Before it became a symbol of gang culture, 90s rap lyrics, and high-profile court cases, the Intratec TEC-9 made its big-screen debut in one of the most gloriously over-the-top cult films of the 1980s: Big Trouble in Little China.
That’s right — before 2Pac, before Vice City, and long before the headlines, this infamous pistol made its first cinematic splash as Jack Burton’s sidearm in the fight against Lo Pan’s supernatural henchmen.
Let’s dig into where the TEC-9 came from, how it ended up in Jack’s hands, and whether it deserves its wild reputation.
🔫 The TEC-9 – Born From Military Ambition, Raised by Hollywood
The TEC-9’s story begins in Sweden with a failed Cold War military design. Developed by George Kellgren and Carlos Garcia, the original KG-9 was banned by the ATF for being too easy to convert to full auto. The closed-bolt KG-99 followed, and when Garcia took full control and rebranded as Intratec, the gun we now know as the TEC-9 was born.
My personal example is from that early 1985–1987 window — same spec as the one used in Big Trouble in Little China. It’s actually fairly reliable with the right ammo (ball rounds only, thanks), but introduce flat-nose or hollowpoints and it turns into a jam factory.
Cheap stamped metal, brittle polymer, and a notoriously questionable build quality gave the TEC-9 a sketchy rep. But it was compact, menacing, and most importantly — very Hollywood.
🎬 The TEC-9 in Big Trouble in Little China
Jack Burton doesn’t start with a gun — he steals the TEC-9 off a Wing Kong guard while escaping Lo Pan’s dungeon. He fires two volleys:
- 8 shots during the first shootout
- 10 more as he covers the group’s escape
Later, during the big rescue, he still has the gun… briefly. He fires three shots into the ceiling, knocks himself out with falling debris, and loses the weapon in a scuffle with Thunder, who shatters it into pieces.
After that? Jack goes back to a boot knife and some heroic luck.
It’s a short but memorable performance for the TEC-9 — and it may be the only time in cinema history where a good guy carries one.
🧱 Janky But Legendary – A Brief Tech Review
The early TEC-9s like mine are:
- Chambered in 9mm
- Fed by 20-, 32-, or 36-round stick mags
- Blowback-operated with a closed bolt
- Made from basic materials with minimal finishing
Accuracy is questionable, reliability depends heavily on ammo, and parts are a pain to source. But when you pull it out at the range? Everyone wants to take a photo.
This gun isn’t about performance — it’s about vibes.
🎞 Where Else Has the TEC-9 Shown Up?
If you were a bad guy in the 80s or 90s, odds are this was your weapon of choice. The TEC-9 became Hollywood’s shorthand for criminal intent:
- Falling Down – “I’m the bad guy?”
- RoboCop series – henchmen favorite
- Bad Boys II
- Brigitte Nielsen in Beverly Hills Cop 2 (quickly ditches hers for a Desert Eagle)
- The A-Team, Miami Vice, and every B-movie warehouse shootout from 1986 to 1999
In most cases, the TEC-9 user lasted about 5 seconds before catching a hero’s bullet. Even Nielsen didn’t last long after switching.
🧠 Legacy of the TEC-9
After being banned in California in 1989, Intratec rebranded the pistol as the TEC-DC9 (“Designed for California”) and later as the AB-10 post-1994 Assault Weapons Ban. But bad press, legal trouble, and low build quality doomed the company. Intratec shut down in 2001.
Designer George Kellgren went on to form Kel-Tec, continuing the theme of cheap, weird, occasionally brilliant firearms with a cult following.
And as for the TEC-9? It’s still debated to this day — icon or menace? Collectible oddity or dangerous relic?
🧢 Final Thoughts
The TEC-9 may not be the best gun I’ve ever owned. Or the most reliable. Or the best made.
But damn if it isn’t one of the most memorable.
🎥 To see the full breakdown, live fire footage, and my behind-the-scenes testing of this piece of pop culture history — watch the full video here:
