In the Line of Fire is a 1993 action thriller starring Clint Eastwood as Frank Horrigan, a veteran Secret Service agent who requests to be put back onto Presidential protection detail when a rogue government operative contacts him about wanting to assassinate the current US President. The rare Eastwood-starring film not directed by the actor himself, In the Line of Fire was directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One) and was made with the cooperation of the USSS (United States Secret Service).
The following weapons were used in the film In the Line of Fire:
Mitch Leary (John Malkovich) builds a custom dual-barrel Composite Pistol made of plastic-like composite material as an assassination weapon to kill the President of the United States. While it is questionable how well the composite material would withstand the high pressure gases from firing, it is used several times in the film without ever breaking. When at the hotel where the President is staying, Leary assembles the weapon under the party table (after practicing assembling it with his eyes closed several times) and had previously hidden the ammunition in a rabbit's foot keychain, and the springs in a pen. The weapon appears to use .38 Short Colt ammunition, or possibly a variation of .38 S&W with unbelted cartridge cases. One of the prop weapons was deliberately cut into three pieces in order to render it inoperable. Another version of the pistol also appeared in the film No Way Back (1995).
The SIG-Sauer P228 pistol is the sidearm carried by the Agents of the United States Secret Service in the film including Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood), Al D'Andrea (Dylan McDermott), and Lilly Raines (Rene Russo). At the time of the film's production, this was the actual sidearm carried by agents of the agency (before the switch to the P229).
At the start of the film, Mendoza (Tobin Bell) hands Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) a nickel plated Llama III-A to kill Al D'Andrea (Dylan McDermott) after he discovers he is a Secret Service agent. Frank hefts the gun as he approaches and convinces Mendoza he isn't Secret Service by dry-firing the gun at D'Andrea's head, aware it was in fact empty.
USSS Agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) uses a Smith & Wesson Model 19 at the start of the film to arrest Mendoza (Tobin Bell) and kill his two henchmen. Later on, a CIA operative holds a Model 19 on Horrigan before he disarms him. Horrigan, who was in the Secret Service all the way back to the JFK administration, likely carries his Model 19 off-duty. It is possible, and likely, that this was his sidearm before he switched to the SIG-Sauer P228, because of the nationwide Law Enforcement switch to automatics in the early 1990's. In order to portray himself as a criminal willing to work with Mendoza, Frank brought his old sidearm.
LAPD officers are seen with Beretta 92FS pistols while rushing the President of the United States out of the hotel after Leary's assassination attempt.
When the Washington DC Metropolitan Police attempt conduct a raid on the possible home of Mitch Leary (John Malkovich), the MPDC ERT officers are armed with IMI Uzi submachine guns with stocks extend Uzis are also seen used by the Secret Service agents when they rush the President out of the hotel after the assassination attempt. At the time, the Uzi was the preferred submachine gun carried by the President's Secret Service detail (one was notably drawn out during the actual attempt on President Reagan's life in 1981).
When Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) is taking a nap on a break, a rack full of guns is seen behind him. These are likely a mixture of M16A1 rifles and Colt Commando rifles.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingA gun rack is seen behind Horrigan. On the right, there appear to be M16A1 rifles and on the left appear to be Colt Commando's. The USSS also carried the IMI Uzi in 1993, at the time of the film's production.
Gun Photos
In the film, there are several photographs featuring rifles and pistols.
