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Lord of War
The following weapons were used in the film Lord of War:
Error creating thumbnail: File missing WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Handguns
Beretta 92SB
Vitaly Orlov (Jared Leto) carries a Beretta 92SB pistol throughout the film. During the altercation with the narco-guerrilla in Colombia, he pulls this weapon to defend his brother Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage). The same prop also appears as one of the guns Yuri displays for sale to André Baptiste Sr. (Eamonn Walker).
Smith & Wesson Model 686
While Yuri is negotiating with André Baptiste Sr. (Eamonn Walker), the warlord examines a Smith & Wesson Model 686, which he then uses to kill one of the men in the room, after which Yuri comments that he'll have to purchase the weapon given it's now "used". Later on, André captures Yuri's primary gun-running competitor Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm) as a "present" for Yuri and gives Yuri the opportunity to kill him with 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 to fire the gun, killing Weisz.
Glock 17
In one scene, Yuri sells four Glock 17 pistols along with a large shipment of other weapons to a Colombian narco-guerrilla (possibly a member of FARC). 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 by 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. Two other Glocks are both 2nd Generation models, which would have been correct for the time period.
Star Model B
The Russian mobster who is attacked in the restaurant single-handedly takes out two hitters with his Star Model B pistol. A similar Star Model B (possibly the same prop) is among the weapons Yuri has on display for sale to André Baptiste Sr.. This is the same Star Model B used in Flight of the Phoenix.
Makarov PM
A Russian soldier in Ukraine points his Makarov PM at the Interpol agents when they try to bust Yuri.
Submachine Guns
Uzi Pistol
Yuri's very first arms sale is a batch of Uzi Pistol machine pistols, which are sold to local Russian mobsters. As the scene takes place before Yuri's sales in Lebanon (which took place in 1982), the Uzi Pistols are anachronistic, since they were introduced in 1984.
Heckler & Koch MP5K
Interpol Agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) carries a Heckler & Koch MP5K with a 15-round magazine and a Navy trigger group.
Heckler & Koch MP5A2/A3
Throughout the film, the Interpol agents are seen carrying 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?" A couple of MP5s were also seen in Yuri's weapons container.
Note this shot features the sound of the bolt being racked, despite the agent having his hand on Yuri's shoulder.
Uzi
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".
Rifles
AK-47
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 the ammunition factory in Russia to its final destination in an African country, where it is fired at and kills a child soldier.
N.B. In his narration, Yuri refers to the rifle as the "Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947, more commonly known as the AK-47 or Kalashnikov." When it was adopted by the Soviet Army, the rifle was simply designated "AK" for Avtomat Kalashnikova (Автомат Калашникова). The name "AK-47" was applied by Western countries, but was not used officially by the Soviet military. However, the name became so common worldwide that some Russian sources and films can be found using it (see Kalashnikov).
Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) examines a Soviet-built Type III AK-47 while describing the Kalashnikov's legendary reputation for viewers.
AKM
Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is seen loading and handing out an AKM to an African civilian when his plane lands on the dirt road. AKMs 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.
AKMS
Several AKMS's are seen among Yuri's deliveries.
André Baptiste Jr.'s Custom AK
The gold-plated AK-47/AKM derivative carried by André Baptiste Jr. (Sammi Rotibi) is not, as has been written previously, an AKS-74U or AKMSU or any such factory-manufactured weapon. It is a custom-made Kalashnikov that was built specially for the film, using a variety of parts taken from real AK-pattern weapons. Martin Edge, an armorer at Hire Arms, which supplied the guns for all scenes filmed in South Africa, has sent IMFDB an email 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 Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rear top cover spring clip
-A pistol grip was installed and the trigger moved forward, the trigger guard is from a Vektor 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 handguard 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 email, he sent us a number of photos of the gold-plated AK. IMFDB is extremely grateful to him for this exclusive info!
Norinco Type 56-1
As in many Hollywood films, one of the most common AK derivatives seen in the film is the Norinco Type 56-1, the Chinese copy of the AKS-47/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 film 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 handguard.
Custom Nickel Norinco Type 56-1
In Yuri's gun container, a nickel-plated Norinco Type 56-1 with ivory furniture and a Romanian-style foregrip is seen. This weapon was originally built by Weapons Specialists for the film Belly, and also appeared in several other films and TV shows.
M16A2
In one of Yuri's first major sales, he procures hundreds of surplus M16A2 rifles left in Lebanon by American peacekeepers, which he sells to the leader of the Lebanese Maronite militia (probably the real-life Phalange) in a joint deal with a corrupt American military officer named Lieutenant Colonel Southern (a reference to Lt. Col. Oliver North, who in real life helped sell American-made weaponry "under the table" to proxy forces). While the M16A2 was introduced in the time era, it was not adopted or fielded until some time later, so the pile should be M16A1s.
Norinco Model 311
One Norinco Model 311 is found in the surplus M16A2 rifles left in Lebanon by American peacekeepers. It appears to have an M16A2 handguard.
Vektor R5
A Lebanese soldier is seen using a Vektor R5 to execute Palestinian guerrillas. 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.
M16A1 with A2 Handguard
Two Lebanese soldiers are seen using M16A1s with A2 handguards to execute Palestinian guerrillas. One is also seen in Yuri Orlov's weapons container, another one is seen with a fascist soldier in Borneo.
Colt Model 723
During the Berlin Arms Fair scene, several female models can be seen holding Colt Model 723s.
CAR-15
One of the narco-guerrilla's henchmen is seen holding a CAR-15 with a 10" barrel when Yuri sells Glock pistols to the narco-guerrilla. One is also seen in Yuri's gun container.
Sa vz. 58
In Ukraine, a Soviet 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.
Heckler & Koch G3A3 (South African)
A number of the South African variant of the Heckler & Koch G3A3 can be seen in the pile of surplus rifles left in Lebanon by American peacekeepers.
Henry US Survival Take-Down Rifle
A Henry US Survival take-down rifle with a stainless steel finish, a matching Aimpoint CompM2 reflex sight, and a wire stock is seen in Yuri's weapons container.
Karabiner 98k
A Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle can be seen in the hands of an Afghan Mujahideen fighter during the montage where Yuri describes the growth of his business. This rifle has a straight bolt unlike a genuine 98k but has the indentation in the stock under the bolt indicating it is built off of several Mauser variants.
L1A1 SLR
André Baptiste Sr.'s (Eamonn Walker) escort soldiers are seen armed with L1A1 SLRs.
Custom Truvelo CMS Sniper Rifle
A custom Truvelo CMS sniper rifle with a Harris bipod and a high-powered scope is seen in Yuri's weapons container.
Shotguns
Smith & Wesson 3000
A Smith & Wesson 3000 shotgun with a side-folding stock is seen in Yuri's weapons container. At least one S&W 3000 shotgun is seen being carried by an Interpol agent in Sierra Leone.
Machine Guns
M60
While doing business with André Baptiste Sr., André Baptiste Jr. requests that Yuri get him what he calls "the gun of Rambo", an M60 machine gun (The Rambo in which Jr. refers is "Part One", which is the first film, First Blood). Upon receiving the gun, he is seen firing it 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.
FN MAG-58
When Yuri sells Communist-made ammunition to the fascists in Borneo, one of the fascist soldiers is seen manning an FN MAG-58 mounted on a jeep.
Other
RPG-7
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-7s, to African civilians to avoid being caught with them by Interpol agents. Interestingly, the flight scene shows that the launchers are armed, having live rockets loaded... never a safe way to fly.
RGD-5 Hand Grenade
Near the end of the film, Vitaly uses RGD-5 hand grenades to try to destroy two trucks of weapons his brother is selling to the R.U.F. in exchange for conflict diamonds, but only manages to destroy one truck.
Trivia
NATO had to be notified during the filming of the line of tanks when Yuri visits the Ukrainian base, otherwise they would have appeared to be part of a war mobilization from satellite images.
