British mini-series portraying the adventures of real-life spy Lt. Sidney George Reilly (Sam Neill) (1873-1925). The series is a fictionalized account of his exploits. There are twelve episodes and the stories take place in various locales such as Korea, Armenia, Germany, England, United States and Russia.
The Webley Mk VI revolver is often seen in the hands of British agents, including Sidney Reilly (Sam Neill) in "Endgame" (Ep. 8) and Capt. George Hill (Hugh Fraser) in "Gambit" (Ep. 7). Reilly's Russian friend and attorney Sasha Gramaticoff (Brian Protheroe) fires a Webley at a portrait of Andrew Jackson in his St. Petersburg office in "Dreadnoughts and Crosses" (Ep. 5). The Bolshevik hitman, Adamson (Robert Walker), attempts to kill Reilly with a Webley in "After Moscow" (Ep. 9).
Error creating thumbnail: File missingWebley Mk VI .455 WebleyError creating thumbnail: File missingReilly's friend and attorney Sasha Gramaticoff fires a Webley through a portrait of Andrew Jackson in his St. Petersburg office.Error creating thumbnail: File missingReilly and one of his compatriots blast off a lock on a cell door. There has been a failed counter-revolution in Moscow and they are freeing a female compatriot who is being held in Lubyanka while everything is in chaos. Lubyanka will later become infamous for being the KGB prison.Error creating thumbnail: File missingReilly (Sam Neill) fires at pursuing Soviet agents sent to arrest him.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Bolshevik hitman, Adamson, prepares to shoot Reilly in London. Reilly (Sam Neill) had escaped the Bolshevik secret police and made it back to London. However the Bolsheviks don't forgive or forget that easily.
Webley Mk IV Pocket Model
The Webley Mk IV pocket model is seen in "Gambit" (Ep. 7), carried by R.H. Bruce Lockhart (Ian Charleson), the British envoy to Moscow, in a shoulder holster. His mistress Moura (Anna Hygh) greets Reilly at the door with it. In "Endgame" (Ep. 8), Fanny Kaplan uses one to attempt to kill Lenin.
Reilly (Sam Neill) keeps what appears to be an Enfield No.2 Mk I as his bedside revolver when on a mission in St. Petersburg in 1910. The use of this revolver is anachronistic to the setting of the mini-series.
Swedish Nagant M1887 revolvers are seen standing in for Russian M1895 Nagants, which were quite rare in the West when the miniseries was being filmed. Reilly carries one in the holster of his Sam Browne belt in "Gambit" (Ep. 7). Several Bolsheviks in both "Gambit" (Ep. 7) and "Endgame" (Ep. 8) use Nagant revolvers.
In "An Affair With A Married Woman" (Ep. 1), Russian detective Tanyatos (John Rhys-Davies) uses a Colt 1851 Navy to administer the final shots to two men killed by a firing squad.
Inspector Tsientsin (David Suchet), the Chinese policeman in Port Author on the dawn of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, carries a Mauser C96 in "Prelude to War" (Ep. 2).
Error creating thumbnail: File missingPre-War dated Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" Commercial Version - 7.63x25mm Mauser. Note the rear tangent sight; in something of a display of wishful thinking, the C96's sight is adjustable for ranges up to 1000 metres.Error creating thumbnail: File missingInspector Tsientsin (David Suchet) with his Mauser C96 drawn inside Reilly's Port Arthur prison cell during the attack.
Smith & Wesson Mk II Hand Ejector
Used by Basil Zaharov (Leo McKern), an actual arms dealer who had great power and influence in Europe during the late 19th and early 20th century. There is a possibility that he and Reilly crossed paths. In the mini-series they are shown as having something of a love-hate relationship. It appears that the revolver used by Zaharov in "An Affair With A Married Woman" (Ep. 1) is a Smith & Wesson Mk II Hand Ejector.
If it is a Smith & Wesson Mk II then this is a technical error. The scene when Zaharov and Reilly first meet takes place in 1901. The large frame Smith & Wesson sometimes called the 44 Frame or the N Frame wasn't introduced until 1907. The Mk II Hand Ejector didn't come out until 1915. Nevertheless it does look "correct" for the time period and ultimately it is just a prop. Additionally the series was filmed in England and it's very likely that the .455 caliber Mk II Hand Ejector would be more readily available than the Smith & Wesson 44 Special 2nd Model.
Reilly (Sam Neill) arms himself with one of Count Massino's revolvers, a Colt 1878 Double Action when they go hunting for pigs in "Dreadnoughts and Crosses" (Ep. 5).
Error creating thumbnail: File missingChamelot-Delvigne Model 1873 (bare metal) - 11mm.Error creating thumbnail: File missingCount Massino (John Castle) uncovers the four revolvers they will use during the hunt. Reilly takes the Colt 1878 DA, Nadia Massino (Celia Gregory) takes the large Colt New Service (modified to resemble an SAA), and Sasha Gramaticoff takes the Webley, leaving the Count with the Chamelot-Delvigne.
Colt New Service
During the hunt for pigs, Reilly's mistress Nadia Massino (Celia Gregory) uses a Colt New Service slightly modified to resemble a Single Action Army in "Dreadnoughts and Crosses" (Ep. 5).
After having failed in his attempt to overthrow the Bolshevik government in 1918, Reilly (Sam Neill) and one of his compatriots flee to the British Embassy in St. Petersburg. The embassy has been shut down and is staffed by just a skeleton crew of British citizens, including Commander Cromie (Barry Stokes) of His Majesty's Royal Navy, who is acting as the banker for Reilly's operation. With the counter-revolution crushed, Bolshevik troops are sent to storm the embassy and if possible arrest Reilly. Commander Cromie refuses to flee, deciding instead to defend the embassy and go down with the ship. It's interesting to note that Cromie is armed with two Colt Model 1911 pistols. I assume that they are the models chambered for the .455 Webley Self-Loading Pistol Cartridge. In real life, Cromie was described as carrying two "Browning pistols" during his standoff with the Petrograd Cheka depicted in "Endgame"(Ep. 8).
One is also used by Peters, the Cheka's executioner, to kill a female prisoner in Lubyanka in 1918. Savinkov hands over a M1911 when entering a London courtroom in "After Moscow" (Ep. 9). Georgi Schulz (Rob Hyland), a member of The Trust, carries one when escorting Reilly back to Russia in "The Last Journey" (Ep. 11).
Reilly's prostitute in "After Moscow" (Ep. 9), Alexandra (Lindsay Duncan) purchases a Mannlicher Model 1905 in London just before the war ends.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingMannlicher Model 1905Error creating thumbnail: File missingAfter returning safely to London Reilly (Sam Neill) picks up a mistress. Alexandra (Lindsay Duncan) is her name but she prefers the nickname "The Plugger." At her request Reilly takes her shopping for a handgun. In downtown London! However it is 1918. She falls for the Mannlicher Model 1905.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAlexandra displays a rather breezy attitude about gun safety. Fortunately it is unloaded.Error creating thumbnail: File missingReilly (Sam Neill) expresses doubt about her choice. He recommends a Glisenti Automatic, an Italian pistol. The Mannlicher, on the other hand, is an Austrian handgun and as Austria is at war with England in 1918 he has doubts about the availability of ammo for it. The shopkeeper informs him that he has two boxes of ammo. Reilly is still doubtful, but Alexandra wants it so he buys it for her.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe war is now over. Alexandra realizes that life is dangerous with Reilly and she is returning home to her mother. He makes sure she takes her Mannlicher with her. Reilly prefers the Luger.
Luger P08
A German policeman shoots a spy with a Luger P08 in the Hamburg sewers in "The Visiting Fireman" (Ep. 3). Reilly is seen carrying a Luger in "Anna" (Ep. 4) and "After Moscow" (Ep. 9). It appears to be his weapon of choice. Several Social Revolutionaries in Moscow, notably Yakov Blumkin (Alfred Molina) and Aleks Alexandrovich, carry Lugers during the uprising in "Gambit" (Ep. 7).
Reilly (Sam Neill) hands a Browning Hi-Power to his secretary Eugenie (Eleanor David) when she takes the position. The use of this pistol is very anachronistic, as the scene takes place in 1924. The following year, a Cheka agent sets down a Hi-Power while searching Reilly's flat.
When Reilly (Sam Neill) takes Alexandra "The Plugger" (Lindsay Duncan) shopping for a Glisenti pistol, the gunsmith tells him that he has no Glisentis but offers a similar Beretta, most likely a Beretta Model 1919. Alexandra tries the pistol out but finds it too light and opts instead for the Mannlicher. When in New York, Reilly carries one in a brown leather shoulder holster, shooting someone for betraying him. Capt. Hill (Hugh Fraser) is also seen loading one after Reilly's capture.
Bolsheviks carry Mosin Nagant M91/30 rifles in "Gambit" (Ep. 7) and "Endgame" (Ep. 8). Russian soldiers around Baku also carried Mosin Nagants in "An Affair With A Married Woman" (Ep. 1).
Count Massino (John Castle) uses a Mauser Gewehr 1898 during the pig hunt in "Dreadnoughts and Crosses" (Ep. 5). These had earlier been seen carried by the Japanese Navy in "Prelude to War" (Ep. 5.)
The Vickers Machine Gun is used as a substitute for the Maxim Model 1910 Machine gun, especially in the episodes ("Gambit" and "Endgame") set in Russia in 1918 when Reilly is trying to overthrow the Bolsheviks. The mini-series was filmed in 1983 in the United Kingdom. It's plausible that it wasn't easy to obtain a Maxim 1910 so the production weapons man had to improvise. The shots of the machine gun are very fast when watching the actual production. With skillful editing, the Vickers passes for a Maxim Model 1910.
In the first episode, "An Affair With A Married Woman" (Ep. 1), Reilly's mistress has been murdered. He demands answers from Commander Cumming, head of British naval intelligence, in his office. The 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun is empty, but Reilly (Sam Neill) is making a point. At this point he believes that she might have been ordered murdered because of fears that Reilly would have talked to her while in her bed. He notes with curiosity that while the shotgun is of English origin, its trigger mechanism is from Texas.
