Weapon of choice

It’s a cult object, a worldwide bestseller – and an Austrian invention: the Glock. Yet few know that this semi-automatic pistol from a small village in Austria is one of the country’s biggest exports. In their impressive and meticulously researched documentary, Fritz Ofner and Eva Hausberger explore the myth and history of the Glock: “an Austrian story of turning a blind eye” (Diagonale).

Whether cop, gangster, or rebel, whether in the American ghetto or in Iraq: the word “Glock” is synonymous with firearm worldwide. Hollywood stars use the iconic weapon in blockbuster movies, and hip-hop artists like Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, and Li’l Vicious extol its deadly infallibility in their lyrics—all contributing to the myth. But how do you tell the story of a hype without glorifying it?

The investigation leads Fritz Ofner and Eva Hausberger from the small factory in Deutsch-Wagram, where production takes place under the strictest secrecy, across the USA and into the war zones of Iraq. The Austrian Gaston Glock invented the pistol in the late 1980s; with this easy-to-use plastic model, he brought about a revolution in firearms technology that transformed the small family business into a global player.

The billionaire namesake himself declined to comment on the film. Nevertheless, Fritz Ofner and Eva Hausberger succeed in getting close to the legendary pistol and its inventor: Among those interviewed are an American firearms trainer who sees the Glock as an extension of her body, a former soldier who was part of the special forces unit that captured Saddam Hussein and seized the Iraqi dictator’s Glock, and “Panama Charlie,” also known as Charles Ewert, former trustee of the Glock company, who is imprisoned in Luxembourg for the attempted assassination of Gaston Glock. The result is a multifaceted and gripping exploration of the fascination with the Glock myth and its global socio-political consequences, intended to stimulate discussion.