The recent passing of James Caan has us feeling nostalgic. His portrayal of Sonny Corleone in the first Godfather film is nothing short of iconic. We wanted to raise a toast to Caan and the Godfather trilogy and talk about some of the beautiful details that make these movies the legends that they are.

The Godfather trilogy is a 10 hour love letter to old school cool, and a reminder that “you can do anything but never go against the family.”

Movies about mafia wars means you’re going to see a lot of guns. We looked at some of our favorite moments from the films and the guns that were used to make cinema history.

Beretta

Don Vito Corleone, famously played by Marlon Brando, was born in Sicily, so obviously we’re going to see some Italian firearms. And who better would better represent the nation of Italy than Beretta?

Beretta is the oldest operating firearm manufacturer in the world. Founded in 1526, this company is still operated by the Beretta family in Gardone Val Trompia, Italy.

The first time we see Beretta is in the first movie. A pair of assassins shoot Vito from a car, and one of them is carrying an M1934. This was the handgun of the Italian army during WWII, which makes sense for the film as it takes place between 1945 and 1955.

Andy Garcia’s character in The Godfather Part III, Vincent Mancini, seems to favor his Berettas. He gets attacked by two assassins, one of whom even carries a Beretta 92SB-C. He retaliates with a Beretta Cheetah (which changes to a Walther PP in a closeup shot, but even Francis Ford Coppola makes mistakes sometimes). Mancini also carries a Model 70 in the famous shootout on the opera steps.

Smith and Wesson

The Corleones’ dream is as American as Smith and Wesson itself. And the three Corleone brothers all carry a Model 36 during the first movie. Fredo famously fumbles his when Vito is shot, Sonny draws his for protection when he receives the news, and Michael retrieves it from a toilet tank in the restaurant where he avenges his father’s assasination attempt.

And the ever quoted “leave the gun, take the cannoli’ scene — that was a Model 36 as well.

The Model 36 was introduced in 1950 and was designed to fire a .38 special. Its short, snub nosed barrel and five round capacity made it a popular handgun for many police agencies, including the NYPD.

All three of the movies also featured other S&W handguns used by police. Well, mostly mobsters pretending to be police. The first movie showed Al Neri using a Victory Model while in his old police uniform. Vincent Mancini switched from Beretta and carried a Model 10HB when he dresses as a mounted police officer to kill Joey Zasa in Part III.

S&W made Victory Models for a few short years during WWII. They added the ‘V’ for ‘victory’ at the beginning of the serial numbers on Model 10s. Also firing .38 specials, the Victory Model was carried by US troops during the war.

Thompson Submachine Guns

How can we even talk about mafia movies without talking about Tommy guns. Despite being a hefty ten pounds, Thompson submachine guns were well-liked by the US soldiers that used them in WWI. It was also used by the army and marines during WWII. While not the first submachine gun manufactured, it certainly is the most popular in pop culture.

In The Godfather, we see Tommy guns in the infamous assisination of Sonny Corleone in the first movie. These are M1924s.

The Thompson M1A1 is also used at the beginning of the second movie by Michael’s bodyguards when the family is attacked in Lake Tahoe. The perps themselves were using Madsen M50s, another classic submachine gun.

Colt

Another gun manufacturer that pops up several times throughout the trilogy is Colt, specifically the Detective Special. It’s the second gun used in Vito’s assassination attempt. We see it a few times in The Godfather Part II, and again in Part III when Rocco Lampone takes down Hyman Roth at the Miami airport.

Colt started and stopped production a few times since they started making the DS in 1927. It’s called the Detective Special because its intent was to be for plain-clothed officers. The short barrel makes it easy to conceal. In fact, it’s the snub nosed version of Colt’s Police Positive Special.

Other Notable Godfather Guns

If the above list seems a bit short considering all of the revenge enacted over the Godfather Trilogy, that’s because it is. The Dons, caporegimes, and soldatos definitely had their favorites. However, we should take some time to talk about some other guns of the Godfather trilogy.

Mafiosos in the films did tend towards shotguns from time to time. More specifically, they really like double barrelled shotguns from a few different manufacturers. Michael’s bodyguards in Sicily carried them, Don Ciccio’s bodyguards carried them, and Clemenza used one at the end of the first film.

Some of the other weapons that make their mark on the trilogy include the IMI Uzi, the MAC 10, the Merwin and Hulbert break-top revolver, and the Walther PP.

The Godfather films showcased some really beautiful firearms. All of the weapons used, including the poisoned cannoli in Part III, made the films something special. It might be time to clear an evening, grab some gabagool, and spend some time with the Corleones.