There was something really menacing about Denzel Washington wielding two Smith and Wesson 1911s in
Training Day. It made me want to get one.
The gold-plated 1911s Nicholas Cage had in
Face Off were cool too, but I wasn't going to rush out and buy some.
On a side note, I saw some talk about
Dawn of the Dead 2004. I think it should be noted during the director's comments (on the DVD) they said they made a commitment to use regular guns found in American society- Glocks, shotguns, 1911s, hunting rifles, etc.
This is impressive because generally a Hollywood director or producer has access to a dazzling assortment of "cool" gun props to choose from. It is common for directors (who may lack firearms knowledge) to pick out "cool looking guns" that are less common (or may not fit the character/scenario)- such as Desert Eagles, tricked-out MP5s, .44 magnums, etc.
I was pleased to see the characters in Dawn 04 weren't running around with chrome-plated Desert Eagles.