Mission Impossible: The Guns of Ethan Hunt - Volume 1

When you think of action movie spies immediately think of one of three names: Bond, Bourne, or Hunt. Across eight blockbuster movies, spanning the last 30 years, Mission: Impossible’s Ethan Hunt has had a uniquely intriguing range of weapons. Over the course of the films Tom Cruise’s most famous role has seen him using everything from the classic Beretta 92 to a heavily modified Desert Eagle designed for launching a grappling hook, and even drum-fed M82 Barrett .50 Cal rifle fired remotely.

In this series we will be taking a look at the various different firearms Ethan Hunt uses in the Mission Impossible series. We’ll discuss the handguns Hunt handles, and while he isn’t often seen using a rifle we’ll be covering those and every other firearm Hunt encounters. Interestingly enough Hunt is only seen using one gun in the first Mission: Impossible movie released in 1996, and it’s a Beretta 8045 Cougar F. While he isn’t seen firing the gun, during a rather tense scene in the safe house, the Cougar’s smaller size makes it perfect to be used as a stash gun inside the safehouse. 

Berettas and More Berettas

Over the course of the next two films Hunt is seen using a Beretta 92, a cult classic in many respects, in a variety of flavors. These include the standard 92FS, 92FS Brigadier, a 92 Compact, and a 92G Elite A1. Carrying both the Brigadier and the compact in the John Woo-directed Mission: Impossible II (2000), Hunt was able to dual wield the pistols in typical early 2000’s action star fashion by making use of a shoulder holster for the Brigadier and having the compact in a left handed small of the back holster.

The Brigadier edition of the 92 was introduced in 1999, which means it is highly likely that this was the first film it was used in for close up action, and as “hero gun” for the film it likely helped Beretta sales that year! I’ll confess there have been many times I have seen a gun on screen and thought to myself, “dang that looks cool I should buy one.” One of the main differences between the Brigadier and the standard 92 is the use of a reinforced frame along the portion that is parallel to the barrel. This was done to hold up better with higher pressure loads as well as higher round counts. Perfectly designed to align with military trial expectations, hence the name designation. 

With six years between the second and third films the firearms industry had plenty of time to develop new innovations and make use of developing technologies. This time gap also allowed the film industry time to filter through and pick the perfect ones to use on the big screen. With this being said it is sometimes difficult to change a hero's choice of sidearm once it has been established. As such 2006’s Mission: Impossible III sees Hunt sticking with Beretta 92 variants, he is seen handing off a Beretta 92G Elite A1 earlier on in the film and then is also seen using a standard 92FS during the bridge scene mid-film. This is also the sequence where Hunt takes a disassembled G36 out of the rear of a vehicle to take down a drone, highly unlikely and impractical but that's partially what makes a good action film.

A Drum-Fed .50 Cal?

While the Beretta 92 has been well established as Hunt’s choice of sidearm he is not afraid of using what he can find in any situation, as shown at the end of the second film by making use of the HK USP Compact. Once again in MI3 he strays from his usual selection due to necessity and situation. During a particularly action-packed car chase in Shanghai Hunt takes a generation 3 Glock 17 off of one of his fellow agents to which he then hangs out the side of the vehicle and proceeds to shoot the tires out on the bad guy car chasing them. How realistic is this? I really don't know, and honestly I do not care, it looked cool, a certain amount of ridiculousness has to be acceptable. 

Hunt’s Modified Spy Gats

What spy movie would be complete without a few custom modified firearms sprinkled in for good measure, right? In MI3 Hunt is seen using a modified Glock 26 setup for firing tranquilizer darts several times in the film. Most notably when he apprehends the main antagonist in a restroom at the Vatican. While I do not know how practical making a tranquilizer gun this small would be, it is an interesting firearm design and concept for modification nonetheless. Additionally, several scenes before the capture, Hunt uses another modified firearm to enter the Vatican, a Desert Eagle MK 19 that has been reworked to fire devices to disable the security cameras as well as a hook and cable to help him ascend the wall surrounding the city. Proper super spy stuff! It is my understanding that for the Desert Eagle used was an airsoft replica, to which the visual modifications were made, unlike with most of the firearms in these films that are real but equipped to fire blanks instead of live cartridges. 

Over the course of the first three Mission Impossible films I find it interesting that the number of firearms that Ethan Hunt is seen using has been steadily increasing. Starting with only the one in the first film, and up to eight in the third. This is perhaps in keeping with the original TV series that relied more on tension than action and as the series evolved Hunt has become a more senior agent and his skillset has broadened to combine the clandestine with direct action. Or maybe it’s that as blockbuster action movies have become the box office money makers, with the first three movies making $1.4 billion, that the directors are pushing for more flashy in-your-face gun work and less cloak and dagger twists and turns as seen in the past? It could, and likely is, both.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to join us for the next instalment where we’ll look at the firearms featured in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.