363. Weapon Of Choice; movie review

WEAPON OF CHOICE
Cert TBA
90 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

Who would argue with an 82-year-old woman wanting to feel safe after the death of her husband and her guard dog.
The fact that she does so because she has a Glock pistol at her bedside or in her handbag left Mrs W and me looking at each other with incredulity.
Fritz Ofner and Eva Hausberger's documentary shows that American gang leaders also have a deep affinity for the Austrian-made gun.
None of those interviewed during Weapon Of Choice seem to grasp the irony that the predominantly white National Rifle Association and the black gangs' common partiality for Glocks has the same result - death of the innocents.
The Glock clearly has fans who eulogise about its reliability and durability and the company has gone from having ten employees to more than 1,000 in the past 35 years.
Weapon Of Choice looks briefly at its history and how it has made its mark with law enforcement agencies and then with the wider public.

America's gun culture has been essential to its increased profits and, therefore, much of the film focuses on the United States.
However, it shifts to Europe when questions are asked about inventor Gaston Glock and his relationship with those who have worked for him.
Intriguingly, two of his chiefs have ended up in jail in rather strange circumstances.
They both contribute to the film but it is certainly not clear how reliable their views are, nor do the makers seek to offer judgment.
In fact, Weapon Of Choice leaves opinion-forming to is audience throughout the movie.
It adds several new dimensions to my knowledge about Glock and its popularity but I felt that the documentary tried to cover too many bases.
Thus, if it had looked at the influence of Glock on gun culture it would have worked admirably and the same would have applied if it had struck with its investigation into its secretive inventor.
However, its effectiveness was diluted by trying to uncover both.

Reason to watch: fascinating background to Glock
Reasons to avoid: Tries to cover too many bases

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Director quote - Fritz Ofner: "I remember hearing about the eerie success story of the Glock pistol for the first time. I heard that a powerful weapons tycoon was said to be living in a villa on Lake Wörthersee, making weapons in Austria that are shot around the world."

The big question - How are arms dealers allowed to become so powerful?

Share this post