Movie Review: ‘Weapons’

NEW YORK (OSV News) – Taken as a whole, the horror film “Weapons” (Warner Bros.) tends to be subtle in its approach to intriguing and unsettling viewers.

Unfortunately, that adjective in no way applies to the occasional scenes of violence writer-director Zach Cregger includes in his story. Although relatively brief, they are far too grisly for casual moviegoers of any age.

Emmy Award-winner Julia Garner (“Ozark”) plays Justine Gandy, a caring but emotionally isolated grammar school teacher in a small town in Pennsylvania. When all but one of the students in her third-grade class abruptly and mysteriously run away from home in the middle of the same night, Justine falls under suspicion of having had a role in their disappearance.

The fact that Justine also struggles with a drinking problem only adds to the negative speculation about her. Although the trauma of the situation sends Justine back to the bottle by night, she nonetheless remains determined to clear herself. So she embarks, by day, on an amateur investigation.

Justine is helped in her sleuthing by Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the father of one of the missing kids. Although he’s initially hostile toward Justine, plot developments eventually lead the duo to unite in their effort to solve the grim conundrum.

Cregger tells his tale from a variety of perspectives, including that of Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the sole youngster left behind. The experiences of Justine’s ex-boyfriend, hapless and volatile local police officer Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), are also added to the mix.

The result is a cumulatively impressive narrative that convincingly weaves together its natural and supernatural elements. Yet the unsparing manner in which various events are depicted along the way make this well-crafted chillfest a treat suitable only for those grown-ups with very strong stomachs.

The film contains interludes of gruesome bloodletting, hideous images, occult themes, brief semi-graphic and possibly adulterous sexual activity, drug use, an incidental gay relationship, mature references, about a dozen uses of profanity, a few instances each of milder oaths and crass expressions, pervasive rough language and several crude terms. The OSV News classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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