Intensity: 🩸🩸🩸1/2 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Written and Directed by Zach Cregger
Weapons has arrived in theaters, and it is one of the most original horror mysteries in memory. Give Zach Cregger the keys to the horror castle. He has elevated himself to the top of the ranks of horror storytellers. With Weapons, he has delivered an engrossing and wicked puzzle that comes together with shocking revelations, dark humor, and brutal viscera. The movie is a masterclass in character building, non-linear editing, and bravura acting from the entire cast.
First and foremost, Weapons hooks you in through the mysterious plot. It is more than a red herring or a MacGuffin. The entire story hangs from the framework that is the central question of the movie. What happened to these kids? For those who have not been informed of the central theme, the movie’s official logline says it all:
Last Night at 2:17 AM every child from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked out into the dark… and they never came back.”
This logline also serves as the preamble to the movie, narrated by one of the missing children’s classmates. We watch as the children wake up and sprint, arms spread wide like wings, disappearing into the night accompanied by the classic George Harrison track, “Beware of Darkness.” (nice!) Doorbell cameras capture some of the children fleeing into the night. This proclamation is off slightly, though. There is one boy who came to Mrs. Gandy’s classroom. Alex.
The movie divides the first two acts into four parts, each following six different characters and their relationship to this conundrum. Why these kids? Why Gandy’s class specifically? And, most importantly for the parents of these kids: where are they now? Are they still alive? The possibilities are wide open, and the audience is guessing along with the parents. UFO? Cult abduction? Supernatural forces? Grooming and hypnosis? Kids organizing some strange game?
Who knows?
The Cast of Weapons:
- Julia Garner plays Justine Gandy, the teacher left to defend herself for why the kids from her classroom vanished. She is in shock from the events, and isolates herself with alcohol. However, she steadfastly defends her innocence and isn’t afraid to bend a few rules to uncover the truth. (SEGMENT 1)
- Josh Brolin plays Archer, a general contractor and father to Matthew, one of the missing children. He is furious with the lack of progress in finding the children and is highly suspicious of Justine’s alibis. Archer is determined to get to the bottom of this situation. (SEGMENT 2)
- Alden Ehrenreich plays Paul, a McCarren County beat cop and the son-in-law of Captain Ed. He has an ongoing extramarital affair with Justine and is an alcoholic. He is constantly trying to prove his worth to the sheriff, but his vices make it awkward. (SEGMENT 3)
- Austin Abrams plays James, a heroin junkie camping in the woods in town. He is desperate for money and is determined to get the reward money for finding the missing kids. (SEGMENT 4)
- Cary Christopher plays Alex, the lone student who showed up to class that fateful day. He is quiet, and claims he knows nothing about what happened to his peers. He has suffered from bullying at school, but his parents are very supportive. (SEGMENT 5)
- Benedict Wong plays Marcus, the school principal. He is a staunch defender of Justine, but her defiance of his orders to avoid meddling in the case greatly frustrates him. (SEGMENT 6)
- Amy Madigan plays Gladys, Alex’s strange aunt who has come to live with his family and is suffering from the ravages of old age.
- Whitmer Thomas plays Alex’s affectionate dad.
- Callie Schuttera plays Alex’s Mom, who is trying her best to prepare for the arrival of Gladys, whom she hasn’t seen in fifteen years.
- Justin Long and Sara Paxton play Gary and Erica, whose daughter is also among the missing.
- Toby Huss plays Captain Ed, the beleaguered police captain, who has struggled to get any leads on the missing children case.
A Short Synopsis of Weapons
After watching the children running in the night in the preamble, the story kicks off in earnest at a town gathering a month after the incident. It is an arena of outrage, and Justine Garner is fed to the wolves. Archer calls Justine out as the biggest suspect, and the growing sentiment creates a mob mentality. Marcus instructs Justine to lie low at home, but Justine wants to return to teaching. No. She can’t come back anytime soon. She clearly isn’t reading the room right, and even the students eye her suspiciously.
Segment 1: Justine refuses to sit still. Paul warns her of narcissistic tendencies that put her frustrations ahead of the real issue of missing kids. She strikes out alone
The story of Weapons:
To say too much about the plot of Weapons would be to spoil the mystery. However, it is safe to say that the non-linear storytelling overlaps quite a bit, but with different perspectives, and each subsequent segment reveals another piece of the mystery puzzle. What we gain from this is a fully formed foundation for the story, as the change in key characters fills in story gaps. When the central mystery is resolved at the end of the second arc (and the sixth segment), the third act craziness feels completely earned.
We learn that the characters are full of flaws, and yet we come to root for them all. Each of them has a different rationale for solving the mystery, and they are all heading to the same fate.
- Justine is trying to save her reputation, and she has taken the disappearance of her class very personally. She is willing to defy orders and is a rule breaker so long as it uncovers the truth.
- Archer realizes he wasn’t as good a father as he should have been. He still believes Justine had something to do with the missing kids and is tracking her movement. He maps out the evidence, trying to triangulate the children’s location.
- Paul is just trying to do his job. Unfortunately, his wife caught him cheating. His boss is his wife’s dad. And now he’s had an unfortunate incident with the homeless junkie, James. If he finds the kids, maybe he will salvage his career.
- James is a hot mess. He’s homeless, broke, and out of heroin. His burglary spree has given him a lead as to where the kids might be, and that $50,000 reward money will come in handy. Unfortunately, his encounter with Paul is messing up his plans… or is it?
- Alex is the sole survivor. His parents have been preparing to bring crazy Aunt Gladys to the house to take care of her in her final months, as she is dying of age-related afflictions. The introduction of Aunt Gladys goes sideways in a hurry and puts Alex in huge jeopardy.
- Marcus is just trying to hold things together. Justine is being openly defiant. The parent groups are furious and breathing down his neck. And now, he has become obligated to follow up on concerns about Alex’s domestic situation.
This is a rich and textured back story. All of the characters get developed. Through these segments, feelings of lurking dread prevail, and the movie holds its mystery very cleverly. Archer’s triangulation of the events plays out cinematically as all the side plots coalesce at the dramatic final gory showdown. The third act kicks in the horror booster jets, and we are treated with one of the wildest and most unexpected conclusions imaginable.
Evaluation of Weapons
What a fun thrill ride! Weapons provide the focus and detail required for a great mystery, and the thrills and shock of a top-shelf horror movie. Layered into that concoction is a sly sense of dark humor. The humor comes from Cregger’s comedic experience as an actor in The Whitest Kids U’Know and Wrecked. It also helps that Jordan Peele has mentored him. Peele and Cregger share the same talent agency, and they brainstormed the plot of Weapons together, according to Variety. Peele wanted to produce this film, but Universal lost out in a dramatic $38 million auction over the script to New Line, per Deadline.
In a genre that often gets accused of succumbing to sequels, reboots, and other rehashed content, Cregger, like Peele, seems to have the touch of a new idea factory. Barbarian, my favorite movie of 2022, was the first clue, and Weapons is continuing evidence that Cregger is a horror auteur. We’ve seen similar directors emerge in the indie horror scene only to drift away from the genre. Ari Aster is a prime example. Stick with Horror Zach. The Horror community will worship you.
The overlapping narrative structure of this film was a terrific method of fleshing out characters by offering multiple takes of the same plot thread. These segments were staggered such that they would recount part of the previous segment, and then advance the plot beyond. As a result, you understood the stakes for everyone involved. The final act flowed out of all of the subplots and was all the more entertaining for it. Plot hopscotch for the win!
The Performances
Julia Garner is on a roll. Her Emmy wins for Ozark have opened the door to projects like this and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. There is a bit of Bette Davis’ unconventional beauty to her, and her resting sad face is essential in this film. She is a woman pushed to her limits, accused of something she is convinced is not her fault, but she also fails to recognize the context she is in. Garner managed to pull off a performance that was both feisty and melancholy at the same time, and every scene she was in had real weight to it.
Brolin was an excellent choice to play Archer. He is an intense actor, and the seething undercurrent he brings to his roles is in full evidence here. Archer is a complex character though, and you understand that the passion isn’t blind. Brolin is able to adjust the temperature of the performance once Archer recognizes the truth of the dilemma. It’s remarkable stuff.
Alden Ehrenreich succeeds in pulling off the likable everyman who was dealt a bad hand. He has a simple, understated charm. Poor Paul ends up getting the worst of the body horror punishment, in painful but often comedic moments. His awesome cop stache gets the Scariest Things stamp of approval.
Austin Abrams follows up his superb performance in Wolfs with another pitch-perfect portrayal of a desperate loser. Need a skinny manic comic relief character? Austin Abrams is your man. He’s both pathetic and endearing.
Lastly, Amy Madigan’s performance will be remembered for ages. Gladys is a kooky and startling character, and her relationship with Alex is central to the mystery. Her presence reminds me of Kathryn Hunter‘s performances as Eedy Karn in Andor and Solange in The Front Room. You do NOT want this odd woman staying at your house.
Concluding Thoughts
Weapons is emblematic of how mid-major studios should be producing horror movies. It is emblematic of the best of independent horror of this century: protagonists forward, telling unique and compelling stories, and not afraid to gross you out. Good actors are drawn to talented directors with innovative ideas. That’s true for all movies, but it hasn’t always been the case with horror. Jordan Peele, Elizabeth Banks, Oz Perkins, Ari Aster, Ti West, Coralie Fargeat, Mike Flanagan… and now you can add Zach Cregger to the list of the leading wave of horror directors that has Hollywood on notice.
The bidding war for this film suggests that Hollywood is recognizing the value of horror, particularly in an era where the superhero genre is teetering. Granted, horror does not nicely slot into the all-quadrant appeal of PG-13 action movies, but this year has shown that a good horror movie with a proper budget and the right director can become very profitable at a much more modest price.
Weapons is currently in wide release, and will likely be in the cineplex for a while as the buzz and box office suggest it will get a healthy run in the theaters. The MPAA rated Weapons R for gore, violence, language, and some sexual content. Older teens may be able to handle this film, but it is intense, particularly in the third act. It is definitely not suitable for pre-teen audiences.
It’s likely that this will end up on my top ten list of the year. Perhaps my only gripe: I’m not a fan of the name of the movie. They do explain it, but c’mon you could have done better than Weapons. I’m sure the name will grow on me, though.