| Image | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Check Price | ||
| Check Price | ||
| Check Price | ||
| Check Price | ||
| Check Price |
Some of the most irresponsible and fun firearm purchases and obsessions I’ve had throughout my life have often come from the world of media.
Whether that’s television, films, or even video games, the guns that show up in these mediums are often what get a lot of people (like me) into guns in the first place. In honor of that, I figured it’d be great if we occasionally went through some of the newest shows, films, and games to see what kind of guns and gear are featured in them to examine their real-world histories and specifications, as well as see how faithfully they’re being represented on the silver screen and elsewhere.
Let us know what films you guys have seen recently that you’d like us to cover and also let us know what some of your favorite representations of firearms in film are!
About The Film
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare isn’t your average war movie and I mean that in the most endearing way possible. The plot of the film revolves around an oft-forgotten period of WWII – specifically the 1940s during the formation of what was then called the “Special Operations Executive” or SOE.
The SOE can be looked at as the progenitor of Britain’s modern-day MI6 with the SOE’s main goal being to carry out espionage, guerrilla warfare, and sabotage behind enemy lines. The film’s plot draws heavily from Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII, a non-fiction book written by Damien Lewis.
The film draws heavy inspiration from the real-world Operation Postmaster: In this mission, the organization set its sights on a seemingly unremarkable enemy supply ship docked in the neutral port of Santa Isabel in Spanish Guinea. With a blend of cheeky audacity and meticulous planning, these literally unsung heroes slipped into the port under the cloak of darkness, boarded the vessel, and seized control right under the noses of both enemy and neutral forces all while taking no losses.
The hijacking of this ship was a calculated strike aimed at crippling Axis supply lines and delivering a clear message to the Axis powers that the Allies could strike them anywhere – even in neutral territory. Operation Postmaster and by extension, the formation of the SOE gives us the perfect backdrop for some tasteful historical representations of some of our favorite WWII firearms.
1. Sten Mk II(S)
Let’s kick things off with the highly recognizable and much-loved Sten gun—a true workhorse born out of necessity both in real life and also in this film. During World War II, Britain needed a simple, cost-effective solution to arm its soldiers as did other allied countries. While we Americans eventually got the M3 Grease Gun, the Brits dutifully and beautifully produced the Sten: a no-frills submachine gun that was as rugged as it was reliable and inexpensive.
The specific Sten found in the film is the Sten Mk II(S) which featured an integral suppressor developed at the request of SOE Major Hugh Reeves who would eventually go on to develop the Welrod Pistol.
- Caliber: 9x19mm
- Rate of Fire: Roughly 550 rounds per minute
- Weight: Approximately 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs)
- Magazine: Typically 32 rounds
On-screen, the Sten is actually shown off pretty well in terms of both its representation and actual use case. Serving as the main weapon of our heroes the Sten is shown to be an effective close-quarters weapon when employed in hit-and-run as well as surprise attacks. The boat scene at the beginning of the movie actually sets the tone for the sub gun’s use throughout the film.
I especially enjoy that in some scenes the operatives are seen using the gun without a heat wrap for the suppressor, but in other scenes, you’ll notice the cloth grip laced around the suppressor – It’s a fun nod to its real-life reputation as the Mk II(S) had a nasty tendency to heat up too quickly if fired in full-auto often rendering the gun too hot to touch even with the cloth grip. The recommended employment of the Mk II(S) specifically called for “short controlled bursts” rather than indiscriminate mag dumps.
2. Beretta Model 38
Not often found in films and even less so in the hands of collectors is the Beretta Model 38— Italy’s own dedicated submachine gun. Although slightly more adorned with furniture than its Sten counterpart, the Model 38 was also built using cheap stamped parts. However, unlike the Sten which was made well after the war started, the Model 38 was already in the hands of Italian Military and Police units as far back as 1938, a full two years before Italy joined the war.
The Italians, however, did not like the idea of giving this submachine gun to their military units which only saw limited distribution of the sub-gun. The Model 38 in its original configuration would mostly serve alongside Italian police throughout the war. A modified variant was later adopted by the Italian military in limited numbers and for only a few specific types of tasks.
- Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum
- Rate of Fire: Roughly 500 rounds per minute
- Weight: About 3.6 kg (8 lbs)
- Magazine: Typically uses a 20-round detachable box magazine
In the film Model 38 is used by the Italian sailors aboard the Duchessa d’Aosta as well as some soldiers in port who attempt to fire at the now-commandeered supply ship. Although the gun itself doesn’t get a lot of screen time or attention, it’s a nice inclusion to keep the whole movie grounded as opposed to just going the lazy route and giving all the bad guys MP40s. This is one of the few examples of a historical firearm that often gets more attention in modern video games than it does in modern film.
3. Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III*
No WWII film would be complete without the Lee-Enfield rifle but in this film, it’s more of a nod rather than a full-on parade. This classic bolt-action of the British military rightfully shows up in a film in the form of the Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III* SMLE (Short-Magazine Lee Enfield) Rifle. However, rather than in the hands of British Soldiers, the Enfield rifle instead finds its way into the hands of some allied operatives who are arranging a meetup with some German officers during a somewhat casual range session – part of the arms smuggling activity that serves as the purpose for the raid by the SOE operatives.
Gun Review: Lee-Enfield SMLE MkIII*
- Caliber: .303 British
- Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds
- Action: Bolt-action
- Weight: Approximately 4.1 kg (9 lbs)
It’s a bit of a tossup as to whether or not the Germans would have been smuggling Lee Enfields into and out of Spain. Although the German Army did run short of artillery ammunition towards the end of the war, I highly doubt their soldiers, no matter where deployed to would ever be left without the Whermacht’s tried and true Karabiner 98k. Ironically the K 98k (below) gets about as much screen time as the Enfield does in the movie.
Praised by virtually everyone for its hefty design, smooth 600 rpm cyclic rate, and effectiveness on the battlefield, the MP40 has rightly earned its place as both an iconic piece of firearms history, as well as a frequent supporting character on the silver screen. The MP40 was widely deployed by all departments of the German war machine as well as supporting Axis forces.
- Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum
- Capacity: Typically a 32-round detachable magazine
- Action: Blowback-operated, open bolt
- Weight: Approximately 4 kg (8.8 lbs)
Similar to real-life reports of captured MP40s being used to supplement or replace allied Thompsons or Grease Guns, the MP40 as seen in the film is used by both friend and foe. This gives us a clear nod to the fact that the MP40 was not only widely adopted during the entirety of the War, but it was also quickly adopted by allies who found themselves lucky enough to be behind the muzzle of the MP40 instead of in front of it.
5. The M1911 Pistol
A hero in its own right of not just one but two world wars, the M1911 is a legendary albeit often overlooked sidearm when it comes to WWII-themed films. In the film, we see our heroine Marjorie Stewart handling the weapon during the range scene, as well as in the hands of Anders Lassen as portrayed by Alan Ritchson. I can’t find any good historical sources on the use of suppressed 1911s during the Second World War, but it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility. This is one of the more fantastical albeit cool firearms representations in the film. What’s not to love about a suppressed 1911?
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Magazine Capacity: Typically 7 rounds
- Action: Semi-automatic
- Weight: Approximately 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs) unloaded
By WWII 1911 was already almost 30 years old and had seen widespread adoption across the entirety of the US Armed forces. From high-ranking officers to air and vehicle crews, the 1911 pistol was established as and remained the standard issue sidearm of the United States armed forces until its replacement by the Beretta M9 in 1985. However, even today, modern replicas of the tried and true American sidearm are still made in great numbers.
As I said earlier, the film’s inclusion of the 1911 pistol would already be sort of out of place given the characters involved, but I could also make the excuse that using an American weapon during a clandestine boat-stealing operation from neutral territory might make it less likely for the enemy and the angry natural nation to pin down who did it.
Final Thoughts
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was one of the more interesting watches I’ve had in the last year and even though I wouldn’t exactly call it a “gun guy movie” it’s definitely got some neat firearms representation for those of us who really love our WWII action flicks. I think this film actually is one of the best examples of blending firearms (action-oriented items) into a largely plot-driven film. The film itself is mainly focused on the planning and eventual execution of the theft of a ship from a port – something that real men went and did without the support or acknowledgment of their own militaries. The guns are there merely to immerse you into the era and setting but they’re also the very tools by which the operation is made even remotely possible both in the film and in the real world event.
For anyone who’s ever marveled at the blend of real-world firepower and cinematic artistry, this movie serves as a mostly accurate reminder of why these guns continue to fascinate us and why I think they’ll keep coming up in movies well into the future.
In the meantime, I can wholeheartedly recommend the film to anyone who enjoys WWII films, heist movies, or just likes to see WWII guns on screen represented in a mostly-accurate way.
Loved the movie! I think the title put people off but saw it at home. Silly but fun.
Really? I’m all into good action flicks, but this one didn’t resonate at all. I turned it off after the first 30 minutes.
Since you can no longer post links here I don’t click on topic links even if it of interest. Free Speech is a two way street.
I thought the title was a nod to those who understood covert operations in WW2.
It certainly got my attention.
alan richson has said some nasty stuff about MAGA and Trump supporters. I do not stream, cable or satellite. I have a blu ray player hooked up to my tv and I go to used stores to buy movies. hollywood actively works to support the fascist left so they get nothing from me.
You do you, boo. But until hollywood comes to its sense they get nothing from me.
Can’t blame you there, by the time the DVD hits the discount rack Hollywood got about all it can from that copy
I assume 99% of them live in the liberal bubble, but I do like movies and some shows.
Hardly the star of the movie jwm. FWIW I dislike his show. My son pays for all these streaming apps. He has a web site where he reviews movies. BTW you’re using the evil google🙄
I’m with you. Alan Ritchson turned me off too. It’s a shame because I really liked the 1st season of Reacher. 2nd season was “meh”, but even so, I would have watched the 3rd if he had just kept his hollywood actor opinions to himself and didn’t let us all know that he supported the guy who was hurting America every chance he got.
At this point, I’m a “no”. I could change my mind next week, but the chances of that are about as high as me watching NFL ever since the kneeling.
No, it’s not a boycott. I just found other things that interest me more than a bunch of people trying to hurt my country. That, plus I half-expect DOGE to find out about my tax money going to the NFL. I’m thinking the odds of that are probably around 85%.
We’ll see.
Same here. 1st season was surprisingly engaging. 2nd was a tepid follow-up. Alan Ritchson’s recent comments have soured the franchise, unfortunately.
Pardon my silly questioning, but why do we GAF if he’s said nice things about us when he’s unknowingly acting as our sales rep?
Maybe I’m unusual here, but I don’t GAF what my lawyer thinks of me as long as he does his job to my satisfaction. Ditto my well pump guys or my arborist. I’m not paying them to like me, I’m paying them to do a job.
Now, given the fact that this guy almost certainly doesn’t even realize he’s working for us in a roundabout way, why not use that?
To me its not about this one guy. The whole of the hollywood system is corrupt. They do not support my beliefs. So I do not fund them. Maybe if enough people start withholding their money from hollywood that system will change.
Unless you can create an alternative, it likely won’t change, zero being special and all that. Ben Shapiro tried but Gina Carano has the better shot if she can win that suit against Disney.
It is odd to me that no one wants to use political judo on these people and redirect their energy towards our goals, which isn’t exactly hard to do.
The similarity to talking shit to gamers who want to buy guns from their games is worth a remark too I guess.
Oh, well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Mr Strych, I find my self in the same frame of mind as you. Life is too short, use it to your advantage.
PS- I would posit that the judo reference be amended to aikido. Having practiced both, there is a discernible difference. I have been wrong before, and will be again as the day’s not over yet. 🤔
*Wikpedia: Aikido’s fundamental principles include: irimi[7] (entering), atemi,[8][9] kokyu-ho (breathing control), sankaku-ho (triangular principle), and tenkan (turning) movements which redirect the opponent’s attack momentum.
Watch the titles without paying for them.
Let the torrents flow!
My PC acts as a media streamer to my ancient and creaking WDTV media box hooked up to an even older LG 40″ 1080p TV.
I just use a PC directly to my older LG 42″ 1080p TV. 🙂
Points taken.
But!
AR has shown himself to be on the side of the administration who was all things ANTI 2A.
How long until we start hearing left-leaning facts and tidbits in the show? Maybe never. Or maybe they start with sneaky snark comments, either by AR’s character in the show, or by another character.
And from there it builds. First it’s a comment or two. Then it could be a misstated fact, or some statistic that is untrue. After that, they get a bit more ballsy and it’s misuse of a firearm or a feature. Then it’s an outright lie about something the current President or his Attorney General says or does.
Before you know it, nobody on the show is indexing, they’re all muzzling each other, and the following week they’re twirling firearms on their fingers and making 007 or Batman jokes.
Sure, might be that none of that ever happens. But if the guy who is the face of the entire show is already publicly shown and known to be against us, who’s to say he’s going to be good faith and not be planting weed seeds all along the way?
I’ll put this another way: Who watches an Alec Baldwin movie and expects gun ownership to be treated in any way correctly?
Maybe I’m making more of this than I should, but I think Alan Ritchson is at an inflection point; whether or not he realizes it.
One wonders how hard it would be to get the big gun groups to place praise and scorn where due when it comes to gun safety in film.
Done right, the PR puts groups like GOA on the same page as Giffords and Everytown. Not that Giffords or Everytown would like this too much, they’re just not in a position to do anything about it. Unless of course, they want to openly promote dangerous handling of firearms and, dare I say, perhaps “gun violence”, eh?
Now, there’s those that might not like such a thing on our side but I’d point out that it’s easier to hold a knife to someone’s throat when they’re close to you.
If USAID can do this to music and movies to “make markets” when it comes to hard drugs I’m pretty sure we can do it to promote inalienable rights. If, that is, we actually GAF about those rights and we’re not just on some tribal bullshit.
Again, good points made.
Does anybody know if there are any organizations already in existence that hold Hollywood to account? Or at least stand as some form of authority or knowledge?
Or another thought…who do all the Hollywood armorers follow?
Alan Ritchson’s character loves to say he doesn’t like guns (I think he does it in the novels too), but he sure does know how to use them. That would require one or more armorers on set.
This could be a vector for conversation.
And are there any organizations that actors follow? I mean other than Brady or Moms.
Keanau Reeves shoots a lot of guns. So does Jason Statham and Tom Cruise. And those other dudes Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and (formerly) Willis.
And there are a lot of girls going pew-pew in the movies.
Who do all these people follow, even if unseriously?
Given the proclivities of Hollywood, Keanu is probably the one to ask. Well, Keanu or his trainers. Shawn Ryan was one of them at one point.
The real question with that is how to get a group that has some clout to explore the area. If you or I try to approach Mr. Ryan, just for example, we won’t ever get to talk to him. However, the VP of GOA probably would.
Can we write letters to GOA? Indeed we can. Can we ambush them with questions at some place like SHOT Show? Yup. A little Luke Rudkowski added to the mix might be called for here.
Alan Ritchson’s character loves to say he doesn’t like guns (I think he does it in the novels too), but he sure does know how to use them.
The character saying this, IMHO, is fine. There are plenty of people in this world who don’t like violence but are DAMN skilled at employing it.
Which is hardly surprising and even laudable, really. It’s kind of the mark of someone who’s rational and mature. Dichotomy of man and all that.
It’s also a wider issue in society more generally. I’ve pointed out before that the West is kinda torn between Athens and Sparta. In, and of, itself there’s nothing wrong with that though it would be preferable to find the appropriate blend of the two and embrace that as opposed to ping-ponging between the two based on circumstance.
These are things that, if used skillfully, can be very effective tools in our toolkit. The fact that we don’t even attempt to utilize, or even recognize, them is not to our credit.
I very much agree.
Sten reliable? Tell that to Jozef Gabčík (and others).
I just had to have every gun in Duke Nukem.
Movies: The Sound of Music. It was a movie about suicide and the weapon was Julie Andrews.
” was one of the more interesting watches I’ve had in the last year” Seriously, a Guy Ritchie garbage flick? I feel sorry for you.
This was a good movie.
Want to see the great WWII flick. Try Eastwood’s ‘Kelly’s Hero’s’.
Fun watch, lots of action and, except for ‘Archie Bunker’ mostly
pro 2nd people staring.
Sure – not a realistic flick, but one you can sit back and enjoy.
And the sound track – Mike Curb – consevative, pro gun and
served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of California.
Mostly good people in this project.
Kelly’s Heros is alright, especially Donald Southerland’s character Oddball, but it sends the message that grand theft if acceptable provided you don’t like the people you’re stealing from. And when it comes to theft, who really does like the people they steal from?
In that vein, might I suggest The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape or Bridge on the River Kwai?
You know, movies that send a message of resistance to tyranny and that making the bad guys unalive is a laudable goal? Heck, I’ll even throw in Where Eagles Dare and The Desert Rats and To Hell and Back for free.
The Bridge at Remagen. But I’m biased because my grandfather was there.
We keep this up and we’ll have an entire week of TNT programming from 1993.
“And when it comes to theft, who really does like the people they steal from?”
In that vein the film “Inglorious Bastards” is about committing war crimes against German soldiers in ww2. And celebrating it.
I’ve heard it called a “Jewish” revenge film.
I like Kelly’s Heroes. As a war gamer, seeing real tiger tanks in action was great. Films from the 50s 60s and 70s, humanized our enemies from ww2.
The Enemy Below. The Train. The TV movie Death Race or it’s called State of Division. The Black Dheep Squadron.
I like the old ww2 and later Black and white propaganda films. Today’s Hollywood is not capable of making those kinds of films. Because they hate America. The country that made them rich.
And before the “Black List” days in the 1950s. Hollywood was working for A.H. with his funny mustache from Germany. Film makers play on both sides when it makes them money.
Sorry to break it to you, Chris, but those were not real Tigers. They were dolled up Soviet tanks. The film was shot in Yugoslavia. The Yugo’s were commie but they retained a good deal of their freedom from Moscow. They used Russian and western kit. Those columns of Shermans were part of the Yugo army at the time.
The only real Tiger used since ww2 in a film that I am aware of is Fury.
Very sad. But I always thought they were strange looking tigers. Perhaps a variation i had not seen before. Yugoslavia was always seen as not as murderous the USSR. But Tito did do his share of massacring his opponents.
Without a strong man in charge. Some countries just fall apart when that strong man dies.
Ironic Freddy Mecury singing Another One Bites the Dust.
Ashes to ashes dust to dust if he’d have stuck with pu$$y he’d be here with us.
TV show not a movie, but SAS Rogue Heroes wasn’t bad.
“The Rat Patrol”, loved it as a kid.
Side note, the Lewis gun was extremely ahead of its time.
Historically there were a lot of 1911s in Britain before WW2. Enough that the police special branch had them as an optional sidearm. Churchill and his special branch bodyguard both carried 1911s and regularly practiced with them. Churchill was actually regarded as a very proficient shot with the 1911.
And Goering bought a Smith and Wesson revolver from a Berlin gun dealer in about 1936 as his privately owned handgun.
Stuff gets around to odd corners of the world.
And SMLEs being smuggled from Fascist (but neutral) Spain? A lot of guns were smuggled into Spain during the Spanish Civil War (pre-WW2) and SMLEs and P14s were known to be supplied to units on the Republican (losing) side.
After the war it makes sense to get rid of the nonstandard items still in the inventory.
Movies and television have popularized firearms for years. Westerns rejuvenated interest in single action revolvers. S&W model 29s were impossible to find after Dirty Harry hit the big screen. I’m guilty of it myself. Colt SAA 4 3/4″ .45 in an El Paso Saddlery Duke rig because John Wayne. 6″ Python because Starsky and Hutch when I was a teenager. A hard chrome HK P7M8 because Hans Gruber. And, yes, it’s a Christmas movie. There are others, but you get the point.
I enjoy helping Hollywood die by not giving them my money. And their politics have helped to literally burn where they live california to the ground. Never saw this film. But the back story it’s based on sounds very interesting. I’ll look for it on “free” TV.
Suppressed Stens were extensively used by Mel Gipson and Sam Neil through out the 1980 film “Attack Force Z” and a wide variety of other small arms are easily identifiable. It would probably be a good follow up article.
M3 grease guns actually. Great film.
MI6 and MI5 around since 1909. Formed as Secret Service Bureau. Later Secret Intelligence Service and Security Service. Both active in WWIi. OSS founded with British help and was predecessor to CIA
Best war movie for my money was “Cross of Iron”.
As I always want to see how the other guys handled their situation, I found “Das Boot” was scene for scene a movong photograph of the written submariner’s memoir. Worth reading.
As I saw mucho cowardice in RVN, I kinda like comedies best. I laughed a lot in the ARMY, so I only came away largely crazy.
The actor who played Sergeant Shultz should get either a Best Actor OSCAR, or the Nobel Peace Prize.