Salvador is a 1986 war drama film directed by Oliver Stone from a screenplay co-written by Stone and journalist Richard Boyle. James Woods stars as Boyle, an American journalist covering the Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992) who becomes entangled with both leftist guerrillas and the right wing military. The film is highly sympathetic towards the left wing revolutionaries and strongly critical of the U.S.-supported military, focusing on the murder of four American churchwomen and the assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero by Salvadoran government death squads. While the movie is set in the country of Salvador, it is interesting to note that it was actually shot entirely in Mexico so many of the actors and extras were Mexicans. The military equipment used in the film was also provided by Mexican film studios as well as the regional police and armed forces, despite the somewhat critical view of the film towards the U.S., which was actually an ally of Mexico during the Cold War. The cast includes James Belushi and Michael Murphy, with John Savage, Elpidia Carrillo, and Cynthia Gibb in supporting roles.
The following weapons were used in the film Salvador:
A government soldier in civilian clothes uses an M1917 Enfield to murder four American churchwomen doing humanitarian work in Salvador.
Machine Guns
MAS AA-52
The MAS AA-52 GPMG is seen mounted on government tanks.
M60
An M60 is seen mounted on a government helicopter gunship.
FN MAG
FN MAG machine guns are mounted on government tanks.
Submachine Guns
Uzi
The Uzi is carried by rebels, government troops and men guarding the US Ambassador.
Spitfire Carbine
Many rebels are armed with the Spitfire Carbine, a low cost clone of the Thompson. As the film was shot in Mexico during the eighties, these were probably provided by the Mexican police which used the weapon at the time.