Not the poster on the boards here (sorry Uzi! ), but the 9mm SMG that seemed to be in pretty much every action movie from the early '70s until Die Hard in 1988, when the Heckler & Koch MP5 suddenly became the “Movie SMG Of Choice”.
Sure, they still pop up from time to time (characters in The Matrix and Sin City had them), but generally, they don’t seem to be getting much screen time in anything that isn’t in the Straight-To-Video section at your local Blockbuster… and I realised they don’t seem to be seeing a lot of use in the real world anymore, either.
I know there are several different versions of Uzi, but I’m thinking of the full-sized one, rather than the Micro-Uzi (which does still pop up in films from time to time).
Even the .45 ACP MAC-10 (another staple of '70s and '80s action films) doesn’t get much screen time anymore…
Did the Uzi just stop being “Cool”, or what happened?
The Uzi hit the mainstream consciousness when Reagan was shot. There is a classic image of a Secret Service hold one as Reagan is shoved into the limo. My guess is that image has faded, and directors, who generally know zip about weapons, just tell the prop man they want something that looks cool.
Uzi’s aren’t all that great anymore either. More modern subs are just all around better guns. That’s why you don’t see them much anymore. You don’t see many Colt revolvers either.
Part of the disappearance is that the Uzi is old, and is no longer a standard-issue weapon for most major Western armed forces, including Israel itself. A movie striving for accuracy depicting special forces or general armies wouldn’t use them.
That being said, the Uzi is just so '80’s.
The full-auto version of the Uzi submachine gun (and the MAC-10 and its descendents as well) fire from an open bolt; as such, they’ve fallen out of preference with law enforcement and paramilitary om favor of closed-bolt, better balanced, more compact, and more modular guns like the H&K MP5/MP10 and the Steyr TMP. These days, law enforcement seem to be moving to 5.56mm NATO/.223 Rem for close range tactical use because the .223 Rem actually provides less overpenetration in indoor environments than the 9mm Para.
Why no Uzis? The answer is simple: no ninjas. The '80s were all about ninjas, and the simple fact is that the Uzi was the firearm best suited for combat against ninjas, insofar as any firearm is suited for combat against ninjas. This has been scientifically determined, using measurements. But today, look around! What is there for you to see? Yes, exactly so! You see no ninjas! Admittedly, this is also what you would be seeing if there were ninjas. However, what you are seeing now is a total absence of ninjas, rather than the presence of ninjas that you would not be seeing if there were ninjas to not be seen. '80s technology confirms this. Ah! There is a ninja! No, I kid; do not be alarmed. Therefore, with the ninja threat in abatement, the Uzi has taken its place alongside the Tommy gun in the armory of defunct themed cinematic weapons.
The whole pistol calibre “sub-machine gun” thing is so 80’s. Modern 5.56mm carbines using the correct ammunition are much more effective than Uzis/MP5s while being more or less the same length and weight. Very few serious people have any use for MP5s and their ilk anymore, let alone Uzis.
Hey now… those are great plinking guns. Lots of fun, cheap to shoot, and the M4 collapsable stock makes it great for the kids.
Valley girl #1 “The mac10 submachine gun was practically designed for housewives.”
Valley girl #2 “Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.” Night of the Comet
The Uzi? Behind the times, folks. About three decades before the Uzi was first released to the Israel Special Forces (1954), there was this formidable weapon.
The Bren weighs, what? 20 pounds? Jeez, my 7 year old could hardly hold that thing.
Probably drive a HSV Maloo, too.
Wait a minute… The Bren has an Enfield connection, don’t it? Yes, I understand now. I have to counter with either a .308 or .45 ACP. How about the Thompson? Timeless classic!
I don’t know exactly why or when , but I wonder if one could document the appearance of the Tomphson submachine gun, with optional violin case in movies ,and the passing to get a comparative reference.
Other than the rocketeer, I can’t remember the last time I seen one in a flick
If you ever need evidence that the WW2 generation makes the rest of us look like pussies, a Thompson SUB MACHINEGUN with magazine weighs almost the same as a 7.62mm FN FAL, ostensibly a “full power rifle”.
OTOH an M4 with all the doodads (scope, laser, flashlight, supressor) weighs about that much too, so we’ve come full circle.
), but the 9mm SMG that seemed to be in pretty much every action movie from the early '70s until Die Hard in 1988, when the Heckler & Koch MP5 suddenly became the “Movie SMG Of Choice”.
