Guns. Lots of Guns: The Coolest Firearms in The Matrix | Gunprime
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“Guns. Lots of Guns.” The Coolest Firearms in The Matrix
I’m rewatching The Matrix because, somehow, my wife had never seen it.
I remembered the slow-motion bullets. I remembered the black trench coats. I remembered the red pill, the blue pill, and Keanu Reeves bending backward on a rooftop.
What I had forgotten was just how much of the movie revolves around artificial intelligence. The machines become intelligent. Humans and machines go to war. The machines win. Humanity winds up plugged into a giant simulation while machines use people as an energy source.
You know—lighthearted family-movie stuff.
Watching it again nearly 30 years later, at a time when we’re all walking around with AI in our pockets, feels a little different. But something else kept jumping out at me:
The original Matrix came out in 1999, and it is basically a time capsule of some of the coolest firearms of the era: Berettas, HKs, Desert Eagles, and old-school M16-style rifles. Apparently, the Matrix had a pretty good procurement department.
Here are a few of my favorites.
1. HK MP5K—and the Modern HK SP5
This one has to be first.
Before Neo and Trinity rescue Morpheus, they enter the famous white virtual armory.
Then rows and rows of guns slide into view. It may be one of the greatest firearm scenes ever put on film.
During the lobby sequence, Neo pulls out a pair of HK MP5Ks and launches into what is probably the movie’s most famous action scene. The on-screen firearms included an HK marked SP89, the semiautomatic version of the MP5K platform.
Today, the closest readily recognizable member of that family is the HK SP5. If you grew up watching movies in the 1980s and ’90s, there aren’t many firearm silhouettes more recognizable than an MP5.
- Roller-delayed action
- The distinctive HK charging handle
- That unmistakable profile
- And, of course, the HK slap
Want the closest modern thing to Neo’s HK?
Shop the HK SP5 at Gunprime2. Beretta 92FS—Neo’s Sidearm
If the MP5 is the star of the lobby scene, the Beretta 92FS might be the handgun of The Matrix.
Neo carries multiple Beretta 92FS pistols during the mission to rescue Morpheus, including dual-wielding them during the lobby and rooftop sequences.
Honestly, it’s hard to think of a handgun that better represents action movies from that period: Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and The Matrix.
The 92 has the large exposed barrel, sweeping trigger guard, frame-mounted controls, and all-metal construction that make it instantly recognizable on screen. It also has one huge advantage over most movie guns: you can still buy essentially the same gun today.
The Beretta 92 family has certainly evolved, but pick up a modern 92 and you can immediately see the DNA of the pistol Neo carried in 1999.
If watching Neo dual-wield Berettas makes you want one—and let’s be honest, it probably will—
See Beretta 92 Pistols at Gunprime3. Desert Eagle .50 AE—The Agents’ Gun
Then there are the Agents.
Black suits. Black sunglasses. Zero personality. And enormous Desert Eagles.
Agent Smith and the other Agents carry Desert Eagle Mark XIX pistols chambered in .50 AE throughout the movie. This may be one of the best firearm casting decisions in movie history.
A normal handgun wouldn’t have worked. The Agents aren’t supposed to look normal. They’re computer programs walking around inside a simulated world, so everything about them needs to feel slightly excessive and intimidating.
Enter the Desert Eagle. It is enormous. It is unmistakable. And when Agent Smith points one at somebody, you don’t need the movie to explain that he’s the bad guy.
Is a .50 AE Desert Eagle the most practical handgun ever designed? That’s not really the point. It’s a Desert Eagle.
Want to complete your Agent Smith starter kit? Sunglasses not included.
Shop Desert Eagle Pistols at Gunprime4. The Old-School Colt SP1/M16-Style Rifle
This one is easier to miss.
During the giant lobby shootout, many of the soldiers carry early M16/SP1-style rifles, complete with slab-side receivers and old-school furniture. Neo eventually grabs one himself during the fight.
Today, everybody is used to seeing ARs covered in optics, lights, lasers, rails, and accessories. These rifles are the opposite:
- Carry handle
- Skinny handguard
- 20-round magazine
- Fixed front sight
Simple—and they look fantastic. There’s something about the original Colt SP1/M16 profile that still looks right more than 50 years later.
For collectors, an original Colt SP1 is also a completely different animal from a modern reproduction. It’s a piece of American firearm history from the early commercial AR era.
Forget the simulation—this one’s the real thing.
See the Colt SP1 at Gunprime5. Honorable Mention: HK P7 “Squeeze Cocker”
Okay, I’m cheating on this one.
The HK P7 isn’t one of the primary guns in the original Matrix. But if we’re talking about unusual HKs and iconic movie guns from roughly the same era, I’m putting it on the list anyway.
Because the P7 is just cool.
Most pistols have a grip. The P7 gives you homework.
The famous squeeze-cocking mechanism on the frontstrap must be depressed as part of firing the pistol, giving the P7 one of the most unusual operating systems ever used in a successful production handgun.
It’s compact, all metal, ridiculously distinctive, and very German.
The P7 has also become a genuine collector gun because production ended years ago and good examples aren’t getting any easier to find.
Here’s one you don’t see every day.
Check Out the HK P7 at GunprimeOne More Gun We Have to Mention
There’s another Beretta worth noticing.
Trinity uses the smaller Beretta 84FS Cheetah rather than the full-sized 92FS. The movie’s firearm reference material notes that the smaller pistol was chosen to better fit Carrie-Anne Moss’s hands.
Like Trinity’s Beretta but want something smaller than a 92?
Shop Beretta Cheetah Pistols at Gunprime“Guns. Lots of Guns.”
Twenty-seven years later, The Matrix holds up surprisingly well. The special effects were groundbreaking. The story is somehow more interesting in the age of AI than it was in 1999. And the firearms are basically a greatest-hits collection from one of the best eras of action movies.
My personal ranking:
- HK MP5K/SP5 family
- Beretta 92FS
- Desert Eagle .50 AE
- Colt SP1/M16
- HK P7 as my completely unauthorized bonus pick
And I’d forgotten just how many more guns are hiding in this movie: Glocks, Micro Uzis, Skorpions, a SPAS-12, Browning Hi-Power, HK USPs, and an M134 Minigun.
Apparently, when Neo asked for “lots of guns,” the Matrix took him literally.
Because once you start rewatching old action movies and looking at the guns, it’s hard to stop seeing them.
—Guy from Gunprime
Firearm identifications referenced against Internet Movie Firearms Database: The Matrix.
