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Virus
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Virus is a 1999 American sci-fi horror film directed by John Bruno, famed for his visual effects work for many of James Cameron's films, and based on the comic series of the same name. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, and Donald Sutherland.
The story follows a group of salvage workers whose tugboat Sea Star is caught in a powerful storm in the South Pacific Ocean, losing their uninsured cargo. When they encounter a mysterious derelict Russian vessel, the Akademik Vladislav Volkov, their Captain (Sutherland) jumps at the chance to claim salvage rights, but after they restore the ship's power it quickly transpires that the vessel is not as abandoned as it first appeared.
In actuality, the Akademik Vladislav Volkov, named after the fashion of the Soviet space control monitoring ship Akademik Sergey Korolev, was portrayed by the decommissioned USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (T-AGM-10), a WWII-era General G. O. Squier-class transport ship built in 1943 as USS General Harry Taylor and transferred to the Air Force to be refitted as a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship in 1964 to collect ballistic missile test data. She had been mothballed after her retirement in 1983 and stricken from the naval register in 1993, and was in a severe state of disrepair at the time of filming with corrosion all over the hull. The comment by Richie (Sherman Augustus) about the state of the ship's antenna is the actor's real, unscripted reaction to the condition of the Vandenberg. The film crew only repainted one side of the ship to save money, with all exterior shots filmed on that side. The Cyrillic lettering added to the vessel was still present when she was sunk as an artificial reef in 2009.
The following weapons were used in the film Virus:
Handguns
Webley Mk VI Revolver
Captain Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland) carries a Webley Mk VI throughout the film.
Colt Model 1903
Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis) carries a Colt Model 1903.
Stechkin APS
A Stechkin APS was used as the main weapon of Volkov Captain Alexi (Levan Uchaneishvili) (who was turned into a cyborg by the energy alien). The pistol would later fall into the hands of Richie (Sherman Augustus) after he finished off the cyborg.
Colt M1911A1
An M1911A1 is seen in the hands of Sea Star crew member Woods while boarding the Volkov.
Submachine Guns
Yugoslav Model 61 Skorpion
Nadia (Joanna Pacula) uses a Yugoslav Model 61 Skorpion throughout the film.
Shotguns
Winchester Model 1897 "Trench Gun"
A Winchester Model 1897 "Trench Gun" is seen in the hands of Sea Star crew members Steve Baker (William Baldwin), Richie (Sherman Augustus), and Captain Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland) when they board the derelict Russian ship Volkov.
Rifles
AKM
The AKM is used by the main characters in the film, notably in the hands of Steve Baker (William Baldwin), Hiko (Cliff Curtis), and Richie (Sherman Augustus). AKM rifles were also seen in large quantities in the Volkov's small arms locker.
AKMS
An AKMS is used by the main characters in the film. It is also seen in the Volkov's small arms locker.
Norinco Type 56
In the Volkov's small arms locker, a number of Norinco Type 56 rifles (both the folding bayonet variant and the variants without the folding bayonet) can be seen on the gun racks next to the AKM rifles - which is odd to see because the Volkov is a Russian naval vessel and the Norinco Type 56 is a Chinese rifle. It is quite possible that the Type 56 rifles were used as a "stand-in" for the Russian AKM ==.
Fake East German MPi-AKM-K
A mocked-up East German MPi-AKM-K is seen carried by Woods (Marshall Bell). It is built from a short barreled Norinco Type 56 AK with an East German side folding buttstock.
Other
Fake BG-15 Grenade Launcher
The BG-15 grenade launcher, an experimental version of the more common GP-25, is a front loading 40mm launcher introduced during the Soviet–Afghan War. It is identifiable by a thumbhole in the short pistol grip. It was later supplanted by the improved GP-25 and GP-30 launchers. The one in the film has a thumbhole in the pistol grip, however, it is depicted as a breech-loading launcher which would mean it is not an authentic Russian BG-15.
Chinese Type 69 RPG Launcher
The Type 69, a Chinese Version of the RPG-7, is seen in the weapons locker and two of them are carried by J.W. Woods Jr. (Marshall Bell) at the same time.
Heckler & Koch P2A1 flare pistol
A Heckler & Koch P2A1 flare pistol is used by Nadia (Joanna Pacula) to try to kill the Goliath (by igniting leaking flammable gases) when she is captured.
