Weapons
Weapons
Starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong
Directed by Zach Cregger
One night, at 2:17 am, seventeen children from Justine Gandy's (Julia Garner) classroom woke up, went downstairs, and ran into the night with their arms outstretched, and disappeared. Justine's principal, Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong), wants Justine to take some time off, as the town is in an uproar, especially concerned parent Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) who thinks Justine knows more than she's letting on. The police don't seem to be investigating much, as one of their officers Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich) is more concerned about hiding his affair with Justine from his wife and tracking down local homeless drug addict James (Austin Abrams). Justine is determined to find out what happened to the missing children, and her search threatens her life.
Zach Cregger is a comedian and filmmaker, who was best known for co-creating the comedy troupe "The Whitest Kids U' Know," and branched out into filmmaking with 2022's "Barbarian." That film was an excellent blend of mystery, horror, and comedy, and made Cregger one of the most sought-after horror directors of this generation. Anticipation for his follow-up, "Weapons," was - as I said earlier - monumentally intense, and again it seemed impossible he would be able to make lightning strike twice. Yet not only did it, but he managed to craft something even more amazing than "Barbarian" in the process - a mystery mixed with horror, suspense, and bonkers comedy.
Cregger is an expert at subverting expectations in his storytelling narrative, as "Barbarian" expertly proved this by launching a unique advertising campaign that seemed to give away more than what the movie actually told, leaving audiences in shock only twenty minutes in. "Weapons" follows that trend by splitting the movie into a non-linear mode of storytelling where he focuses on different characters at different times, and see events through their eyes that sometimes contradict one another. It's something akin to "Pulp Fiction," and it's an intriguing premise that doesn't happen often.
The main focus of the movie is with Julia Garner's Justine, a woman who doesn't take crap from the townspeople who label her a "witch" for the fact that the children that disappeared were from her classroom. They think she knows something, but she herself sets out to find the truth, and is oftentimes more reckless than she should be. Garner is electric in this performance, and alongside her earlier work as the Silver Surfer in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" solidifies herself as a powerhouse on the big screen (as she's already dominated the small, earning an Emmy for her work in "Ozark," but also in 2020 she starred in the under-appreciated film "The Assistant").
Then the story shifts to Josh Brolin's Archer, a hard-nosed father who's son is one of the ones who went missing, and who holds Justine solely responsible. He sets out on his own as well to find the truth - since the police don't seem very interested - and it adds a deeper sense of melancholy to the movie (and also a bit of humor, especially after he had a nightmare about his son and what he said after he woke up broke the tension tremendously).
Alden Ehrenreich and Austin Abrams star as Paul and James, a cop and a homeless drug addict who hold their own importance to the story, as well as Benedict Wong's Principal Marcus Miller. This film is an ensemble piece rather than led by one particular actor, and each one offers unique aspects and ideas into the movie.
The movie is about a witch hunt, as the townspeople target Justine unfairly for what happened, which parallels real life in deeply troubling ways. All too often we look to someone for the pain that we're going through in order to blame someone (most of the time unjustly), and that's what's happening with Justine. The town hates her, distrusts her, and sends her death threats and messages (and writes the word "witch" in red paint on her car). In a way, "Weapons" is like a school shooting without the shooting - kids disappear, the parents are in an uproar with anger and sadness, and there's no easy answers. It's haunting in its storytelling, touching on real-life fears with a seemingly supernatural-led mystery behind it with stunning visuals (the scenes of the kids running into the night with their arms at their sides is one that I won't soon forget).
Yet this movie isn't above criticism, and many have issues with the ending, which I will obviously not spoil here. Suffice it to say, some movies don't have a simple beginning-middle-end where at the end everyone lives happily ever after, and every question you have is adequately answered. This is one such film in that regard, where you'll have questions at the end that won't be easily answered, but where the discussions will make the movie all the more compelling and require a second watch.
Proving himself yet again to be a capable director that blends horror with comedy in the most unique and surprising ways, Zach Cregger's "Weapons" is a stunning mystery that incorporates all the elements needed for a compelling, suspenseful tale.
The Score: A+
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