A larger than life man in both physical size and personality, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a living embodiment of the American Dream. From his immigrant roots, he earned himself titles such as Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia in bodybuilding, a Golden Globe in acting, and was named Governor of California in politics. But, want to know what is even more American about Arnie than the American Dream?
That’s right, Schwarzenegger's guns. Throughout his Hollywood career, the Governator shot and swung nearly every type of weapon, from swords and knives to machine guns and bazookas. Name it, Schwarzenegger has blasted it.
Freeze Rifle, Batman & Robin (1997)
Starring as the ice-cold Dr. Victor Fries, infamously known as “Mr. Freeze,” Arnold wields this frosty firearm in Batman and Robin. Before his accident, Dr. Fries was a world-class scientist looking for a cure to save his sick wife. That is, until a fateful fall into a freezing crypto-chamber forced him to become the evil Mr. Freeze, a villain bent on freezing Gotham for ransom and later, revenge.
Joining alliances with Bane (Robert Swenson) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), these Three Amigos terrorize the city as the Dynamic Duo stay in hot pursuit, although Fries' Freeze Rifle certainly cools them down. The wintry weapon of mass destruction caused exactly that and served as a warning to Gothamites that “the Iceman Cometh.”
Heckler & Koch HK94A3, Raw Deal (1986)
One of the lesser-known Schwarzenegger films, and for good reason, Raw Deal bombed at the box office, despite having some impressive weapons. None of which were better than the climax’s Heckler and Koch HK94A3 semi-automatic carbine submachine spectacular.
Once the cat is out of the bag that mob member Brenner (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is really sheriff Mark Kaminski, he launches one final attack on the mob’s stronghold with the automatic weapon. The gun was even featured in the posters for the film, along with Schwarzenegger’s slicked-back '50s Crisco style hairdo.
Turbo Discs, Jingle All The Way (1996)
Schwarzenegger’s Christmas movie debut was just what the holiday season was lacking when Jingle All the Way gifted the big screen. Cringeworthy yet a guilty pleasure, Schwarzenegger stars as estranged father Howard Langston who is on a nail-biting chase to get the last Turbo Man, the year’s hottest toy, on Christmas Eve.
In the film’s climax, Howard gears up in the real Turbo Man costume, complete with working jetpack and weapons, including Turbo Discs. Using the Turbo Discs, Howard battles and defeats a rival father (Sinbad), chalking up a win for the character and an interesting new weapon for Schwarzenegger’s repertoire.
Buzzsaw’s Chainsaw, The Running Man (1987)
Internationally acclaimed, The Running Man was an instant favorite with its disturbing dystopian game show that viewers can’t help but watch with dreadful delight. In the ultimate game of life or death, Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, an unlucky citizen chosen as a contestant on the show to run and escape for his survival...or be brutally murdered trying.
In one particularly disturbing scene, Richards wrestles with Buzzsaw (Gus Rethwisch), one of the Stalkers who slaughters contestants with a chainsaw. Richards wins the fight and shreds Buzzsaw in half with his own weapon. A gruesome scene, but an incredible weapon for Arnie to add to his resume.
Armalite AR-18, The Terminator (1984)
The pinnacle of his film career, The Terminator series is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ultimate legacy. Playing a cyborg soldier from the future, he sets out to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who will give birth to the future leader of human rebellion against the machines.
A brutally awesome scene, the “I’ll be back” movie moment was textbook Arnold blasting his way on the big screen. Casually strolling through the police station searching for Connor, the T-800 obliterates everything and everyone in its path using an AR 18 and a mean old shotgun.
Exploding Longbow, Predator (1987)
Of all the military made weapons used to fight the Predator (Kevin Peter Hall), one of the most effective was the self-made exploding arrow built by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in his “cat and mouse” game of survival. Hiding amongst the trees, he launches the arrow at the stealthy Predator, which explodes on impact and destroys much of the monster’s armor.
Predator, though not very popular with viewers at first, gained popularity over the years and has solidified its place in the action/sci-fi/horror '80s film Hall of Fame. It was followed by three sequels over the years, none of which featured Schwarzenegger, and none of which were as successful as the first.
M-134A2 Vulcan, Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
The first two Terminator movies are both quintessential Schwarzenegger flicks stocked with guns, robots, explosions, and more guns. That said, based on the use of the M-134A2 Vulcan, aka the minigun, raining hellfire at the unforgiving hands of T-800, the sequel might just have the edge over its predecessor.
The T-800 was the perfect role for Schwarzenegger's robotic build, look, and tone; all of which made even more menacing when he is holding the minigun three stories above the police on the ground. As Obi-Wan Kenobi understood, the high ground has the advantage; naturally, with his height advantage, the Terminator did what he did best and terminated.
Atlantean Broadsword, Conan The Barbarian (1982)
The broadest of swords for the broadest of men, this heavyweight handle wielded by Arnie appeared in John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian. This early '80s live-action portrayal of the comic book legend tells the tale of Conan, a barbarian, on his quest across prehistoric terrain to avenge his parents and kill the evil wizard Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones).
A massive sword only Schwarzenegger could handle, the Atlantean Broadsword became a staple of the actor's reputation, as did Conan. From the sword to the loincloth, the whole image of Conan was designed for Arnie and he did not disappoint. In fact, he still owns the broadsword and kept it on display in his governor’s office. Quite the political décor.
H202 FLASH, Commando (1985)
Commando is an alpha of action movies. Chock full of bullets, bad guys, and biceps, Schwarzenegger put on the action hero performance of a lifetime, complete with camouflage and cheesy one-liners.
With countless machine guns, shotguns, rifles, and grenades, Schwarzenegger used it all in his explosive hunt to take down evil dictator Arius (Dan Hedaya) and rescue his daughter. The 4-barreled blaster caused nothing but destruction, and the shot of Schwarzenegger firing away on the bazooka is one of the most epic moments in action movie history.
Biceps
Despite having such an impressive list of weaponry, there is no weapon more intimidating than the pair of pythons Schwarzenegger calls his arms. At twenty years old, he was the youngest to win the Mr. Universe title and did it back to back from '68 to '69. Later on, Schwarzenegger was crowned Mr. Europe and even became a seven-time Mr. Olympia (bodybuilding.com), solidifying his place as the alpha dog of muscle men.
No firearm can compete with Schwarzenegger's arms, and those cannons set the bar for what will be one of the most extensive lists of weapons used by an actor. Although that list may keep growing, the bar will always remain the same.