Death Wish (1974) - If you are over 30 I shouldn’t even have to explain this one to you and you should be able to quote lines verbatim. It is the Godfather of “Gun Guys” movies. If you are under 30 and you haven’t seen it, stop what you are doing and go order it from Amazon, you should own it.
Taxi Driver (1976) - A lot of people simply think this is Death Wish II. It isn’t of course, there is so much bubbling below the surface that it isn’t funny. There is no way this movie could be made today and in some ways it actually holds up better than most of the others. A lot of people don’t even know what to make of this film, many aren’t even sure if they even like the main character. And that is of course what makes if brilliant.
The Deer Hunter (1978) - An incredible movie in many ways, and one of the first about our Vietnam experience and what was endured by our fighting men. And more importantly, the first time most of us saw an actual AK-47.
The Dogs of War (1980) - Christopher Walken, mercenaries, Uzis and the star of the show the Manville 25mm Projectile Launcher (called the “XM-18” in the film.) Add an Uzi with a giant 1980s Night Vision scope and an early Al Bundy appearance and you have a great movie.
Defiance (1980) - Almost didn’t make this list, another in the early 80s “vigilante vs. the street gang” genre. Notable for the lead role by Jan Michael Vincent and Art Carney (Hey Norton) in a minor supporting role. Not much gun porn save for the selection of the Luger for the gang leader gun wielded by Rudy Ramos who plays the role of Angel Cruz masterfully.
The Exterminator (1980) - The vigilante genre perfected. Holy Shit this is the movie. It has it all, a seemingly ordinary Joe ex Vietnam Vet pushed way too fucking far. A reckoning with evil and scum in a way that might even make Travis from Taxi Driver pause. Add to that some cool gun porn and state of the art (then) special effects and you have what might possibly be the greatest B movie ever made.
The Amateur (1981) - If you were one of those people who got cable back around 1980, especially if you were a kid, you saw this movie a lot. It stands on it’s own as an excellent Cold War drama about politically sponsored terrorism with a lot of Warsaw Pact exotic weapons, but nostalgia also plays here for a lot of people.
First Blood (1982) - Another cautionary tale about leaving that “regular guy” who for all you know was a Green Beret in Vietnam the fuck alone. Gun porn moment when the Sheriff is running around in the woods with an HK93. It is the first time most of us saw one as you probably missed the HK93 in the beginning of “The Thing” (1982) which came out a few months prior.
The Survivors (1983) - The “gun nut” comedy, our Blazing Saddles. It was probably made with the intention to mock us, doesn’t matter - we made it our own. It is simply too well researched, when Robin Williams explains to his wife that it “isn’t a machine gun, it’s only semi automatic” we’ve all been there. And any film where Williams is checking out a FALO HBar and running around with a Valmet 76 can’t actually be anti gun.
Red Dawn (1984) - I’m not even going to talk about it, you should already own it.
The Park Is Mine (1986) - Seriously, you have got to stop pushing the Vietnam veteran around, he can only take so much and he knows too many bad things if he trips a breaker. Excellent gun porn including Kalashnikovs and color coded magazines to tell which ones are blanks and which ones are live rounds (Take that Die Hard 2).
Full Metal Jacket (1987) - I fully believe this movie was made to atone for Platoon (1986). R. Lee Ermy, Private Pyle, M-14s, M-16s and a gook sniper with a VZ-58. Get some.
Die Hard (1988) - A virtual HK advertisement from start to finish with the first Steyr AUG most of us ever saw, not counting the AR-60 from Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), thrown in for good measure. This is the film that made most of us decide we will one day own an MP5, oh yes…it shall be mine. Add some terrorist, explosions and Bruce Willis and you have one of the best popcorn movies ever made.
Sniper (1993) - Ok this one has some cheese in it, but it also has some cool stuff like the little seen HK SR9TC rifle. Don’t take it too seriously and it is a fun movie.
Heat (1995) - I shouldn’t even have to put it on the list, you should already know everything about this film.
The Substitute (1996) - Tom Berenger returns the the subject of mercenaries after getting wacked in a African village in Dogs of War. This one lacks the intelligence and sophistication of DOW but it is still a great mercs vs. street scum flick.
