Mission Impossible: The Guns of Ethan Hunt - Volume 3

Readers; we are back for the third instalment of our series focusing on the guns of Mission Impossible. This film series has become widely known not just for its thrilling action sequences, intricate plots, and intense stunts, but also its broad choice of firearms the agents use. As we know, at the heart of these action scenes is Ethan Hunt, the IMF agent portrayed by Tom Cruise, whose weapon of choice has evolved over time. 

At the start of the series, Hunt’s preferred sidearm was a Beretta, but as he evolved as an agent and his missions took him across the globe, his weapon of choice became whatever was most accessible in the region, rather than based on personal preference. As noted in the previous instalment Hunt's use of firearms has varied over the course of the film series. Likely externally tied to the various directors favoring more of an up close and intense hand to hand action, and internally to Hunt being on the run from several governments including his own and needing to source firearms on his own away from any of big brothers’ assistance. With director Christopher McQuarrie taking lead with these next two films, I believe that it is also a stylistic choice coming from him to favor thrills and close up action to blazing gun fights. With films such as The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, Edge of Tomorrow, and Top Gun: Maverick in his portfolio it is clear to see that he has a rather distinct style. But let’s get back on track, this is about the guns Agent Hunt uses. Not the directors of the films he is in.

Starting again off both films strong with an American classic, Hunt is seen with a Colt M1911A1 kept under his pillow in his Dublin safe house in 2018’s Mission Impossible: Fallout as well as in Amsterdam during 2023’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. The same pistol was chosen by him while in Paris several years prior, does this mean that the 1911 is Hunt's preferred firearm when on the run? Possibly. Could this also be that since the design has been around for over a century it is one of the more prolific choices while around the globe and that is why he picks it? Also possible. While the 1911 is a much beloved pattern of pistol, it does have its limitations. Especially when your selection is limited to potential surplus WW2 era guns.

The next pistol that makes an appearance in Hunt's hands is one that he manages to take off of a bad guy, during a fight sequence in the restroom of a club. One that I am not familiar with at all, the Baikal Ij-70. While I am much more familiar with its “cousin” the Makarov PM, the IJ-70 is simply the commercial version of the previous developed after the fall of the Soviet Union for the global market. Ultimately a firearm I was completely unaware that was ever made in a commercial version. But also, with this fight sequence taking place in central Europe having access to Soviet made commercially produced firearms makes a lot of, especially when it comes to a thug from the criminal underworld.

As the plot progresses and Hunt and his IMF team are chasing after nuclear weapons they are tasked with ambushing a police convoy transporting a high value asset. As this ambush plays out, what we don’t know is that this scene is in agent Hunt's mind as he is walking through the probabilities of said ambush. It is during this ambush that he pulls a HK USP Compact and uses it on one of the officers escorting the asset. Thankfully this doesn’t happen and Hunt on the fly comes up with a different plan that won’t get a bunch of innocents killed. His plan seems to go flawlessly until they are about to make the final getaway to which they open the door with an officer standing outside of it. This reminded me of a very similar Mexican standoff with police that had happened in The Town, where that officer famously turned the other way wanting nothing to do with the protagonists. A move that was directly opposite to what happened in Fallout. Instead some of the White Widow’s henchmen show up and shoot the officer instead, saving Hunt from this moral dilemma. Hunt then draws his aforementioned HK and guns down the Widow’s henchmen in what seems like a rather justifiable move.

The final firearm that Hunt handles in Fallout is what has become a standard issue pistol of sorts, the Sig P226R. This specific model was used by the Syndicate in the previous film; it is once again fielded by the antagonists at the end of this film. Notably he does not use it during the sequence, more so he disarms one of the passengers in the helicopter he is stealing. Keeping in mind that the director's cut is usually better, Hunt is seen carrying the P226R out of the helicopter crash in a scene that was removed from the theatrical version.

Keeping in mind Hunt's previously mentioned choice of the Colt 1911 during the opening of Dead Reckoning, it is also his pistol of choice when trailing the bounty hunters across the Arabian desert. Keeping with robust and old designs in a rare event Hunt is also carrying a Romanian WASR-3 likely chambered in 5.56. Something interesting to note while he is using a chest rig of some type, all of his ammunition is used up taking out the bounty hunters and was forced to switch to his 1911. This being such a rarity in action films, the need to switch to a sidearm or even to simply reload, I can appreciate some attention to detail in that an action like this would need to happen in real life.

Rounding out the list of firearms used by Agent Hunt in this film is the Sig SG 552 that he takes off of a bounty hunter after both his 1911 and WASR run dry. The SG is an interesting choice to add to this film because it is not a super common firearm in general, and to add to that one chosen to be featured in a blockbuster film such as Dead Reckoning. Additionally, its coming standard with an 8” barrel and being chambered in 5.56 make it a rather odd choice for a bounty hunter traveling through the Arabian Desert. However, with it being a long stroke piston system, one could argue that it is an almost ideal choice for that environment.

Coming to the conclusion of this series, I find it interesting how, depending on the era it was filmed in and the director chosen, the number and choice of firearms used by Hunt changes from film to film. Ranging from only one in the first film to eight in the third and then a semi consistent three to four in the following four. It is not often that we get to experience a series of films that have this many directors and span over 25 years. With such an extensive list it is hard to pick a favorite firearm that Ethan Hunt has used on screen. From dual wielding Berettas to the remote fired M82 Barretts, the firearm itself and how it was used play a huge part in pushing one to the forefront over the rest making it a very tight race. Ultimately, if I was able to only choose one firearm that Agent Hunt uses on screen it would have to be the rifle that has been disguised as an Alto Flute that he picks up in Rogue Nation. Having a suppressed rifle disguised as a harmless musical instrument is intriguing to me, and most definitely not something you see every day.