Revolvers are making a comback on screen.

Cosmoline · March 28, 2005, 08:13 PM

During most of the '90's, judging from action flicks and TV shows, the revolvers had been relegated to the ash heap. But I've noticed what may or may not be a trend on the big and small screen of late. Wheelguns appear to be making a comeback. Here are some sightings:

--In the trailers to "Sin City," I spy one of the main characters fingering what appears to be a Single Action Army while saying "This will do" or something to that effect.

--The new "Kojack" character packs a Ruger SP-101 variant

--In the final "Matrix" flick, even the auto-obsessed creators of that series put a Smith & Wesson in the hands of one of the bad guys, the Conductor IIRC.

--In "Hellboy" the main character's weapon is an oversized break-top revolver.

Is it a trend or a flash in the pan?

Boats · March 28, 2005, 08:26 PM

Trend I would think.

The revolver is being used as a statement about the character. For some, like Hellboy, that statement is "I can handle anything with this." With the human characters the statement is, "This is all I need to put you down." It's the same message that was present in the Dirty Harry flicks, just now this message is somehow radical in the age of the high capacity auto pistol.

The "new school" view of the revolver carrier as a person not to be messed with was on display in that recent NYT article about the old salts of the NYPD who were still carrying wheelguns. Of course, the old breed could also be seen to be hanging onto the revolver as a colorful touch to their own roles as veteran cops.

The message is still one of "I am confident I can get it done in six or less."

nomadboi · March 29, 2005, 11:02 AM

Just wrapped work on an Indie movie here in Seattle... the last two movies I've worked on now have requested a pair of revolvers as the hero's weapon of choice.

There definitely is a stylistic element to it, but another note- revolvers are much easier to do for films. The purpose-built blank guns (like you can buy on ebay) jam all the time, but with a revolver that's less an issue... plus you can put blanks in a real revolver (if you observe the appropriate safety on set) without it jamming, and without having to fiddle with restrictors or other gunsmithing.

No_Brakes23 · March 29, 2005, 11:19 AM

In the director's commentary for the remake of Dawn of the Dead, they mentioned that they wanted to use guns people whould be likely to have. The movie's gun guy showed up the first day with things like DEagles and MP5s, (Typical "Hollywood" guns,) and they made him come back with other stuff. Hence, the 12ga, .357, model92, etc that showed up in the film.

ZeroX · March 29, 2005, 11:25 AM

With Hellboy and (Iâ€™d assume) Sin City, the characters used revolvers in the comics. I imagine Kojak used a revolver back in the original. But there is probably something to them working more reliably with blanks. Iâ€™d definitely rather see a bunch of blank-firing revolvers on screen than a slew of autos with CG fire effects.

nomadboi · March 29, 2005, 11:46 AM

Besides, nobody has to reload except at important plot points anyway, so what's the point in having a large magazine capacity?

Werewolf · March 29, 2005, 11:48 AM

Revolvers vs Autos...

[tin foil mode]

Revolvers = better times when men were men and heroes were heroes. The good guys wore white hats and rode white horses. The good guy always won and always got the girl.

Semi-Autos = evil black weapons used by gangstas, spies and the anti-heroes of contemporary movies. Men are either cry-baby wimps or evil thugs. Women are tough broads perfectly capable of using a bullet hose to wipe out any man with the audacity to question their equality.

It's all a Hollywierd conspiracy to make the sheep equate autos with evil. Get those bullet hoses off the street, etc. etc.

[/tin foil mode]

Seriously - revolvers do harken back to a simpler and, many believe, kinder, gentler time in America.

OR!

It could just be that the current crop of Hollywierd writers just think that revolvers are COOOOL!

Gordon Fink · March 29, 2005, 12:19 PM

Iâ€™ve never noticed a lack of revolvers in the movies, though I have often noticed a lack of any firearms where they were obviously sorely needed.

~G. Fink

Billy the Kid · March 29, 2005, 12:32 PM

Dirty Harry WAS an Anti Hero.He used Revolvers.

I personally think Revolvers signify a tougher more confident approach. Not so fast, more paced and more accurate sort of. You never see anyone trigger mash with a revolver on film, they seem to take thier time. While when theyre using non-revolvers they seems to spray and pray more than take thier time with each shot.

nomadboi · March 29, 2005, 12:40 PM

Was written in the script that way all along, but I think it worked out well- the last film I worked on, the (anti-)hero starts out pulling a heist with two DEagles (and he's actually a big enough guy he could pull that off). Being the crappy little props they were (8mm blank fire) they jammed repeatedly in the street exit shootout scene, so it kinda makes sense that he uses a pair of Colt Pythons and various shotguns for the rest of the movie.

Cool Hand Luke 22:36 · March 29, 2005, 01:24 PM

Quote:

--The new "Kojack" character packs a Ruger SP-101 variant

It doesn't look like one from the trailer to the show.

mfree · March 29, 2005, 01:27 PM

hehehe, in Dawn of the Dead's remake I couldn't help but notice that the revolvers the security guys were carrying had the firing pin on the hammer...

Couldn't ID though. Lack of knowledge on my part

dghboy315 · March 29, 2005, 01:50 PM

Vin Diesel also used a tricked out revolver in XXX. i don't know remember what it was, but it had a c-more on it and laser grips.

CAS700850 · March 29, 2005, 02:44 PM

Even our hero James Bond used a revolver in Die Another Day while he was in Cuba.

MLH · March 29, 2005, 04:38 PM

You'd see that revolvers have always been in style!

MilsurpShooter · March 29, 2005, 05:28 PM

Revolvers are also more reliable, semi's can jam, auto's always have a new cartridge ready regardless if the previous fired

KONY · March 29, 2005, 06:13 PM

Quote:

--In "Hellboy" the main character's weapon is an oversized break-top revolver.

Mentioned this revolver in another "gun movie" thread ... love it but "oversized" is an understatement! Think it would qualify as a "Z-frame"!

another48hrs · March 29, 2005, 08:42 PM

In Kill Bill Vol 2, David Carradine had a single action with a birds head grip. I like seeing single actions in things other than Westerns. I can't wait for them to make a Metal Gear Solid movie so I can see Revolver Ocelot do his thing.

MilsurpShooter · March 29, 2005, 10:40 PM

MGS MOVIE!?!?!?!

*drool*

Cosmoline · March 29, 2005, 10:53 PM

I agree DOTD (remake) is another good example. IIRC, the security guards had a S&W Model 13 (maybe 10) and possibly a Ruger Security Six, though my eyes and memory may be off on that. I did like their choice of realistic firearms, and the comment on the utility of .357 vs. 9mm

March 30, 2005, 12:15 AM

Bruce Willis' character carries a revolver in Sin City.
And I would encourage all gun lovers to check out the series Firefly on dvd. It had a short run on FOX, was cancelled, but has a movie called Serenity coming out next fall.
It's classified as scifi, but in reality it's more a series about humans in space in the future. Kind of like the old west in space. Lots of cool firearms, no aliens, or anything hokey. Lots of cool western-style firearms also.

Checkman · October 27, 2005, 07:28 PM

Revolvers speak of power and stability. Plus they have a neat "retro" look. Occassionally I'll wear my Colt DS and leave my Sig at home,which I can do becasue I'm an investigator. The younger officers will always home in on the Colt when I wear it. "Hey you're wearing a wheelgun. Wow. " Revolvers will probably never return to where they used to be, but they seem to be enjoying a modest comeback. I think it's because all the younger shooters from the 80's and 90's are getting older (like me) and have come to realize that the wheelgun has it's virtues.

TrafficMan · October 27, 2005, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Checkman

I think it's because all the younger shooters from the 80's and 90's are getting older (like me) and have come to realize that the wheelgun has it's virtues.

you might be on to something there. growing up as a kid, i never even looked twice at any of my fathers wheel guns. i always wanted to shoot the semi autos. just within the last couple of years, i have become a big fan of western films and old west history. i went to the gun store a week ago and handled a new Beretta Stampede. Now i have a HARD ON for a SAA clone!

Biker · October 27, 2005, 08:04 PM

My main carry gun is a Taurus 450. It only holds 5 rounds but I have a great deal of confidence in the .45 LC. I can't say why, but somehow I feel more 'American' when I carry a revolver. Plus, the way it's built, it'd make one helluva pistol-whipper.

Biker

WarMachine · October 27, 2005, 08:08 PM

Revolver Ocelot is the epitome of badazz

March 28, 2005, 08:13 PM	#1
Cosmoline Member Join Date: December 29, 2002 Location: Los Anchorage Posts: 16,237	Revolvers are making a comback on screen. During most of the '90's, judging from action flicks and TV shows, the revolvers had been relegated to the ash heap. But I've noticed what may or may not be a trend on the big and small screen of late. Wheelguns appear to be making a comeback. Here are some sightings: --In the trailers to "Sin City," I spy one of the main characters fingering what appears to be a Single Action Army while saying "This will do" or something to that effect. --The new "Kojack" character packs a Ruger SP-101 variant --In the final "Matrix" flick, even the auto-obsessed creators of that series put a Smith & Wesson in the hands of one of the bad guys, the Conductor IIRC. --In "Hellboy" the main character's weapon is an oversized break-top revolver. Is it a trend or a flash in the pan? __________________ Moving like an arctic lizard.

March 28, 2005, 08:26 PM	#2
Boats Member Join Date: December 29, 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 3,461	Trend I would think. The revolver is being used as a statement about the character. For some, like Hellboy, that statement is "I can handle anything with this." With the human characters the statement is, "This is all I need to put you down." It's the same message that was present in the Dirty Harry flicks, just now this message is somehow radical in the age of the high capacity auto pistol. The "new school" view of the revolver carrier as a person not to be messed with was on display in that recent NYT article about the old salts of the NYPD who were still carrying wheelguns. Of course, the old breed could also be seen to be hanging onto the revolver as a colorful touch to their own roles as veteran cops. The message is still one of "I am confident I can get it done in six or less." __________________ "I find the curiosity of our party is pretty well satisfied with respect to this animal." *Capt. M. Lewis summing up in his journal after several near death experiences with grizzly bears.*

March 29, 2005, 11:25 AM	#5
ZeroX Member Join Date: May 30, 2004 Location: Bloomington, IN Posts: 888	With Hellboy and (Iâ€™d assume) Sin City, the characters used revolvers in the comics. I imagine Kojak used a revolver back in the original. But there is probably something to them working more reliably with blanks. Iâ€™d definitely rather see a bunch of blank-firing revolvers on screen than a slew of autos with CG fire effects. __________________ ZeroX: The Gunless Wonder! "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stuart Mill

March 29, 2005, 11:48 AM	#7
Werewolf Member Join Date: September 12, 2003 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,930	Revolvers vs Autos... [tin foil mode] Revolvers = better times when men were men and heroes were heroes. The good guys wore white hats and rode white horses. The good guy always won and always got the girl. Semi-Autos = evil black weapons used by gangstas, spies and the anti-heroes of contemporary movies. Men are either cry-baby wimps or evil thugs. Women are tough broads perfectly capable of using a bullet hose to wipe out any man with the audacity to question their equality. It's all a Hollywierd conspiracy to make the sheep equate autos with evil. Get those bullet hoses off the street, etc. etc. [/tin foil mode] Seriously - revolvers do harken back to a simpler and, many believe, kinder, gentler time in America. OR! It could just be that the current crop of Hollywierd writers just think that revolvers are COOOOL! __________________ Werewolf ------------ Gun Control - making a Criminal's job safer - one law abiding citizen at a time... Werewolf "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

March 29, 2005, 12:19 PM	#8
Gordon Fink Member Join Date: April 9, 2003 Location: California Posts: 2,322	Iâ€™ve never noticed a lack of revolvers in the movies, though I have often noticed a lack of any firearms where they were obviously sorely needed. ~G. Fink __________________ “Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.”

March 29, 2005, 11:02 AM	#3
nomadboi Member Join Date: September 30, 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 473	Just wrapped work on an Indie movie here in Seattle... the last two movies I've worked on now have requested a pair of revolvers as the hero's weapon of choice. There definitely is a stylistic element to it, but another note- revolvers are much easier to do for films. The purpose-built blank guns (like you can buy on ebay) jam all the time, but with a revolver that's less an issue... plus you can put blanks in a real revolver (if you observe the appropriate safety on set) without it jamming, and without having to fiddle with restrictors or other gunsmithing.

March 29, 2005, 11:19 AM	#4
No_Brakes23 Member Join Date: March 19, 2005 Location: Everett, WA Recently escaped from San Diego, PRK Posts: 1,604	In the director's commentary for the remake of Dawn of the Dead, they mentioned that they wanted to use guns people whould be likely to have. The movie's gun guy showed up the first day with things like DEagles and MP5s, (Typical "Hollywood" guns,) and they made him come back with other stuff. Hence, the 12ga, .357, model92, etc that showed up in the film.

March 29, 2005, 11:46 AM	#6
nomadboi Member Join Date: September 30, 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 473	Besides, nobody has to reload except at important plot points anyway, so what's the point in having a large magazine capacity?

March 29, 2005, 12:32 PM	#9
Billy the Kid Member Join Date: April 14, 2004 Location: CT Posts: 121	Dirty Harry WAS an Anti Hero.He used Revolvers. I personally think Revolvers signify a tougher more confident approach. Not so fast, more paced and more accurate sort of. You never see anyone trigger mash with a revolver on film, they seem to take thier time. While when theyre using non-revolvers they seems to spray and pray more than take thier time with each shot.

March 29, 2005, 12:40 PM	#10
nomadboi Member Join Date: September 30, 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 473	Was written in the script that way all along, but I think it worked out well- the last film I worked on, the (anti-)hero starts out pulling a heist with two DEagles (and he's actually a big enough guy he could pull that off). Being the crappy little props they were (8mm blank fire) they jammed repeatedly in the street exit shootout scene, so it kinda makes sense that he uses a pair of Colt Pythons and various shotguns for the rest of the movie.

March 29, 2005, 01:27 PM	#12
mfree Member Join Date: May 19, 2004 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 1,080	hehehe, in Dawn of the Dead's remake I couldn't help but notice that the revolvers the security guys were carrying had the firing pin on the hammer... Couldn't ID though. Lack of knowledge on my part __________________ --- If it's strange, unusual, or just plain wierd, I want it.

March 29, 2005, 01:50 PM	#13
dghboy315 Member Join Date: February 1, 2003 Location: rockville, md Posts: 343	Vin Diesel also used a tricked out revolver in XXX. i don't know remember what it was, but it had a c-more on it and laser grips.

March 29, 2005, 02:44 PM	#14
CAS700850 Member Join Date: July 20, 2004 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 1,289	Even our hero James Bond used a revolver in Die Another Day while he was in Cuba. __________________ "Your job now that you've taken the bench, above all else, is to protect the Constitutional rights of those who appear before you. You do that, and everything else will work out just fine." Chris

March 29, 2005, 04:38 PM	#15
MLH Member Join Date: December 24, 2002 Location: Louisville, Ky. Posts: 526	If you'd watch westerns You'd see that revolvers have always been in style! __________________ Don't ever doubt that I will shoot. Trial by 12 before carry by 6. "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." --Samuel Adams TFL Alumnus

March 29, 2005, 05:28 PM	#16
MilsurpShooter Member Join Date: February 3, 2005 Location: Holed up in a bunker somewhere Posts: 1,280	Revolvers are also more reliable, semi's can jam, auto's always have a new cartridge ready regardless if the previous fired

March 29, 2005, 08:42 PM	#18
another48hrs Member Join Date: December 24, 2002 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 406	In Kill Bill Vol 2, David Carradine had a single action with a birds head grip. I like seeing single actions in things other than Westerns. I can't wait for them to make a Metal Gear Solid movie so I can see Revolver Ocelot do his thing. __________________ "Run! Go! Get to the choppa!"

March 29, 2005, 10:40 PM	#19
MilsurpShooter Member Join Date: February 3, 2005 Location: Holed up in a bunker somewhere Posts: 1,280	MGS MOVIE!?!?!?! drool

March 29, 2005, 10:53 PM	#20
Cosmoline Member Join Date: December 29, 2002 Location: Los Anchorage Posts: 16,237	I agree DOTD (remake) is another good example. IIRC, the security guards had a S&W Model 13 (maybe 10) and possibly a Ruger Security Six, though my eyes and memory may be off on that. I did like their choice of realistic firearms, and the comment on the utility of .357 vs. 9mm __________________ Moving like an arctic lizard.

March 30, 2005, 12:15 AM	#21
Boss Spearman Guest Posts: n/a	Bruce Willis' character carries a revolver in Sin City. And I would encourage all gun lovers to check out the series Firefly on dvd. It had a short run on FOX, was cancelled, but has a movie called Serenity coming out next fall. It's classified as scifi, but in reality it's more a series about humans in space in the future. Kind of like the old west in space. Lots of cool firearms, no aliens, or anything hokey. Lots of cool western-style firearms also.

October 27, 2005, 07:28 PM	#22
Checkman Member Join Date: September 23, 2003 Location: Idaho Posts: 1,480	Revolvers speak of power and stability. Plus they have a neat "retro" look. Occassionally I'll wear my Colt DS and leave my Sig at home,which I can do becasue I'm an investigator. The younger officers will always home in on the Colt when I wear it. "Hey you're wearing a wheelgun. Wow. " Revolvers will probably never return to where they used to be, but they seem to be enjoying a modest comeback. I think it's because all the younger shooters from the 80's and 90's are getting older (like me) and have come to realize that the wheelgun has it's virtues. __________________ ‘‘Those who beat their swords into plowshares usually end up plowing for those who didn’t.’’ Ben Franklin

October 27, 2005, 08:04 PM	#24
Biker Member Join Date: March 10, 2005 Location: Idaho Posts: 5,992	My main carry gun is a Taurus 450. It only holds 5 rounds but I have a great deal of confidence in the .45 LC. I can't say why, but somehow I feel more 'American' when I carry a revolver. Plus, the way it's built, it'd make one helluva pistol-whipper. Biker __________________ Let's actually do something about our immigration problems. www.numbersusa.com www.fairus.org Here's to cheating, stealing, fighting and drinking. If you cheat, may it be a death; if you steal, may it be a heart; if you fight, may it be for your Brother; and if you drink, may it be with me. "Bring me my broadsword and clear understanding..." Ian Anderson

October 27, 2005, 08:08 PM	#25
WarMachine Member Join Date: March 17, 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 472	Revolver Ocelot is the epitome of badazz __________________ "As I was going up the stair, I met a man who was not there, he wasn't there again today, I wish that man would go away." "I drive too fast to worry about cholesterol."

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