Apart
- Used by Wild Seven in Battle Royale II: Requiem
- Escobedo's men in Clear and Present Danger
- Nigerian militia fighters and refugees in Tears of the Sun
- Lycans in Underworld
- Iraqi soldiers, Shiite refugees, and the main protagonists of Three Kings
- Bank robbers and gang members in S.W.A.T. (including two fitted with high-capacity drum magazines)
- Rwandan Army soldiers in Hotel Rwanda
- Sal's men in RoboCop
- Arius' men in Commando
- Vietnamese and Russian troops in Rambo: First Blood Part II
- Mujahideen, RamboSylvester Stallone,Richard Crenna as Colonel Trautman, and the Russians in Rambo 3
- Sgt. Kourov (Randy Raney) and Rambo Sylvester Stallone in Rambo 3 [fitted with a M203 and Galil style stock]
- Gang members in Escape from LA
- A resistance member in Equilibrium
- Russians in Eraser
- Johnny Wong's thugs in Hard Boiled
- Guards in Air Force One
- Burmese Junta Soldiers in Rambo (2008)
- Thug in The Replacement Killers
- Charlie Wilson's War
- Ramon Cota's men in Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
- Iraqi Soldiers in Hot Shots! Part Deux
- A Village Milita Member in Transformers
- Cuban guards in Die Another Day
Television
- Abu Fayed's men in 24
- some U.S. guards in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
- Iraqi insurgents and soldiers in Over There
- Rebels in a parallel universe in Doctor Who
- Terrorists and Special Forces soldiers in The Unit (the latter fitted with tactical flashlights and silencers)
- Carl Ciarfalio as Hank Connors in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (episode "Leapin' Lizards")
- Drug dealers in CSI: NY (episode: "Snow Day")
- Several Variants used by a cult in Criminal Minds.
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncharted: Drake's Fortune | 2007 | |||
| Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops | 2006 | |||
| Kane and Lynch: Dead Men | Cannot be used by player | 2007 | ||
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | 2007 | |||
| Combat Arms | AK-47 | 2004 | ||
| Half-Life 2 | AR-1 | Cut Weapon | 2004 | |
| ArmA II | 2009 | |||
| Left 4 Dead 2 | w/ flashlight by zip ties, 40 rounds | 2009 | ||
| Splinter Cell Chaos Theory |
AKMS
Basically the same as the AKM, but the rear-trunion is altered with a swiveling mechanism to allow for the under-folding stock. The AKMS nomenclature also indicates that the rifle is not a milled receiver variant and has the AKM style of gas block, top cover, barrel assembly, front sight, and appropriate forearm furniture.
Film
- Claire Danes as Katherine Brewster and Nick Stahl as John Connor in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (with shortened barrel and dual-mag clamp)
- Salim Abu Aziz Art Malik in True Lies ((with shortened barrel)
- U.S. Navy SEALs in Navy SEALs
- Pineapple Express ((with shortened barrel)
- A Mexican terrorist in Hulk
- A slaver in Taken ((with shortened barrel)
- Colombian terrorists in Toy Soldiers
- Burmese Junta soldiers in Rambo (2008)
- A bank robber in S.W.A.T.
- Myint Supakorn Kitsuwon in Rambo (2008) (with shortened barrel)
- Rwandan Army soldiers in Hotel Rwanda
- War, Inc.
- Resistance fighters in Equilibrium
- Iraqi Soldiers in Hot Shots! Part Deux
- Mujahideen,RamboSylvester Stallone and the Russians in Rambo 3
- Soviet Spetsnaz in Rambo 3 (fitted with AK-74 style muzzle breaks to look like AKS-74s)
- Mujahideen warriors and Soviet and Czech soldiers in The Living Daylights
- Private military contractors in The Hurt Locker (customized with RAS, foregrips and C-More red dot sights)
- General Radek's men in Air Force One ((with shortened barrel and side-folding stocks)
Television
- Kiefer Sutherland as Agent Jack Bauer in 24
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArmA II | 2009 |
AIM/AIMS
The Romanian clones of the AKM and AKMS, identifiable by the vertical foregrip integrated into the handguard. The folding-stock version of the AIM, known as the AIMS, originally had a conventional under-folding stock and the grip curving inwards at a convex angle. This was eventually replaced by a version which had a side-folding stock (copied from the East German MPi-KMS), as shown here.
Film
| Actor | Character | Title | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Game | Grill | Street Kings | 2008 | |
| Andrew Bryniarski | Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. | 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout | w/ 75-round drum magazine | 2003 |
| Oleg Taktarov | Emil Matasareanu | 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout | w/ 75-round drum magazine | 2003 |
| Uri Gavriel | Georgi Koshkin | Iron Eagle II | w/ bakelite magazines and Israeli blank-firing adaptor | 1988 |
Television
MPi-KM/MPi-KMS-72
The MPi-KM/MPi-KMS-72 are East German license-manufactured versions of the AKM/AKMS. Early versions of the rifles had wooden furniture, but later models have distinctive stippled brown buttstocks and pistol grips. The MPi-KMS also has a side folding single strut "coat hanger" stock, a feature which is shared with the Romanian AIMS rifle. After the German reunification, all variants of the MPi were removed from service, with most rifles being sold as surplus to the militaries of such countries as Finland and Turkey.
Movies
| Actor | Character | Title | Note | Date | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Iraqi police officer | The Hurt Locker | 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Afghan mujahideen | Lord of War | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rwandan soldiers | Hotel Rwanda | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corrupt Chinese General's men | Lethal Weapon 4 | 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mel Gibson | Detective Martin Riggs | Lethal Weapon 4 | 1998
Television
Video Games
AKMSUChopped and shortened AKMS underfolder, made to resemble the AKS-74U except that it is still a 7.62x39mm gun. The AKMSU was never manufactured by the Soviet Union; however, many other countries, including Yugoslavia, built their own versions. Most of the so-called "AKMSU" carbines seen in Hollywood movies, such as Three Kings, Tropic Thunder, Bad Boys II, etc. are actually full-size AK variants that have been converted with Krinkov parts kits; many feature side-folding AKS-74U-style stocks. The picture to the right is an actual movie gun that is almost identical to those that have appeared in many movies.
Film
Television
Video Games
Norinco Type 56The Chinese Type 56 rifle (manufactured by China North Industries Corporation, or Norinco) is by far the most commonly-seen AK derivative in Hollywood productions, both film and television. They are frequently seen impersonating Russian weapons in many films, since the Russians never sold a civilian AK model in the U.S. (or Europe) during the latter half of the 20th century. Most of the movie prop rental houses in Hollywood had dozens if not hundreds of Chinese AKs - mostly the Type 56s (7.62x39mm version) or the similar Type 84s (5.56x45mm version). These were usually semi-automatic civilian versions (commonly designated "AK47S" or "AKS47" by the importers), in many cases converted to full-auto by Class III manufacturers. There are three main variants of the Type 56 - the standard Type 56, which has a fixed stock, the Type 56-1, which has an under-folding stock, and the Type 56-2, which has a side-folding stock. Most fixed-stock Type 56 rifles have an under-folding spike bayonet, known as the "pig sticker"; this rifle is often seen in movies about the Vietnam War, and is correct for NVA throughout most of the conflict. Quite a few of the Type 56s seen in movies also have AKM-style slant compensators fitted; this was a common feature on semi-auto Type 56s exported to the U.S., but NOT the full-auto military model. The easiest way to tell when an AK-type rifle seen in a movie or TV show is a Chinese Type 56 is by looking at the front sight; Chinese AKs have a distinctive full-circle ("hooded") front sight that no other AKs (including those made in Russia) have. Film
Television
Video Games
Norinco Type 84SThe Type 84 rifle is nearly identical to the Chinese Type 56 (seen above), but it is chambered in 5.56x45mm. It is often seen impersonating the AK-74 in movies and TV shows (particularly Stargate: SG1, where it is carried by Russian SG teams). The Type 84 was imported and sold with an AK birdcage flash hider and had a deep polished factory blue. Several other variants of the 84S Rifle (that are mostly unfamiliar to American Gun Owners) were victims of the 1989 Import Ban that barred most new 'assault rifles' from entering the United States. These rifles were thus mostly exported to Canada and Australia, and as a result, appeared in television shows or movies that were filmed in those countries. Listed here are two of the variants seen in Canadian or Australian television (the Target and the Match versions). If it were not for Canadian or Australian movie armorers, most of us in the U.S. would never have known these variants existed. Film
Television
Norinco MAK-90Civilian "post-ban" version of Norinco Type 56, with 'thumbhole' stock and semi-auto only fire mode. Film
Zastava M70The Zastava M70 was the Yugoslavian variant of the Russian AK-47 (later AKM), however, it utilized a strengthened lower receiver, more akin to the RPK than the AK-47/AKM. It also has other design variations which make it immediately recognizable from it's Russian cousin. Some of the variants also have finned barrels to aid in heat dispersion. It was made by Zavodi Crvena Zastava (Red Banner Plant), now Zastava Oružje / Zastava Arms in a Yugoslavian (now Serbian) city of Kragujevac. It was most widely used and seen in the Wars in the 1990s of the former Yugoslavian republics - Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (Slovenia and Macedonia were not a major combatants in the fighting). Yugoslavia also sold them to many countries such as Iraq (which produced a licensed copy known as the Tabuk, which lacked the grenade-launching sight) and Kuwait. The Zastava M70 was produced in the following variants:
The Zastava M70 was seen in the following: Film
Television
Video Games
AMD-65Film
Television
AK-101Modern Russian AK rifle full size. 5.56x45mm Video Games
AK-102Modern Russian AK rifle carbine. 5.56x45mm Video Games
AK-103Modern Russian AK rifle full size. 7.62x39mm. Movies
Video Games
AK-104Modern Russian AK rifle carbine. 7.62x39mm. Film
AK-108Modern full-size AK rifle borrowing operating mechanics from the AEK-971.
WASR-3A Romanian AK clone in 5.56x45mm. Film
Bulgarian ARA Bulgarian Arsenal AK clone chambered in the legendary 7.62x39mm Film
See Also
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