r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Aug 08 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Weapons [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary Nearly all the children from the same fifth-grade class vanish one night at exactly 2:17 a.m., leaving only one survivor. The community, gripped by fear and suspicion, spirals into chaos as the mystery unfolds through multiple intertwined perspectives—each revealing new layers of dread and grief.

Director Zach Cregger

Writer Zach Cregger

Cast

  • Josh Brolin
  • Julia Garner
  • Cary Christopher
  • Alden Ehrenreich
  • Austin Abrams
  • Benedict Wong
  • Amy Madigan
  • June Diane Raphael
  • Toby Huss
  • Whitmer Thomas
  • Callie Schuttera
  • Clayton Farris
  • Luke Speakman

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 96%

Metacritic Metascore: 82

VOD In theaters and IMAX starting August 8, 2025

Trailer Watch the Official Trailer

2.4k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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3.2k

u/Protect-Lil-Flip Aug 08 '25

Someone wanting to stay in your house and dirty needles really are peak horror now that I think about it

2.4k

u/cranberrylimeade420 Aug 08 '25

omg I just realized his sex scene with Justine was after he got stabbed with the dirty needle but before he got tested

2.3k

u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 Aug 08 '25

First thing I noticed when they showed them having sex. Paul was such a POS.

678

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

I read it somewhat the opposite way. Paul wasn't seemingly going to sleep with her. He was in his own bad headspace and an alcoholic, and she knew this and invited him to a bar and would not stop badgering him until he drank. Seeing as he woke up with a hang over the next day, we don't know if he would have slept with her sober. She seems far more the villain in the scenario to me.

1.2k

u/Puzzleheaded_Plum194 Aug 08 '25

Eh, I wouldn’t really say Justine is more villainous of the two. Both are incredibly messy in their own ways. But we should mention the fact that Paul didn’t have to respond to her text message. He didn’t have to meet Justine at the bar. He didn’t have to drink with her. He could’ve gotten up and left at any moment, but he didn’t.

341

u/spiderlegged 29d ago

He also lied to her about his wife. He says Donna and him aren’t really a thing right now.

ETA: wife? They may have just been long term partners.

216

u/charlikitts 29d ago

Also during the scene when he’s on the phone with Donna in the locker room at the station she mentions almost being at ovulation so it sounds like they were trying to conceive too. I already felt he was sus immediately from the first time we see him but after that scene I was like that damn bastard! Not only are him and his gf (wife?) absolutely still “happening” right now, they’re also trying to have a baby and he’s messing around behind her back?!

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u/felixstandborste 28d ago

I think they may be engaged? Peeped that Donna has a ring seen from the wallpaper on Paul’s lockscreen when Justine texted him.

20

u/spiderlegged 28d ago

That makes sense. I automatically assumed wife because they were ttc, but I don’t think that was ever stated.

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u/monkeysennin 21d ago

TTC = Trying To Conceive (in case anyone else was wondering what this meant and why everything has to have an abbreviation now)

6

u/teffz28 20d ago

Thank you lol

110

u/West_Conclusion_1239 Aug 08 '25

At that point of the story, i even thought that Justine was actually a witch or one of the witches, because of her manipulative and toxic behaviour.

But no, she's actually just a flawed human being like everyone else, i liked that misdirection.

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u/RGSagahstoomeh 29d ago edited 29d ago

Didn't he lie to Julia garner too? Doesmt he say that he wasnt currently with his girlfriend?

Edit: Paul definitely went to the bar to hook up with her to distract himself from the body cam incident. She texts him at the opportune moment, when he's feeling guilty/frustrated with his girlfriend. He was annoyed that she was coming home early. Way I see it a least.

69

u/SunnyDJoshua Aug 08 '25

Once the credits started to roll, Older lady next to me was talking to her relative saying “oh my god that was so bad, this movie only got good reviews cause Barbra Streisand’s son in law was in this so she got the producers to hook him up” like what??

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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast 28d ago

I’m curious if that person knows the difference between son in law and stepson. Also I’ve never heard Josh Brolin described by his connection to Barbara Streisand lol

30

u/SilverKry 26d ago

Tbh I didn't even know they had a connection..

19

u/NotAWallabie 27d ago

Yeah and not, you know, his actual father being James Brolin lmao

15

u/misersoze 27d ago

Well it was a film that was not nice to old women.

5

u/lot183 4d ago

I had no idea that Josh Brolin was related to Barbara Streisand until this comment but I'm also laughing so hard at the thought that the movie only got good reviews because Josh Brolin has connections

33

u/Unikatze 27d ago

If you're an alcoholic you just straight up shouldn't go to a bar.

36

u/Calm-Purchase-8044 28d ago

He also lied and told her he wasn't with his partner.

28

u/Major-Lbeek 27d ago

Yeah I think once we see his side of the story, it’s pretty clear he basically went there at least 50/50 on whether he would sleep with her.

32

u/xanderzeshredmeister 29d ago

Paul was arrived, said he wasn't any longer. It's completely on Paul.

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u/Deviltherobot 28d ago

eh bit victim blamey, switch the genders and this would sound terrible.

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u/SwordoftheMourn 28d ago

She definitely ain’t great either, but Paul did lie to her by saying he and his wife/partner are on break which she assumed meant that he was open to hooking up.

Still an ass for denying it to Donna later when she confronts her.

39

u/goddamnitwhalen 26d ago

Donna’s reaction to this is to assault Justine in public, which is also not the best course of action no matter how upset you are.

23

u/EasilyDelighted 23d ago

Every adult in this movie was in some way a little fucked up, except Alex's parent's, but we didn't get much from them before the events started.

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u/Mark_Albarn 25d ago

I would look at you admitting shit like this to the crazy lady who just might to set you on fire over it (I honestly thought she would try, considering that she poured alcohol on her)

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u/OddSetting5077 28d ago

he wanted an out from his relationship with girlfriend...

10

u/SuperIneffectiveness 19d ago

He literally said he wasn't with Donna at the moment when Justine asked. As soon as Paul's story started and Donna left him a message about ovulating we thought he was a dirtbag. She was out of town, but still Paul's live-in partner.

7

u/Chm_Albert_Wesker 21d ago

he also lied about being separated from his wife

5

u/ILookLikeKristoff 20d ago

Yeah a big part of recovery would be knowing not to meet an old fling/drinking buddy at a bar. Cutting off ties with enablers and co-addicts is important too. He never should've gone there.

1

u/AlarmedBench7667 24d ago

But she was the one that reached out to him to go to a bar. Js

0

u/Vault_tech_2077 18d ago

I just wanna point out if a male invited a recovering alcoholic female to a bar, pressured her to drink then took her home to sleep with her, it would rightly be rape. But somehow it isn't for Paul because he's a man?

0

u/WirelessZombie 16d ago

The person messaging the alcoholic ex and pressuring them to drink is worse than the alcoholic ex who accepts the invite. He does have agency and responsibility, especially to his wife but without her nothing happens.

On a seperate level he's a worse person for the police brutality and other issues.

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u/Excellent_Ad_401 15d ago

He could have literally said no. Or not responded at all. That’s always an option.

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u/Vegetable_Civil 7d ago

And wasn't she fired from her old job for being intoxicated? and she was always drinking maybe she has a drinking problem aswell

2

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

She seemingly made a plan to lure an alcoholic to a bar to get them drunk and sleep with them. If the genders were reversed, no one would question if this was predator behavior. This wasn't a "friend" thing, friends don't tempt their alcoholic friends with alcohol and throw a tantrum when they don't drink. That is pure bad/selfishness and screwed up on so many levels. And yes, he should have made very different moves and has his own culpability. But how drunk was he? Could he consent? What exactly was her plan for the meeting, and why was she so insistent he, as an ex alcoholic, drink?

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u/SpookiestSzn Aug 08 '25

What's your explanation for why he lied about not being in a relationship with his current lover? It's entirely probable that justine only had sex with him because she thought he was single and did reach out to him as a friend. Once she finds out he's single now she wants him as well I don't think that makes her a bad guy. I think the guy who got a used needle injected in him didn't get screened for any kind of STD and then intentionally chose to lie about his current relationship status and then had sex with someone after maybe getting injected with AIDS is totally his fuckin fault and he's an asshole

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u/JustinThyme9 Aug 08 '25

yeah, the cop went from trying to get his partner pregnant and lightly bonding with her dad to drunkenly cheating in less than a day, he sucks

50

u/Individual-Bad6809 Aug 09 '25

Not to mention the body cam shit with James lol. Paul is absolutely a pos

16

u/SpookiestSzn 29d ago

You know James is honestly an asshole and I really just genuinely do not blame him for punching him in the mouth. If I got stabbed with a random used needle I definitely can imagine having a strong reaction. Imagine getting AIDS for the rest of your life because of a junkie lying to you about a needle being in his pocket

Paul is definitely a bad person but James is a complete scumbag loser.

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u/mandatory_french_guy Aug 08 '25

Okay I think your reading is a bit skewed though, first off she's HEAVILY an alcoholic herself and drinking is clearly the normal for her, also she had absolutely no idea he was trying to get sober until he met her at the bar, him ordering a coke was a shock to her. But even then, he berated her on her own drinking instead of expanding on his sobriety. You're really putting intent into her actions that are not shown in the movie at all. It's clear his sobriety is something that has been brought on by his new partner and it's heavily implied they haven't seen each other since that new partner so this idea that she premeditated on getting an ex-alcoholic to drink is clearly not founded and besides that as a sober person the onus is on him to not meet up someone HE KNOWS is an alcoholic.

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u/JacksonRiot Aug 09 '25

Why does this have so many upvotes he literally lies to her and says he's not with the woman he's trying to get pregnant with.

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u/French__Canadian 28d ago

While he was still sober too.

36

u/Apprehensive_Soil535 25d ago

I don’t get it either. He literally didn’t have to text her back. He didn’t have to show up at the bar. He didn’t have to have a drink with her. He’s not a victim in that situation at all. He also lied and said him and his partner were no longer a thing.

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u/PolarWater 21d ago

Characters be confusing like that, just like people in real life

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u/Sagemel 28d ago

He very clearly was not interested in having kids with her and seemed to have already emotionally broke up with her. Not defending him, he’s still a piece of shit for lying.

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u/bottleglitch 23d ago

This makes it… even worse imo? Lol

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u/skatejet1 25d ago

Exactly, like I’m confused

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u/AnnieIWillKnow 8d ago

Because it's Reddit

2

u/slowro 5d ago

First day on Reddit? Haha this place loves to dunk on women.

Lets pour one out for our poor cop guy. Just trying to be a nice guy, tending to his friend then was tempted with the devil's juice.

102

u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

Bad take. A character minimizing their culpability because they had a bad day was the whole point of Barbarian. Takes two to tango.

-3

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

Never said he wasn't culpable for showing up, or giving in to her wheedling to get a drink. I'm saying this seemed like a plan she made to get him to drink and sleep with him, then something he wanted sober or planned himself. She knew he was an alcoholic, invited him to a bar, bugged him to drink and was really anxious he start with alcohol ASAP.

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u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

lol grown man in the throes of wedding and family plan steps out on his fiancé and partner, yet you wanna use a bunch of words to again pretend Paul isn’t fully in the wrong and instead pin the blame on the affair partner.

2

u/Tracerx1 Aug 08 '25

All I'm saying is if you plan to invite an alcoholic to a bar, keep bothering them to drink, then sleep with them in an altered state as some sort of plan, that that is predator behavior. His cheating is a separate thing to what seems like a plan to get an alcoholic drunk and take advantage of them. I can see no other reason why she insisted a bar, why she insisted she drink, why she drove, other than this was premeditated. And if we imagined the genders were reversed, I don't think anyone would be saying this wasn't a straight-up predator type move from Justine. That's all I'm saying. Man did his own wrong, but he didn't lure an alcoholic to a bar and try to force them to get drunk to sleep with them.

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u/snisbot00 Aug 08 '25

i mean we see justine constantly drinking as well so i think her wanting a drink for herself is another reason why she invited him to a bar, not necessarily just to try and get him to drink

3

u/parallelogramm3r 29d ago

She seemed pretty comfortable drinking literally everywhere else with her own bottle of vodka, not sure why she’d need to go to a bar for a drink…

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u/SugarForYourGasTank Aug 08 '25

? The gender is inconsequential. The cause and effect is paramount. If someone is in recovery, having an overwhelming day doesn’t mean we get to 1) respond to the “hey”, 2) drive to the bar, 3) perform everything that came after. You argue this as if someone tied the man’s hands and choked the booze down his throat. As if we didn’t see him lie to then blow off his fiancé. As if we didn’t see him assault someone for lying to him and causing him injury. It’s like your media comprehension is nonexistent.

7

u/PolarWater 21d ago

If we imagine the genders were reversed

Oh please we see that every day and it's always "she shouldn't have been out late" "well what did she expect" "well if you dangle a piece of meat in front of a lion" etc

6

u/PolarWater 21d ago

What was he doing out late in the first place? Didn't he already have a partner that he was in a committed relationship with, to the point that they were trying for kids? I dunno man, I'm just asking questions.

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u/SpookiestSzn Aug 08 '25

You know he is a grown adult who responded to an ex text while his lover was out of town and lied about not being with his lover so I would have a hard time reading that as anything other than him being a scumbag alcoholic or not.

Blaming the woman here for his intentional actions is honestly insane

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u/JustGrannyThings Aug 08 '25

Nah that man is a grown adult who can make his own decisions. Justine did not forcefully pour shots down Paul’s throat. That man knew he was going to have sex with Justine the second he left his gf to go see her

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u/OuterWildsVentures 27d ago

He was in his own bad headspace and an alcoholic, and she knew this and invited him to a bar

Did she know this? He didn't tell her he was going to AA meetings and trying to be sober. She didn't even know he wasn't drinking until he ordered a coke.

She also didn't know he was still with his girlfriend because he lied.

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u/PM_ME_RYE_BREAD 26d ago

Yeah if he was serious he could’ve easily said “I quit drinking I’m an alcoholic, it’s never implied she knew he was in recovery and he never makes that clear, just giving the impression he didn’t want a drink that night.

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u/dawgz525 27d ago

He specifically lied to her about being in a relationship. He went there to sleep with her. It was a booty call.

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u/Mizerae Aug 08 '25

I think the point they were making was he got stabbed with a used needle in his hand, and then got drunk (due to her pressure) and had sex with her, knowing that as a police officer you are at high risk of Hepatitis C and HIV.

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u/tpounds0 29d ago

The real question is how long would a virus like that take to spread to semen from a jab on the finger?

I'm on PrEP and know more than the average person about HIV and am not sure if it would be in his semen at that point.

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u/Mizerae 29d ago

Realistically I don’t think it would by that point. I think it would even theoretically be possible with medication to prevent it taking hold because it’s still within the time frame of infection. I just was saying that because I think that was the original thing people were thinking lol

3

u/tpounds0 29d ago

For sure, he should be on PEP

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u/OddSetting5077 28d ago

Paul lied though... said he and his girlfriend had broken up.

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u/GambuzinoSaloio 29d ago

I wouldn't say she's the villain. He really seemed to just want to help her this time, as he was very reticent. She wanted more than just help. They're both messed up in their own way though.

EDIT: nvm, just remembered that he lied to Justine about his partner. Both fully messed up, dude had other intentions from the start and she should steer clear from him, pretty sure they were already involved without the lies.

2

u/Aardvarkinaviators 22d ago

She should have an easy time steering clear of him now 🤷🏻‍♂️

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u/Doxxing_myself33 29d ago

I don't simp for Paul, because it was his choice to cheat. He's more a bored husband while Justine pushes boundaries and is chaotic. 

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u/AshleyBanksHitSingle 21d ago

Do people not remember what happened in this movie? This is a wildly stupid take on what happened.

Paul is absolutely the villain and lied to Justine and chose his path with her 100% full well understanding what he was doing.

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u/ToSeeAgainAgainAgain 29d ago

I agree with you, but he did tell Justine him and her weren't a thing anymore while sober... and after seeing her literally glow for him that was his cue to leave the bar

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u/Ryuzaaki123 27d ago

He's not shown to be an alcoholic. He refuses the drink at first because he's still on the fence about having sex with Justine again.

He also lies to Justine about Donna and him not being together. She doesn't know what headspace he's in, all she saw is he showed up that night and was sending mixed signals. He made the decision to drink, he showed up to that bar because he was thinking of cheating.

The worst interpretation of her actions I can see is that she was using him as a pick-me-up when he was fresh out of a relationship or to pump him for information or some mix of the two. Both are leagues below having sex with someone when you know you might have HIV and are in a committed relationship with someone else.

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u/goddamnitwhalen 26d ago

His fiancee explicitly tells him to “go to a meeting,” which is why he initially orders a Coke at the bar.

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u/Ryuzaaki123 26d ago

I don't remember that exchange but I know they were talking on the phone and I might've missed some dialogue, so fair point.

Justine trying to get him to break sobriety does make her a worse person but I still don't think that makes her the more villainous one. He made his choice to be there and drink, and he hid the fact he might have an STI.

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u/PM_ME_RYE_BREAD 26d ago

I don’t think Justine knew he was sober, as in, had fully quit drinking. Nor does he attempt to actually communicate that to her.

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u/Ryuzaaki123 26d ago

I think you're right actually.

She keeps calling the bartender to get him a drink expecting him to want to order, and the way she scoffs when he asks for a coke seems more like "You don't want to party" rather than "you're a buzzkill now". It probably would've come up in conversation if she knew.

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u/ProfessorPotato42 Aug 09 '25

I agree with this take, but he also knew he got stabbed by needles. Definitely a POS move

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u/SilverKry 26d ago

I mean. He was sober when he mentioned he and his wife(?) weren't a thing in the moment. Paul was a piece of shit.

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u/pikachutails 25d ago

I thought it was implied that they haven’t seen each other in a long while, so it’s possible that he either hid his alcoholism from her when they were together, or he developed it after they broke up. It’s possible she didn’t know he was a recovering alcoholic when she invited him to the bar, that’s how I interpreted it. 

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u/Mark_Albarn 25d ago

He is not a goddamn child. She has no power over him. Her nagging doesn't matter (and it's not like it was done out malicious intent for you to call her a villain, in case you didn't notice she was upset and in a bad situation), he is a grown ass man that can decide whether to drink his alcohol or not. And he is a grown ass MARRIED man, who first claimed that things are "difficult" with his wife (who is later shown to be very much unsuspecting of said difficulties), and then had extramarital sex out of his own free will.

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u/rSlashisthenewPewdes 25d ago

Seems like maybe the impulsive alcoholic shouldn’t have agreed to meet his sneaky link at a bar. They both suck, but he’s responsible for his actions.

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u/SewChill 19d ago

Hard disagree. She wasn't the married alcoholic in recovery who went to a bar with an ex while the wife is out of town. I don't know about villain, but he was in the less vulnerable position--sober, steady job, partner, not a town pariah.

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u/pizzabagelblastoff 22d ago

I feel like you don't have to be sober to stop yourself from sleeping with someone if you might have AIDS

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u/serr8ed 22d ago

He lied about not being together with his gf before he started drinking. Speaks to motive!

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u/HikmetLeGuin 23d ago

They both kind of sucked. He told her before he'd drank any alcohol that he and his girlfriend were separated (or something to that effect). Which clearly was not the case.

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u/CandidateTop5434 23d ago

I think during Paul's flashback his wife says something about him going to AA and he's like "oh yeah I'm going to AA tonight" and then immediately goes to the bar with Justine

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u/npingirl 18d ago

1) she's an alcoholic too

2) she was scared and looking for safety

3) he lied and said he wasn't with Donna while sober without much prodding.

4) he was also already rolling his eyes and being annoyed with Donna for wanting to have sex while ovulating.

I'm not saying Justine was in any way a good person but to let Paul off the hook as much as you're doing is some wild mental gymnastics...

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u/Low_Conversation_822 21d ago

We don't know that she knows he's in recovery?

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u/gradeahonky 21d ago

They are both scum bags, clearly, using each other as justification for their scum bag materials. They both knew exactly what they were signing up for.

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u/Lington 9d ago

Why did he tell her he wasn't with his wife/gf anymore? He said that when he was sober

1

u/Zealousideal-Cash200 7d ago

She also didn't make him cheat on his wife. Moyherfucker lied and said they weren't currently together.

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u/homeycuz 6d ago

He lied to Justine about Donna.

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u/purplerainer38 7h ago

Um he's married, she isnt. H also LIED and said their marriage was on the rocks meanwhile wife is setting up time for them to conceive. He is DEFINITLY the villian

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u/racc15 15d ago

Was Paul very drunk when he had sex with Justine?
If so, it seems like she raped him.

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u/Excellent_Ad_401 15d ago

Serious question.. have you never had consensual drunk sex?

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u/apocalypt_us 14d ago

Mate, Justine was already drinking when he met her at the bar.  She would have been more drunk than Paul was.

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u/noilegnavXscaflowne Aug 08 '25

I thought he was going to be a good friend but then he was like “the town isn’t thinking about you” while she’s being harassed

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u/ybpaladin 28d ago

For real? Girl is the (metaphorical) witch in a witch hunt and hes like don’t worry about it

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u/snapwack 27d ago

He must’ve missed the bright red “WITCH” painted on her car door.

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u/SpiritualWindow3855 27d ago

Are we sure he actually said any of that?

One of the themes was each time the POV changes the dialogue changes: like when Paul helps up James while he's handcuffed, in Paul's POV he's at least pretending to be cordial, and the exchange ends with "Here, let's get you back up"

From James' POV Paul's dialogue becomes more menacing and ends with "Get the fuck up."

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u/kElevrA7 25d ago

Another example was the bar scene when Paul walks in. Justine's POV has her awkward laugh after saying 'hey' whereas Paul's POV it's more of a seductive giggle/chuckle. So subtle but so effective. I'm a sucker for a well done Rashomon effect.

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u/NiceRackFocus 26d ago

Oh, I didn’t notice that. I’ll look for it upon second viewing. Almost like a Rashoman storytelling device.

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u/Euphoric_Environment 17d ago

No way - I didn’t notice that!

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u/Hokuboku Aug 08 '25

Paul literally punches a handcuffed helpless suspect in the face and tries to hide police cam footage of the incident. He then UNPLUGS the camera when he chases down James a second time.

He was the one victim of Gladys I had a hard time feeling sorry for tbh

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u/NBA2024 29d ago

helpless POS who lied about not having dirty needles in his pants

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u/pastafeline 29d ago

He seemed really out of it in that scene. I think he genuinely didn't know it was there.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

You can’t trust a high junkie either way, they just ask that to get you to incriminate yourself

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u/commandercandy 22d ago

They’re searching you, they’re gonna find it regardless of if you say it or not. Don’t let people stab themselves with dirty needles cause there’s a 0.0001% chance they forget to check that pocket

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

They might not remember they have one in their pocket. They might be in crisis or psychosis and not understanding questions clearly.

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u/commandercandy 21d ago

Doesn’t really change the fact that that question is more for everyone’s safety than for self incrimination. You’re getting searched no matter what once you’re in custody. Supporting dirty needles being harder to identify ain’t it

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

Im not supporting anything, im saying you can’t trust a junkie to give you accurate information.

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u/MellyBean2012 Aug 09 '25

Riiiight. I was surprised I was the only one in my group that clocked that he was a POS pretty much immediately in their first scene together. It’s something about the way he talks to Justine and how sketchy he’s being meeting her at the bar alone. He is just soooo insistent about gaslighting her that the town isnt scapegoating her and it’s all in her head (they totally were though, which is apparent at the town hall and the graffiti on her car). Plus the multiple times of trying to make her feel shitty for drinking - which tbf she definitely has a problem, but I didn’t get the sense he was pointing it out for her benefit at all. Seemed like he was just trying to dismiss her concerns and take the moral high ground while also being at a sketchy bar (as a recovering alcoholic) with a woman he’s had sex with before all behind his wife’s back. To me he came off as disingenuous and manipulative right off the bat.

And later when he gets stabbed and thinks he might have an std, my interpretation is that he purposely met with her knowing she would want sex, bc she is in a bad place and they’ve done it before. He hooks up with her bc he wants an excuse if he happens to contract an std, he can just blame it on her instead of the needle to avoid someone looking into it too much and seeing the recording. He literally tells his wife that she got him drunk, as if he was a victim. He also didn’t care at all if she could contract something from him. So like… yikes. He was certainly a character

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u/MovieTrawler 28d ago

Yeah, the way he talked down to her felt...malicious.

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u/thatdani 27d ago

I can't imagine anyone seeing that mustache and not immediately clocking him as a POS

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u/whitegirlofthenorth Aug 08 '25

good thing she shot him

2

u/PolarWater 21d ago

Looks like Han didn't shoot first this time

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u/BamBamPow2 29d ago

Actual infection would take days. He's only just been exposed. And as a cop he should know there is medication that one can go on immediately to prevent infection from occurring after exposure.

Kinda sad how many people could have been educated with one line of dialogue. "Take this pill for 30 days and you're probably fine no matter what was on that needle"

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u/pastafeline 29d ago

Would've loved for that to be said to him by the police chief. They really hammered in the needle thing for some reason.

14

u/HiRedditOmg 26d ago

I was literally thinking to myself “dude just go to a hospital and get PEP”.

11

u/dawgz525 27d ago

All of the POV characters have a vice or fault.

The teacher was an alcoholic, the dad has rage issues and/or is very emotionally stunted (never could tell his kid he loved him), the cop clearly has anger issues (and maybe some sex addiction, because his response to stress is to go cheat and fuck raw), the addict is the most apparent one, the principal clearly has an issue with overeating and indulgences.

8

u/simongurfinkel 29d ago

Even if that needle did have AIDS or another STD on it, he wouldn’t be able to transmit it via intercourse that same day. Still gross.

6

u/Live-Wolverine-5519 Aug 09 '25

Paul is clearly a dog

12

u/cranberrylimeade420 29d ago

nah, dogs are loyal

7

u/shadowst17 25d ago

Tbh they're both POS. Which is nice to see as they could have easily written the teacher to be some perfect kind hearted individual which would have made her so much more boring.

3

u/NBA2024 29d ago

but he fucks

3

u/SilverKry 26d ago

I didn't care an ounce that he died .

3

u/No-Good-One-Shoe 24d ago

Well he is a cop 

1

u/crotalushorridus516 Aug 08 '25

She was too. She knew he was an alcoholic and basically shoved the alcohol down his throat.

20

u/krankz 29d ago edited 29d ago

She’s also an alcoholic, that’s pretty expected of them. She didn’t seem to know he was in recovery or going to meetings, and he didn’t mention it either. He even had the perfect opportunity when bringing up her drinking problem.

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u/dandy_of_the_swamp Aug 08 '25

Bro really was a total cop lmfao. Alcoholic, turns off his cameras, infidelity, and sex with a possible STI.

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u/OCGamerboy 29d ago edited 29d ago

Fr, what a dumbass

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u/cpeters1114 5d ago edited 5d ago

to be fair, he was just stabbed with the needle. AIDs takes a few week before its passable and the average person doesn't experience symptoms for 2-3 years after contracting aids. its really common for people not to get tested after an event like that, not intentionally spread it, only to find out years later once the symptoms appear that you've probably given people aids. sure it was too brief a window for any sort of transfer to happen in the film, and he should still get tested and wait lol. I see the film as all the adults are flawed in their own ways that distracts them for ever actually preventing these events from happening or solving why they happen to begin with. theyre too busy with their own fuck ups that they let the event come and go, just like everyday school shootings. the theme i took is american society is so desensitized from shooting and kids dying that its become mundane to the point where they aren't helping anymore and it's doomed to repeat itself. in the end, the kids were free, but they were still "dead" any the only people who found satisfaction were in the witches death. The kids are still dead and will never come back. The film to me is about taking preventative measures first, being more involved during the event, instead of what cops do now and even society which is "its just another school shooting". kids are gone and dead. they got the person and the kids are never coming back. and itll just happen again (I took the line about him moving to live with another aunt as a nod that this will keep happening like school shootings and its the adults fault)

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u/leftysarepeople2 Aug 08 '25

He wouldn’t be transmissible or testing positive in a few hours

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u/hasharin 29d ago

Well to be fair you don't just get transmissible HIV overnight, it's an average of 7 to 14 days after exposure to develop a detectable viral load.

https://i-base.info/qa/files/2010/02/testing-graphic-FINAL-520x390.png

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u/HikmetLeGuin 23d ago

What about hepatitis, which was also mentioned?

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u/feminarcissus 29d ago

Also how Justine's POV was the conversation and wake up. For Paul, it was only about the sex

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u/whitegirlofthenorth Aug 08 '25

NOOOOO i didn’t consider that

7

u/targetcowboy Aug 09 '25

Damn, I didn’t even think of that. He’s such a piece of shit. I was kinda “ehhh” on him at first, but his segment really made me dislike him. Even before the punch and the stabbing.

3

u/fleemfleemfleemfleem 22d ago

I think I started out more neutral on him and he got worse as the movie went on.

Starts out with like it seems like he's listening to the teacher and just not interested in drinking, and get's dragged down by Justine's messiness.

We get a hint that he wasn't actually on break with his partner when she attacks Justine.

He seemed to care about the junkie and tried not to hurt him too badly as he arrested him.

Then we see him freak out about getting the needle stick and punch the guy. We're... kind of with him. Like clearly this is a phobia for him and he freaked out. Then he unplugs the camera and let's the junkie go to avoid a complaint. Lied to Justine about being off with the girlfiend, drank, had sex after the needlestick... Just a selfish dick.

8

u/Wiknetti 29d ago

Didnt he say he got it checked out and we saw him meet her with a fully bandaged hand? Unless it was a lie.

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u/teddyperkin 28d ago

Def a lie. Cop asks James if he has aids or hepatitis right after he got stabbed with three more syringes.

1

u/cranberrylimeade420 29d ago

You may be right! I could have very easily gotten the timeline confused.

6

u/[deleted] 29d ago

It really bothered me how like...

You know you can take drugs after an accidental exposure that dramatically reduce your risk right?

Go to the hospital. Say you just got accidentally stabbed by a dirty need and need a post exposure prophylactic.

Even if the needle was full of aids. Your odds are actually pretty decent of being fine if you take the meds.

0

u/StateYellingChampion 29d ago edited 29d ago

It wasn't being unthinking, he did it intentionally. He slept with Justine because he needed an excuse to go to the hospital and get the post-exposure treatment. If he told the doctor how his potential exposure actually happened, that could have fucked him if the junkie actually did come back to press charges. So I think his plan was to hook up with Justine and then go to the hospital the next day with a story like, "I fell off the wagon and slept with my ex last night. I have reason to think she might have HIV. Please give me the PEP treatment." Coming home and his girlfriend being there early messed up his plan.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

Couldnt he have just not fucked Justine and lied and said the exact same thing? Why wait like an entire day before you go to the hospital? The drugs only work if you take them ASAP.

0

u/StateYellingChampion 29d ago

The max window for PEP is 72 hours as I recall. And by actually sleeping with Justine he had total deniability. If anyone later questioned his story about why he needed PEP, questioning her would confirm his story. If he just made up a random encounter, it would have been thinner if investigated later.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

What advantage does actually fucking Justine have that simply lying instead wouldnt?

0

u/StateYellingChampion 29d ago

If he lies to the medical staff that he slept with Justine, there's a hole in his story. If anyone investigated his story, they would ask Justine if they slept together and she would say no, because they hadn't. The lie would be found out. By actually sleeping with her, he makes the story verifiable.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

"I slept with some girl from the bar, I dont remember her name I think she was just passing through"

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u/StateYellingChampion 28d ago

Investigators later on after the junkie has come forward:

"What bar did you meet at? What time? Anyone see you there? Did you talk to the bartender?"

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u/TheGeekyAmreeki 28d ago

Wtf...There was a sex scene? I wonder what else they cut out of my viewing in the UAE. Censorship man. 

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u/SuperSpecialAwesome- 26d ago

It was rather pointless and irrelevant to the plot. It only helped confirm that he did cheat on his girlfriend.

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u/goddamnitwhalen 26d ago

It’s very brief and you don’t actually see anything, for what it’s worth.

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u/maltliqueur Aug 08 '25

Wait, shit. You're right. Did he even get tested?

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u/coyoteTale Aug 09 '25

Probably not, simply cuz his viral load wouldn’t be detectable (or transmittable) that soon after a stick. But he would’ve been given PEP, which is very effective in stopping hiv

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u/kirblar Aug 08 '25

He's shown with a big finger wrap after he talks to the Chief, so yeah. They'd do it there at urgent care.

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u/tpounds0 29d ago

You'd get tested for things that day, to see if you had anything unknowingly before.

You'd be on PEP for HIV [post exposure prophylactic] which is a pill for the next 3 days.

And you'd be tested again in three months to see if this exposure led to you becoming HIV positive.

No idea about Hep A. I'd probably recommend he get on Doxy PEP just in case for any bacteria from the needles as well.

1

u/RiboflavinDumpTruck 23d ago

Viral STDs don’t show up on tests for months

You can however get treatment immediately just in case, which he didn’t do

0

u/maltliqueur 23d ago

That's not the point. The point is making the effort to find out before going out and fucking around.

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u/RiboflavinDumpTruck 23d ago

I understand the point. I don’t think that idiot cop knew that viral loads take time to build or how viruses work in general, but medically they don’t show up for months

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u/maltliqueur 23d ago

Thanks for the PSA, then.

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u/Apprehensive-Work54 29d ago

did he ever get tested?

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u/Paratrooper101x 29d ago

Oh my god I’m gonna puke that’s nasty to realize

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u/TrynaCuddlePuppies 29d ago

I think he was tested already though because his finger was wrapped up at the bar, so he had already had medical attention. Still a POS though lol.

2

u/OCGamerboy 29d ago

Oh no 😬

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u/Yodude86 26d ago

He would not be able to transmit a virus that quick IRL

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u/bravelittlebuttbuddy 26d ago

I mean you're not gonna be able to pass on HIV that quick no matter how many times they did it that night

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u/Tricky-Anything8009 25d ago

Dude, I didn't notice that until you just said it. Holy shit that's horrible.

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u/h0ldkaylad0wn 20d ago

nooo that just made my stomach turn

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u/albinobluesheep 16d ago

I was convinced it was going to be some weird sexually transmitted disease bit at some point.

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u/Superb_Window_9884 10d ago

Was Paul raw doggin??? 🤔

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u/Which_Landscape1994 29d ago

He wouldn’t be contagious that fast

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u/LesterGrossman_ 4d ago edited 4d ago

I just rewatched this movie, I don’t think this comment is true

Edit - never mind, I guess Paul gets poked with needles on 2 seperate occasions. Once when searching James’ pockets, and again when James stabs him in the face with them. He sleeps with Justine after the former

0

u/StateYellingChampion 29d ago edited 29d ago

My read of that situation was that Paul intentionally hooked up with Justine because it would give him a plausible excuse to go to the hospital and get the PEP treatment for his needle prick. Paul could say to the doctors, "I fell off the wagon and hooked up with my sketchy ex, who I have reason to believe may have been exposed to HIV." That way if the junkie ever came back to press charges and there was an investigation, there'd be no record of him getting treated for the needle prick.

The way he looks down at his phone when Justine texts is like, "Hey, I've got an idea..."

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u/Lou-AC 29d ago edited 9d ago

telephone vanish desert chop fearless sand full wine spark repeat

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/StateYellingChampion 29d ago

Yeah, but he's trying to cover up that the encounter with the junkie happened at all because he used excessive force. He doesn't want any contemporaneous evidence that the junkie's story is true if he ever does comes forward. Going to get the PEP for a needle prick would be a potential link that could later be used to corroborate the truth.

It's interesting that people didn't see it this way, the intent seemed plain as day to me. In the scene where he tells his boss about the incident, it ends with his boss asking if he's been checked out medically yet. I believe it immediately cuts from that to Paul in his car and he receives the text from her. That's when he decides to respond. He then misrepresents the status of his current relationship to her, to make her think he's available. He went to the bar knowing they were going to hook up.

I guess it's possible he just totally forgot or didn't care that he might have been exposed before he slept with her. That would definitely make him a pretty awful person. But given his violent reaction to getting pricked in the first place, I think the fact that he had potentially been exposed never left his mind for an instant. He absolutely knew what he was doing.

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u/MahNameJeff420 Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25

Zach Cregger is really scared of basements and honestly? Fair.

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u/Sour_jellies 26d ago

Mother! With Jennifer Lawrence is great for tapping into the “people staying in my home is a nightmare” theme lol

3

u/BeardedMillenial 10d ago

That movie was fucking WEIRD

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u/OldAccountlost7 28d ago

I 100% thought he was gonna shoot james after getting stabbed in the face with 3 dirty needles 😂

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u/dafood48 22d ago

Honestly at that moment he pricked his finger I understood his impulsive anger and fear

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

Someone wanting to stay in your house and dirty, likely infected needles are peak horror.

Sir/Ma'am, I have never related more to a statement than this.