Apocalypse Now is the 1979 epic Vietnam War film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay was co-written by Coppola and John Milius and was based on the Joseph Conrad novel Heart of Darkness. The film stars Martin Sheen as a Special Forces officer sent on a mission downriver to terminate a rogue American colonel (Marlon Brando). Coppola encounted several production problems while making the film, much of which was documented in the acclaimed 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness. In 2001, Coppola would release an extended version of the film under the title Apocalypse Now Redux.
The following weapons were used in the film Apocalypse Now:
M16A1 fitted with 30 round "curved" magazines are used by various characters throughout the film. While the 30 round magazine was not the norm for the M16 in Vietnam, it would technically be accurate (since the film takes place in 1969), but probably not as prevalent in the film.
Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall) is seen briefly holding an M16 (SP1) rifle noted by its "slab-side" receiver after the battle at Vihn Din Drop. The gun notably has an A1-style lower receiver, as evident by the fencing around the magazine, meaning this is a "franken-gun". The use of the M16 is an error as the original M16 was never used by the US Army or any other branch of the US Military other than the Air Force. By the time the movie takes place (1969), all M16's that were being used by the entire US Military were already replaced by the M16A1 as seen above.
An M60 machine gun is seen carried by one of Col. Kilgore's (Robert Duvall) soldiers that rides in the helicopter with Chef and Clean. Clean (Laurence Fishburne) is the M60 gunner on the Navy PBR. Chef (Frederic Forrest) is seen firing the M60 briefly while taking incoming arrows from natives, but switches to the single mounted M2.
Browning M2HBs are single and double hand mounted on the Navy PBR. Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Frederic Forrest) is the rear gunner with the single mounted M2HB (nicknamed after the band "Canned Heat"). Lance Johnson (Sam Bottoms) is the front gunner with double hand mounted M2's. While traveling on the river through the Do Lung Bridge two soldiers are seen firing an M2 trying to kill a single VC under all the dead VC bodies.
An M1911A1 is seen on the nightstand of the Saigon hotel bedroom of Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen). Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) is seen carrying one with pearl grips that have a Air Cavalry symbol imprinted as his sidearm throughout the movie. In a deleted scene, Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) aims Willard's 1911 at him when he's caged.
An M79 grenade launcher is used by The Roach (Herb Rice) to kill an NVA soldier hiding in the barbed wire during the scene at the Do Lung bridge. Roach had customized his with a tiger-stripe paint job.
A GE M134 Minigun is seen door-mounted on one of the UH-1 Huey choppers during the famous raid scene. Being that the movie was filmed in the Philippines, they also supplied the helicopters which were outfitted with real guns. Since the weapons require no blank adaption to fire, all they needed was lots of blank ammunition to get the guns running.
NVA are seen using Norinco Type 56 assault rifles throughout the film, and they are also seen in the hands of Kurtz's men. It is noteworthy that this film was released in 1979 and took nearly three years to complete (thus photography started in 1976). During the 1970s, the Norinco Type 56 were not being imported into the U.S., and none were in U.S. Armorer inventories. The only reason Coppola's film had them was because they were supplied by Filipino armorers in Luzon.
Capt. Colby (Scott Glenn) carries an Ithaca 37 fitted with a heat shield and bayonet lug. In a deleted scene, he uses it to kill the photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) for taking Kurtz's picture only for Willard to throw his knife hitting him in the gut, killing him.
In "Apocalypse Now Redux", most of the colonists are armed with M1 Carbines.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingKorean War Era M1 Carbine, with Birch Stock, Adjustable sight, bayonet lug, and twin magazine pouch. Most of the World War II variations of the M1 Carbine were sent back to the Military Arsenals and retrofitted with the Bayonet Lug and adjustable rear sight. This is the version seen after late 1945 and all the way until the 1960s. This version is seen most often in World War II movies, despite being anachronistic for most World War II battlesError creating thumbnail: File missingFrench Colonists with their M1 Carbines.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDistant shot of the Colonist with their M1 Carbines.
MAT-49
In "Apocalypse Now Redux", a French Colonist is seen armed with a MAT-49 submachine gun.
During the raid scene, Kilgore calls in an airstrike which is conducted by Air Force F-5A & F-5B Freedom Fighters, complete with Pontiac M39 cannons, though the fighters do not fire their guns during the attack.
