[MT2008]

Part of the reason why the Beretta 92F became such a "character" in movies is because of its inherent qualities - namely, its distinctive shape and its 15-shot magazine. When the 92F started appearing in movies in the mid- to late-80s, "Wonder Nines" were a new trend on the handgun market (not exactly revolutionary, but it seemed that way), so that by itself is what helped make the Beretta into a character of its own. Problem is, there haven't really been any equally major trends in the handgun market since then, so there isn't necessarily any pistol that would have the same sort of appeal. Personally, I keep waiting for the FN Five-Seven to take that role, but so far it hasn't (Steve has explained to us that this is because the Five-Seven is difficult to convert to blank-fire). But nonetheless, the Five-Seven is the only pistol on the handgun market right now which represents a concept as novel for today as the 92F represented for the 1980s.

So that's the big part of the problem...there just aren't many pistols out there which seem as state-of-the art AND sexy as the Beretta 92F did 20 years ago. Remember when Riggs said, "9mm Beretta...15 in the clip, one up the pipe"? In 1987, most American cops were still carrying 6-shot revolvers, so that by itself made his gun sound extra special. If you had a character in a movie today, what could he say about his pistol that would make it seem unique and distinctive?

-".40-caliber Glock...15 in the clip, one up the pipe." Problem is, every cop in the U.S. today carries the same gun, with the same qualities.

-What about, ".45-caliber HK45, 10 in the clip, one up the pipe." Again, nothing sounds special about that.

You see my point? What would the main character say about the gun that would make it seem as cool (to laymen) as the Beretta sounded in 1987? Well, again..."FN Five-Seven...20 shots of 5.7x28mm, the new cartridge capable of penetrating vests." (and yes, I know this isn't exactly true, but we all know that's how Hollywood would portray it) Again, so far, the Five-Seven hasn't had many takers in Hollywood yet, though maybe some day this will change.

Also, contrary to what you said, 1911s are clearly not a declining presence in movies. If anything, they're actually experiencing something of a revival lately. Look at TV shows like "The Unit" which features the latest Kimber 1911 derivatives as the lead actors' sidearms. Not to mention that Keanu Reeves carried a custom 1911 in "Street Kings", and Angelina Jolie heavily used the Safari Arms Matchmaker in "Wanted". If anything, it seems to me that the new 1911s might be starting to fill the void that was left by the Beretta 92F, though there isn't really one specific make or model that's caught the attention of filmmakers.