Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is seen examining a Type III Pattern AK-47 rifle of Russian manufacture during one of the film's most memorable scenes, the weapon's simplicity and near-indestructibility being highly praised by him. The film starts out following the journey of an AK-47 7.62x39mm round from a munitions factory in Russia to its final destination in an African country, where it is fired at and kills a child soldier.
As in many Hollywood movies, one of the most common AK derivatives seen in the film is the Norinco Type 56-1, the Chinese copy of the AKMS, with its distinctive hooded front sight. In fact, AKs of this type are seen being used by the ex-USSR soldiers in Ukraine during the early-1990s (which is highly inaccurate, because Soviet troops would never use Chinese-made weapons and the 7.62x39mm AKs had been phased out of Russian service at the time of the scene, anyway). Many of the Type 56-1s seen in the movie have been visually modified to pass for AKMS rifles - they have been fitted with the ribbed receiver cover (Chinese AKs normally have smooth) and the wider front grip.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingNorinco Type 56-1 AK rifle with underfolder stock - 7.62x39mm (Chinese copy of AKMS)Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Russian Mobster fires his Norinco Type 56-1 during a hit in a restaurant. Note that the folding stock has been removed.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Soviet troop in Ukraine erroneously holding a Norinco Type 56-1.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Soviet mechanic working on the Hind (played by Nicholas Cage's son Weston Cage) aims his Norinco Type 56-1 at the Interpol agents.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn Afghan Mujahideen fires a Norinco Type 56-1 (note that in real life, the CIA in cooperation with China and Pakistan supplied many Type 56 rifles to the Mujahideen to fight the Soviet troops in Afghanistan.) This particular Chinese Type 56 has the ribbed top cover of an AKM - the Chinese AKs have smooth top covers.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAfricans clear out a box in Yuri's plane filled with Norinco Type 56-1s.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe R.U.F. rebel commander fires a Norinco Type 56-1 at Vitaly Orlov (Jared Leto) after he blows up a truck full of arms intended for the rebels.
In Yuri's gun container, a nickel-plated Norinco Type 56-1 with ivory furniture and a Romanian-style folding grip is seen, which is the same prop used in the film Belly.
Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is seen loading and handing out an AKM to an African when his plane lands on the dirt road. They also appear numerous times during Yuri's sales. A Russian mobster is seen using one with the stock removed to appear like an AKMS, although close inspection reveals it lacks the stock and hinges.
The gold-plated AK-47/AKM derivative carried by André Baptiste, Jr. (Sammi Rotibi) is not, as has been written previously, an "AKS-47U" or "AKMSU" or any such factory-manufactured weapon. It is a custom-made Kalashnikov that was built specially for the movie. Martin Edge, an armorer at Hire Weapons, which supplied the guns for all scenes filmed in South Africa, has sent IMFDB an e-mail with the following details:
"The weapon started out as a Saiga hunting rifle with synthetic stock and furniture...Here are the rest of the details:
-The folding stock is, as you mentioned from East Germany, this was purchased in East Germany at an arms fair and fitted to the weapon -The top cover is held on by means of a S.M.L.E. rear top cover spring clip -A pistol grip was installed and the trigger moved forward, the trigger guard is from a Vector R4 -The barrel and gas tube were shortened and the front sight is fitted to the barrel by means a flat on the barrel and a key on the front sight, the hand guard is held in position by the flash hider -The Muzzle brake/flash hider was turned down from a piece of bar
The weapon was originally supplied to the production with the black synthetic furniture, but was rejected in favour of the wooden furniture. The weapon was actually built by Bruce Wenztel, the owner of Hire Arms, which is Johannesburg based movie weapons props house in South Africa. I was not one of the armourers on the movie as I was not working for the company that the time of the production. The armourer was Lance Peters who handled the weapons on set on the companies behalf. Hire Arms imported some weapons and supplied the others. I spend most of my time building specialized weapons for future productions and spend very little time on set. The company has 400 feature movies under its belt and seems to be going from strength to strength. I am attaching various other pictures, please feel free to upload as you like.
You also mention the magazine in your copy, and it is an early type and was chosen because of its surface area for ease of plating. Brass plating was suggested as an alternative to gold but was rejected by the production in favour of 18crt gold plating, which cost a small fortune."
As mentioned in Martin's e-mail, he sent us a number of photos of the gold-plated AK. IMFDB is extremely grateful to him for this exclusive info!
In Ukraine, a Russian stockpile of weaponry consists of thousands of Kalashnikovs, which are in fact SA Vz.58 assault rifles standing in. According to Director Andrew Niccol in the DVD commentary, the guns were real guns rented from a real arms dealer, as it was cheaper for the production to rent 3,000 real guns than to rent 3,000 blank converted props.
Yuri's very first arms sale is a batch of Micro Uzi machine pistols, which are sold to local Russian mobsters (this is unrealistic as the civilian version of the Micro-Uzi was not made available until 1983).
In one of Yuri's first major sales, he procures hundreds of surplus M16A2 rifles left in Lebanon by America peace keepers, which he sells to the leader of a Lebanese Maronite militia (probably the real-life Phalange) in a joint deal with a corrupt American military officer named Lt. Colonel Southern (a reference to Lt. Colonel Oliver North, who in real life helped sell American-made weaponry "under the table" to proxy forces).
Two Lebanese soldiers are seen using M16A1s with M16A2-style handguards to execute Palestinian guerillas. One is also seen in Yuri Orlov's weapons container.
A Lebanese soldier is seen using an Vektor R5 to execute Palestinian guerillas. It is noted as being a Vektor R5 and not a Galil SAR by the bulge on the end of the gas tube just behind the front sight, which prevents the handguard retaining clip from moving unless the rifle is disassembled.
In one scene, Yuri and Vitaly sell full-size Uzi submachine guns to Somali Islamic resistance fighters (one of them tests the weapon by firing it at a cardboard cutout of Ronald Reagan). Yuri notes the irony of this transaction: "I sold Israeli-made Uzis to Muslims."
In one part of the film, Yuri sells four Glock 17 pistols to a Colombian narco-guerilla (possibly a member of FARC),along with a large shipment of other weapons. When a dispute arises regarding payment for the weapons (the drug lord wants to give him cocaine instead of money), Yuri ends up getting shot with one of the pistols, violating the most important of his three rules; "Don't get shot with your own merchandise".
A notable mistake is that two of the Glock-17s in this scene (including the one used by the drug lord to shoot Yuri) are clearly 3rd Generation models (they have frame rails for mounting accessories, plus thumb reliefs and finger grooves in the grip), which were introduced in the late-1990s, but the scene takes place in the late-1980s. The other two Glocks are both 2nd Generation models, which would have been correct for the time period.
The Russian Mobster who is attacked in the restaurant single handily takes out the two hitters with his Star Model B pistol. It appears the same gun is among the weapons Yuri sells to André Baptiste Sr. The is the same Star Model B used in Flight of the Phoenix.
While Yuri is negotiating with André Baptiste Sr. (Eamonn Walker), the warlord uses a Smith & Wesson Model 686 to kill one of the men in the room, after which Yuri comments that he'll have to purchase the weapon having used it. Later on, André captures Yuri's primary gun-running competitor, Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm) as a "present" for Yuri and gives him the opportunity to kill him using the revolver. When Yuri is reluctant to do the deed himself, the warlord puts the gun in Yuri's hand and presses Yuri's finger on the trigger until the gun fires, killing Weisz.
While doing business with André Baptiste, André Baptiste Jr. requests that Yuri get him what he calls "the gun of Rambo"; an M60 machine gun. Upon receiving it, he is seen firing the gun at random civilians while driving in the truck to do business with the R.U.F. in Sierra Leone. An M60 is also seen on the Coast Guard boat when Jack Valentine is about to board the Kristol/Kono.
Throughout the movie, the Interpol agents are brandishing Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns, both the MP5A2 and MP5A3, many of which have Navy trigger groups. In one scene where Interpol agents confront Yuri as he is about to ship an Mi-24 attack helicopter to Burkina Faso, one of the agents shoves an MP5 in his face threateningly. He coolly replies, "Oh, the new MP5...would you like a silencer for that?"
Another frequently-seen weapon in the film is the RPG-7. In one scene, Yuri gives away a whole plane full of weapons, including RPG's, to peasants to avoid being caught with them by Interpol agents. Interestingly, the flight scene shows that the launchers are armed, having live rockets mounted...never a very safe way to fly.
Yuri's brother Vitaly Orlov (Jared Leto) carries a Beretta 92SB pistol throughout the film. During the altercation with the narco-guerilla in Colombia, he pulls this weapon to defend his brother. The same prop also appears as one of the guns Yuri tries to sell André Baptiste Sr. (Eamonn Walker).
A Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle can be seen in the hands of an Afghan Mudjahideen rebel during the montage where Yuri describes the growth of his business. The rifle has a straight bolt unlike a genuine 98k but has the indentation in the stock under the bolt indicating this gun is built off of several Mauser variants.
A Henry US Survival break-down rifle with a stainless steel finish, a matching M68 Aimpoint red dot scope, and a wire stock is seen in Yuri's weapons container.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingHenry US Survival .22 LR with M68 Aimpoint red dot scope. The weapon seen here belongs to Weapons Specialists, Ltd., the New York-based prop house which supplied the weapons for the New York scenes of Lord of War, so this gun is probably the exact same one seen in the film.Error creating thumbnail: File missingHenry US Survival circled in red.
RGD-5 Hand Grenade
Near the end of the film, Vitaly uses RGD-5 hand grenades to try to destroy the weapons his brother is selling to the R.U.F. in exchange for conflict diamonds, but only manages to destroy one truck.
