Lord of the Flies (1990)

Lord of the Flies Country USA Directed by Harry Hook Release Date 1990 Studio Castle Rock Entertainment Distributor MGM Main Cast Character Actor Ralph Balthazar Getty Jack Chris Furrh Piggy Danuel Pipoly Simon James Badge Dale

Lord of the Flies is the 1990 film adaptation of the famous 1954 novel by William Golding, about a group of schoolboys who become stranded on an island after a plane crash and quickly descend into savagery. It updates the setting of the novel from the 1950s to the late Cold War era (late-1980s/early-1990s), and alters the nationality of the boys from British to American.

The following weapons were used in the film Lord of the Flies (1990):

WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!

Assault Rifles

M16A1

The platoon of U.S. Marines seen at the end of the film carry M16A1 assault rifles fitted with 20-round magazines. This weapon is a dated choice for the time period in which the film is set; by 1990, a unit of forward-deployed Marine infantry would more likely be using the M16A2.

M16A1 fitted with 20-round magazine - 5.56x45mm

A publicity photograph from the film of the U.S. Marine platoon landing on the beach of the island, while a Marine UH-1E helicopter (actually a civilian Bell 204 with a USMC paint job) lands nearby. The Marines carry M16A1 rifles with 20-round magazines, rather than M16A2s with 30-round magazines, which would be a more accurate weapon for front-line Marines in the early-1990s.

Highlight for Spoiler: At the end of the film, when the boys are finally rescued by a platoon of U.S. Marines deployed to the island in response to the smoke from their fire, the pilot of the helicopter speaks to a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, while the other Marines stand nearby with their M16A1 rifles in hand.