American Dragons (also known as Double Edge) is a low-budget 1998 crime thriller starring Michael Biehn as Tony Luca, an NYPD detective who partners with a South Korean detective (Joong-Hoon Park) to solve a series of murders which threaten to bring the city's Italian Mafia and Japanese Yakuza to war with each other. Despite taking place in New York City, the movie was actually filmed primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia. The film also stars Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Don Stark (prior to his casting on That 70s Show), as well as multiple Canadian character actors (such as Byron Mann and Roger R. Cross) in supporting roles.
The following weapons were used in the film American Dragons:
Detective Tony Luca (Michael Biehn) carries a Smith & Wesson Sigma SW9F as his sidearm throughout the movie, even though the NYPD neither issues nor authorizes this pistol in real life. Rocco (Don Stark) briefly handles Luca's Sigma and tries to shoot a cop with it during their first meeting.
Due to a continuity error, Luca's Smith & Wesson Sigma SW9F magically transforms into a Smith & Wesson 5904 when he knocks the gun out of Rocco's hand to prevent him from shooting a police officer.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingLate Model Smith & Wesson 5904 - 9mm. The early model 5904 pistols had the finger step trigger guard, but S&W changed it to the rounded trigger guard for 'ease of production'.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLuca prepares to knock his service pistol - which has transformed from a S&W Sigma SW9F to a S&W 5904 - out of Rocco's hand when Rocco tries to shoot a cop who has walked in on their meeting.
Beretta 92FS
Many of the Italian Mafiosos, including Rocco (Don Stark), carry the Beretta 92FS as their sidearms, which is fitting for them since the Beretta is an Italian-made weapon. In the opening scene, two mafia thugs carry 92FS pistols fitted with suppressors, one of which is briefly used by Detective Luca to wound a thug.
During the shooting at the bowling alley, Rocco (Don Stark) carries an IMI Desert Eagle Mark I in .357 Magnum as one of his weapons, which is used akimbo with an SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper. When he loads the gun, there is a very nice close-up of the slide in which it is possible to read ".357 Magnum" (the caliber can also be discerned from looking closely at the bore aperture).
At the Italian mafia hideout, the Don Pazzo (James Crescenzo) can be seen holding a stainless pistol which seems to be a Taurus PT92, though this is mostly a guess because the pistol is only seen from a distance, with his hand partially over it. It does seem to have a Beretta/Taurus-style barrel.
Detective Kim (Joong-Hoon Park) can be seen using a stainless pistol which appears to be a Walther PPK/S when he and Luca capture Matsuyama, but it is hard to tell because the weapon is never seen clearly.
A Smith & Wesson Model 686 is used by one of the Italians during the bowling alley shooting. Later on, this same gun is used by Detective Luca when he and Kim visit the temple where Rocco and the assassin have been hiding out (it seems rather odd that he trades his S&W Sigma SW9F for this weapon).
During the film's climax, Detective Luca draws another compact revolver from an ankle holster, which he seems to carry as a backup piece. It appears to be a Ruger Speed Six, though this is not certain.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSWD/Cobray Street Sweeper with short barrel and top folding stock - 12 gauge. Visible is the Cobray logo on the side, no visible drum advance lever like on the Striker and the recognizable 'key' in the front of the drum for winding up the rotary cylinder.Error creating thumbnail: File missingRocco's SWD/Cobray Street Sweeper shotgun is hidden in a spare tire in the trunk of his car, along with his Desert Eagle and another unidentified pistol.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn extreme close-up of the Street Sweeper's receiver, showing the Cobray logo near the pistol grip.Error creating thumbnail: File missingRocco aims with his Street Sweeper at a mobster in the bowling alley.Error creating thumbnail: File missingRocco firing his Street Sweeper and Desert Eagle akimbo.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnother view of Rocco advancing with his Street Sweeper.
Unknown double-barrel shotgun
A double-barrel shotgun of unknown make and model is pulled by a cashier at the bowling alley when Rocco carries out a hit.
The other of the two drive-by shooters uses a pair of Micro Uzi machine pistols. Another Micro Uzi is visible in the Italian Mafia's club when they're arming up to take on the Yakuzas.
When Luca and Kim capture Matsuyama (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) at a meeting in which his men are all fully armed, one of the Yakuza thugs is armed with a Ruger MP9.
A two-tone Kimel AP-9 (with a stainless upper receiver/barrel shroud) can be seen in the hands of one of the Yakuza gunmen during the scene in which Matsuyama gets captured.
One of the Yakuzas in the opening scene carries a suppressed MAC-10 machine pistol that he uses to shoot at the sword-wielding assassin rather unsuccessfully. Another MAC-10 (without a suppressor) is carried by a Yakuza in the scene where Matsuyama is captured.
When Luca and Kim go to the Italian mafia's hideout and find them arming up to go to war with the Yakuzas, a LaFrance Specialties M16K can be seen on a pool table, with a number of 30-round magazines nearby.
