Sometimes they get it right

[oldhickory]

We have a thread of Hollywood gun blunders, but how about the few times they get it right.

The first movie that comes to mind is, "The Wind And The Lion" starring Brian Keith, Sean Connery, and Candice Bergen. I don't know who the tech guy was who chose the guns, or the effects guy were, but they did a splended job! Filmed in 1975, Brian Keith does a fantastic job of portraying Theodore Rosevelt as president, father, and general gun nut. Sean Connery is the Barbary pirate who kidnaps an American widow, (Candice Bergen) and Rosevelt sends in the Marines to get her back.

Plenty of Krags, Colt "Potato Diggers", Mausers, (cavalry carbines at that!..With butter-knife bolt handles!). Canister rounds from the German artillery, Colt .38 D.A.s in the hands of the Marine officers, no "wonder guns" at all, everybody seemed armed with what he would have been in 1904, and realistic special effects.

BTW, every time I watch it, the scene where Capt. Jerome double times the Marines through the streets, flag waving at the head of the collum, Marines with fixed bayonets at port-arms clearing the streets ahead of them, and the European powers gazing at them with slack jaws makes me swell with pride to be an American, and U.S. Marine!..(former active duty).

Yes, Marines armed with Krags was correct in 1904, somebody did their homework on this one. I could list a few others, but lets hear from you guys.

[TCLouis]

Three come to mind

One of Eastwood's where he shoots "sniper" like at long distance and instead of the bad guy getting hit immediately, there is a delay and then the boolit impacts.

Same story different Movie

"Quigley Down Under" Selleck shoots at the bucket in the distance and the delay is more what one would expect from a big ol slow moving projectile

Third, is the scene in "Lonesome Dove" when the bad guys have Jake (?) pinned down, his shooting low baits them into full target exposure and the scene is set as the tang sight is cranked up to correct for distance and again there is a delay between shot and impact

As those of us in the Order of the Pb Boolit know . . .

Momentum Works

[oldhickory]

Yes, some of the Westerns were gun-good! "Cross-Fire Trail" with Tom Seleck comes to mind, (not so sure about the scene where he shoots the bad guy out of his boots though, even though he's shooting a Winchester 1876...).

"Free Range" with Robert DuVall was also excelent for the guns!..And like you mentioned, TC "Lonsome Dove" was purdy realistic too.

[waksupi]

Yes, some of the Westerns were gun-good! "Cross-Fire Trail" with Tom Seleck comes to mind, (not so sure about the scene where he shoots the bad guy out of his boots though, even though he's shooting a Winchester 1876...).

.

I kind of did a double take on the guy using the scoped Remington-Keene for a long range rifle. They were never known to be a good CLOSE range rifle! Mostly used for tribal police duty.

[smilie=s:

[Buckshot]

..............The Wind and The Lion, is based loosely on a true story. It was written and directed by John Milius, who is a life member of the NRA and VERY pro gun.

Capt. Jerome, USMC: "Captain Jerome, United States Marine Corps, and you are my prisoner, sir."

The Bashaw of Tangier: "You are a very dangerous man, Captain, and your President Roosevelt is mad."

Capt. Jerome, USMC: (pulling a vacumn sucking salute) "Yes, sir!"

My favorite:

Theodore Roosevelt: "What do I want? I want respect! Respect for human life and respect for American property! And I'm going to send the Atlantic Squadron to Morocco to get that respect."

John Hay: "That's illegal."

Theodore Roosevelt: "Why spoil the beauty of the thing with legality?"

Milius also wrote and directed Red Dawn, which I thought was a pretty darn snazzy flick. As a matter of fact when my wife and I went to see it, in the scene where the kids pop up out of spider holes to gun down the tank crew, quite a few people leaped to thier feet hollering in excitement. Haven't seen anyhting like that since. Of course, the proffessional movie reviewers didn't care for it much. I guess Hollywood still thought communism was peachy :-)

...................Buckshot

[lwknight]

I just saw " Killers " with Asten Krutcher or something like that. When he decided to surrender his gun , he dropped the magazine out and then racked the slide and caught the chambered round in his hand with the gun pointing down to the floor away from people.
I say KUDOS to Asten.

[oldhickory]

I kind of did a double take on the guy using the scoped Remington-Keene for a long range rifle. They were never known to be a good CLOSE range rifle! Mostly used for tribal police duty.

[smilie=s:


I don't know much about the Remingtn-Keene, but I had a 3rd. model Winchester Hotchkis back in the 90s and it was the most miserable rifle I ever tried to get along with. It actually hurt to load the bass-akwards tube magazine due to the heavy spring pressure, and I collected more than a few blood-blisters on the fingers of my left hand due to the Lee type locking lug and getting them pinched when closing the bolt on them. I knew better after the first time, but that's just where my fingers wanted to be, under the receiver when operating the bolt. I'll stick with Trapdoors, I never hurt myself with one of them.

[AZ-Stew]

I remember an article in The American Rifleman many years ago remarking about the accuracy of the firearms representation in The Wind And The Lion.

Regards,

Stew

[fatelk]

The Wind and The Lion is the best movie ever made, IMHO. Nobody else I've ever talked to about movies had ever even heard of it. I'm glad to finally hang out somewhere where good movies are appreciated.


BTW, every time I watch it, the scene where Capt. Jerome double times the Marines through the streets, flag waving at the head of the collum, Marines with fixed bayonets at port-arms clearing the streets ahead of them, and the European powers gazing at them with slack jaws makes me swell with pride to be an American, and U.S. Marine!..
That was absolutely awesome, wasn't it?

[DanWalker]

We have a thread of Hollywood gun blunders, but how about the few times they get it right.

The first movie that comes to mind is, "The Wind And The Lion" starring Brian Keith, Sean Connery, and Candice Bergen. I don't know who the tech guy was who chose the guns, or the effects guy were, but they did a splended job! Filmed in 1975, Brian Keith does a fantastic job of portraying Theodore Rosevelt as president, father, and general gun nut. Sean Connery is the Barbary pirate who kidnaps an American widow, (Candice Bergen) and Rosevelt sends in the Marines to get her back.

Plenty of Krags, Colt "Potato Diggers", Mausers, (cavalry carbines at that!..With butter-knife bolt handles!). Canister rounds from the German artillery, Colt .38 D.A.s in the hands of the Marine officers, no "wonder guns" at all, everybody seemed armed with what he would have been in 1904, and realistic special effects.

BTW, every time I watch it, the scene where Capt. Jerome double times the Marines through the streets, flag waving at the head of the collum, Marines with fixed bayonets at port-arms clearing the streets ahead of them, and the European powers gazing at them with slack jaws makes me swell with pride to be an American, and U.S. Marine!..(former active duty).

Yes, Marines armed with Krags was correct in 1904, somebody did their homework on this one. I could list a few others, but lets hear from you guys.

A bit of History, for those who care.
This campaign against the Barbary pirates is the source for the line,"To the shores of Tripoli" in the Marines Hymn.
It is also where the Marines earned the right to wear the sword they carry to this day. The original Mameluke sword was presented to Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon by Prince Hamet in Derna Tripoli, as a reward in recognition of the courage and gallantry of the Marines.

SEMPER FI!
Dan Walker
Sgt USMC 1988-1998

[Smoke-um if you got-um]

TCLouis - That would be "Gus" taking cover behind his dead horse in the buffalo wallow and then gut shooting the fool that was taunting him....... +1 for the good guys and a man that won't abide a "rude bartender"

[oldhickory]

My favorite:

Theodore Roosevelt: "What do I want? I want respect! Respect for human life and respect for American property! And I'm going to send the Atlantic Squadron to Morocco to get that respect."

John Hay: "That's illegal."

Theodore Roosevelt: "Why spoil the beauty of the thing with legality?"



I agree, the look on T.R's. (Brain Keith) face when he says, "Why spoil the beauty of the thing with legality?" is almost as good as the quote itself.

I also love the part where T.R. is on the rifle range shooting at likeness'es of the Kaiser, the Czar, etc. Not one bit of PC-BS in the movie! T.R. on the campaign trail, supporters shooting revolvers in the air showing their approval rather than clapping!

The best movie ever made!

[oldhickory]

The Wind and The Lion is the best movie ever made, IMHO. Nobody else I've ever talked to about movies had ever even heard of it. I'm glad to finally hang out somewhere where good movies are appreciated.


That was absolutely awesome, wasn't it?

Yup! I remember when it was made, one of the t.v. stations ran a short review and some clips. I thought, "WOW!..I gotta see this!" 35 years later, it's still my favorite movie of all time.

[fatelk]

I was much too young to remember when it was made, probably too busy looking forward to starting kindergarten.:)

I stumbled on this movie in the oldies section of the video rental store sometime in the '90s. I couldn't believe there was a Sean Connery movie I hadn't heard of. After watching it, I couldn't believe nobody else I knew had ever seen it. It's just a great movie in many ways.

My wife remembers it, too. It was one of the first movies we watched together. I don't think she was too interested in the movie, but she remembers that we watched it.:)

Another good quote I remembered, had to look it up to get it right:

"I prefer to fight the European armies, but they do not fight as men - they fight as dogs! Men prefer to fight with swords, so they can see each other's eyes! Sometimes, this is not possible. Then, they fight with rifles. The Europeans have guns that fire many times promiscuously and rend the Earth."

[firefly1957]

Thanks for putting up this post I was thinking of doing it also. The movies I had in mind have been mentioned already. It has been some time since I have watched a show with proper gun handling all the current cop shows show them sweeping or pointing guns at each other or innocents and drawing guns with NO reason. It will be curios how many good examples we get here.

[MtGun44]

I think that the long fight scene in 'Open Range' is one of the best ever filmed. A really key
issue, IMO, is that NOBODY that knows that they are walking into a gunfight would go
without a rifle in hand or really nearby. Short guns (and I love 'em) are for carrying,
long guns are for fighting. As Clint Smith says "A pistol is to fight your way back to the
rifle that you should never have put down in the first place."

I have not seen 'Wind and Lion', but loved 'Red Dawn' and will get a copy now
that I know Milius wrote it.

Bill

NOTE: The correct name of the move is "Open Range", not "Free Range", my mistake - corrected above.

[crabo]

I always liked Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy's 48 Hours. Good gunfight in the hotel lobby.

[oldhickory]

I think that the long fight scene in 'Free Range' is one of the best ever filmed. A really key
issue, IMO, is that NOBODY that knows that they are walking into a gunfight would go
without a rifle in hand or really nearby. Short guns (and I love 'em) are for carrying,
long guns are for fighting. As Clint Smith says "A pistol is to fight your way back to the
rifle that you should never have put down in the first place."

I have not seen 'Wind and Lion', but loved 'Red Dawn' and will get a copy now
that I know Milius wrote it.

Bill

You're right, I think the gun fight at the end of "Free Range" was the best western gun fight ever filmed.

[DanWalker]

I Like,"The Rough Riders" with Tom Beringer, and Sam Elliot Mostly because it's a good movie, but also because my buddy Freddy Joe is in it. He's the guy teaching them marksmanship with the Kraig rifles.
http://www.freewebs.com/freddiejoefarnsworth/RoughRiders.jpg

[NoDakJak]

Has anyone noticed the Model 1905 Ross rifle that Eastwood used to take out the sniper in Joe Kidd. Robert Duvall carried an engraved Model 1899 Savage. Also note the 1896 Broomhandle Mauser. All corect for a 1910 time period. Neil

[Blammer]

one that comes to mind for me is 24 hours with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, the bar shoot out, Nick has to reload his revolver several times and they show him doing that. Using speed loaders and all, discarding empties etc.. I was quite impressed.

[Dutch4122]

"Saving Private Ryan," "Band of Brothers," "The Pacific," and "Letters From Iwo Jima." Four recent films that come to mind where somebody did their homework.

[1Shirt]

The"Wind and the Lion" is one of my all time favorites. Connery at his best, and weaponry first rate. Others weaponry wise that I consider excellent are "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers". Sure beats the 20 shot revolver flicks!:Fire:
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[MtGun44]

James Cann in 'Thief' did an impressive for the time house clearing exercise with
a 1911. I heard that he trained under Cooper for the part.

Bill