Watchmen is the 2009 feature film adaptation of the DC Comics graphic novel series created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Set in an alternate 1985 where super-powered individuals have existed for decades, the film follows a group of retired superheroes now shunned by the public, but have to work together when one of their original members is found murdered. The film was directed by Zack Snyder (Sucker Punch) and the cast includes Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Patrick Wilson, and Jackie Earle Haley. The comic book series would be adapted again with an original series sequel that premiered on HBO in October of 2019.
The following weapons were used in the film Watchmen (2009):
The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) carries as his sidearms custom 1911-series D&L Sports Professional Model Longslides with ornate smiley-face grips to match the Comedian logo. They have "Nixon 1970" written on the grips, indicating they were a gift from Nixon for serving in the Vietnam war. At the beginning of the film, The Comedian tries to bring up one of his 1911s (fitted with a sound suppressor) to combat the attacking assailant in his home but fires off one stray shot to no avail and is disarmed. For the most part, these guns are only seen in his holsters or in a presentation case any other time. Anachronistically, the guns have Picatinny Rails, a technology that wasn't invented until the mid 1990s.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Comedian poses in a promotional still while armed with one of his D&L Sports Professional Model Longslide pistols.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOne of The Comedian's D&L Sports Professional Model Longslides fitted with a suppressor and resting on a Hustler magazine.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe Comedian fires off a stray round when the assailant gains control of the weapon. Note the large muzzle flash, which a real suppressor would dampen significantly.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe shell casing ejects in slow motion, and surprisingly looks like a real shell (as opposed to a crimp-nosed blank shell).Error creating thumbnail: File missingOne of The Comedian's D&L Sports Professional Model Longslides on display in his hidden closet armory.
M1911A1
The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) uses his issued M1911A1 sidearm in the film to kill a pregnant Vietnamese woman (Nhi Do) when she slashes him with a broken bottle for leaving her and the baby behind. During the film's opening credits, a criminal armed with an M1911A1 is shown being foiled by a young Nite Owl I (Clint Carleton). A criminal attempting to kill Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) also draws a nickel plated M1911A1 fitted with ivory grips, but is blown up horrifically before he can fire off a shot.
A stainless steel Detonics CombatMaster is seen in The Comedian's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hidden closet armory. Note the flat top cutaway section after the rear sight, and the dip in the ejection port.
Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers are used by the guards in Riker's prison, one of which is taken by Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) and later used to shoot Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode), who impressively catches the bullet. They are also carried by some of the NYPD policemen.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSmith & Wesson Model 15 - .38 SpecialError creating thumbnail: File missingA Smith & Wesson Model 15 is seen in an officer's holster as he finds two criminals tied to a fire hydrant by Rorschach.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn officer fires his Smith & Wesson Model 15 at Rorschach. The Baughman ramp front sight and adjustable rear sight are visible, though just barely, identifying it as a Model 15 rather than a Model 10.
Smith & Wesson Model 586
A Smith & Wesson Model 586 with a four inch barrel is used by Roy Chess (Douglas Chapman) to fire at Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode) and shoot two employees (killing one) before Veidt hits him with a pole. In the novel the gun was based on a Beretta Model 70.
A Walther PPK is left at Moloch's (Matt Frewer) side after he is murdered. The assassin who killed Moloch is seen unscrewing the suppressor before placing it next to him. Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) later finds it when he comes to ask Moloch questions, finding himself trapped by the police and framed for the murder.
When Daniel Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson) and Laurie Juspeczyk (Malin Akerman) fight off "Knot-Tops" in the alleyway, one of them draws a Colt Detective Special and fires several shots at Laurie but only succeeds in shooting one of his comrades in the back and is dispatched by Dan.
A Colt Police Positive Target is seen drawn by Gerald Grice, the man who murdered the little girl Blair Roche, when he enters his house, but he is quickly disarmed by Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley).
Veidt security guards standing behind Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode) as he attempts to stop Roy Chess (Douglas Chapman) from biting down on a cyanide capsule are armed with 2nd Generation Glock 17 pistols.
In the Director's Cut of the film, Laurie Juspeczyk (Malin Akerman) disarms a government agent of his Beretta 92FS and unloads it. While in 1985, the 92F would have been the only squared trigger guard Beretta model available, it is more likely the newer 92FS was used.
Viet Cong fighters destroyed by Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) wield folding stock Zastava M70AB2 rifles (possibly meant as stand-ins for Norinco Type 56-1's) noted by their folding grenade launcher sights.
A Viet Cong fighters whose leg is blown off (seen in better detail in the Director's Cut) is seen with a milled receiver AK-47 before being burned to death by The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).
Error creating thumbnail: File missingPoly Technologies AK-47 - 7.62x39mm. This is the commercial clone of the original Type III AK-47 and is the most used in American films and shows when showing the milled receiver AK-47Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Viet Cong fighter with a severed leg has an AK-47 at his side.
CAR-15
10" barreled CAR-15 carbines are seen used by U.S. Army soldiers during the Vietnam War scenes and one is seen in The Comedian's hidden closet armory, the NYPD ESU use CAR-15 carbines with longer barrels, slab-side receivers, and full stocks (as opposed to the more traditional collapsing stock). Based on the fact the weapons actually have safe-semi-auto selector switches, they could very well be GAU-5/A models, or at least very close copies.
An MP is seen armed with an M16A1 outside the Rockefeller Military Base. Rikers prison guards are also seen firing M16A1s at the owl-ship "Archie" in the Director's Cut.
The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is seen holding a scoped Carcano M91/38 while watching John F. Kennedy's car drive by. This implies that the Comedian was the purported "Grassy Knoll" shooter and that he delivered the fatal shot. The rifle seen in the movie is the same model used by Lee Harvey Oswald himself.
During the opening sequence summing up the past, Hippies stick flowers into the barrels of M1 Garand rifles of U.S. Army military policemen before the MPs fire them on the hippies, flowers still in the muzzles. This is an homage to the famous photograph where a protester places a flower in the barrel of an MP's M14 Rifle. In reality, MPs in the U.S. did use M14 Rifles during this time period. National Guardsmen (as in the Kent State shooting in 1970) were armed with M1 Garands.
In the Director's Cut of the film, Rikers prison guards fire Remington 870 shotguns at Nite Owl II's (Patrick Wilson) owl ship "Archie" as they spring Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) from Rikers prison.
The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) fires on rampaging crowd members with an Ithaca 37 shotgun. He has loaded it with less-lethal rubber bullets, as he claims in the scene.
A Franchi PA3/215 is seen in The Comedian's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hidden closet armory when Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) investigates his home. In the original graphic novel, the only thing seen in the closet was his costume, a MAC-10, two 1911s in his holsters, and a few knives.
An M60 machine gun is seen used by one of the U.S. Army soldiers in Vietnam (Director's Cut only), and one is also seen in The Comedian's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hidden closet armory.
Seen mounted on the forward ventral turret of a US B-29 "Superfortress" bomber plane flying over Japan after dropping one of the nuclear bombs, are four Browning M2 Aircraft air-cooled units. This is a goof, as only the forward upper turret of the B-29 was fitted with four M2s, the other three, including the forward ventral turret, were only fitted with two. In any case, all "Silverplate" B-29s (B-29s modified to carry nuclear weapons) had their gun turrets removed to save weight.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingBrowning M2 Aircraft - .50 BMGError creating thumbnail: File missingA US B-29 "Superfortress" outfitted with a bottom turret of Browning M2 Aircraft machine guns. Note that it dropped the atomic bomb, but instead of the "Enola Gay," it's "Miss Jupiter," who is Laurie Juspeczyk's mother.
GE M134 Minigun
Nite Owl II's (Patrick Wilson) owl-ship "Archie" is outfitted with a single GE M134 Minigun unit, which he uses to chop down a water tower and partially douse the flames on a burning building.
A thug is seen foiled by The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the opening credits while firing an Colt M1921AC Thompson into the air. In the special features the gun is revealed to be a specially built prop (likely a battery operated airsoft gun) that cycles the bolt slowly so the shot could be achieved. A rod was attached to the barrel to keep it level, as the weight would surely make holding it at such an angle one-handed difficult.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingColt M1921AC Thompson - .45 ACPError creating thumbnail: File missingA bank robber is held in a head-lock by The Comedian whilst firing his M1921AC Thompson into the air. Note how the post-production added muzzle flash doesn't show flame emitting from the Cutts compensator's top ports.
The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) uses an M79 grenade launcher to fire smoke rounds at people trying to vandalize buildings with the phrase "Who watches the Watchmen?" in the rioting crowds. He even hits one rioter dead on with a smoke round during the "American Dream" scene. It is also seen in his closet when Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) is checking out his apartment.
The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) uses an M1A1 Flamethrower to light his cigar with the pilot and then burn a VC soldier while in Vietnam. He can also be seen posing with it in promotional movie posters.
Specifically designed by Nite Owl II/Daniel Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson) for him, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) uses this grapple gun to enter Edward Blake's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) apartment and later uses it as a weapon to shoot an ESU officer as they break into Moloch's apartment. In the graphic novel, the police report says that Rorschach broke the officer's sternum with it, but it appears to hit the ESU officer in the stomach in the film.
