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Old June 22, 2005, 07:23 AM   #19
Jack Malloy
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Join Date: February 3, 2005
Posts: 791
In Shane Black's original script for Lethal Weapon, the Riggs character was carrying a Ruger .22.
Black thought the gun looked cool. He didn't know anything at all about weapons by the way.
Most likely whoever did the rewrite or the technical advisor on the film chose the Beretta. Notice that in the script Murtagh carries a .38. In the films, Danny Glover carried a Model 19 .357.
Technically, Murtaugh would be the "maverick" cop as he was carrying a non-departmental approved weapon, LOL...
Other than John Millius, most movie writers don;t know crap about guns, period. Sometimes the directors don;t listen to technical advisors either.
This is why you get the "porceline glock" in Die Hard 2, the various dropped revolvers in Dirty Harry that function okay and don;t get scratched, pistol whippings with plastic framed glocks and HKs in more recent films (how can you knock a guy out hitting him over the head with the butt of a plastic gun?) and people fanning away on Single Action revolvers without breaking springs.
I really doubt product placement has anything to do with it for a couple of reasons. Number one, most Hollywood productions are PC. They will churn out gun porn while mouthing platittudes about gun control (look at the Handgun Control posters in the background of the Lethal Weapon flicks).
Number two, gun companies don't have the money generally to pay for product placement.
Usually unless the director decides to listen to the script the prop department decides what gun will be used. Thats why Juliane Moore carried a Glock in Hannibal instead of a custom .45 as in the book.
Its also why Bond flubs up with his line about "thats a S&W you have had your six" in one early Connery flick even though the bad guy is using a Colt .45 auto.
Product placement deals do take place in films for things like Coca Cola and cell phones. The closest I ever heard of it being used in a movie was one early Steven Segal flick where Springfield Armoury or Federal Ordnance loaned them a custom 10 mm for the film.


>>Umm, since the Beretta was in use by the LAPD, doesn't that make the Lethal Weapon movies technically correct vs. a result of product placement?
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