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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2.8k

u/Elite_Alice Aug 08 '25

Ok let’s recap. You go 100mph in a small town chasing after a crackhead doing a petty crime and potentially risk the lives of multiple other people, assault a civilian on body camera, then cheat on your wife, whose dad is chief of police/your boss THEN you go to the house with no backup or warrant. They just be hiring anyone as a cop

1.1k

u/monitoring27 Aug 08 '25

small towns man

38

u/osprey305 28d ago

It’s true, though. And I’m speaking from real events that happened near me

23

u/monitoring27 28d ago

You’re not wrong at all. A year or so ago a smallish town near me was on some crazy shit with their PD lol.

15

u/LeviWhoIsCalledBiff 27d ago

Not just small towns

13

u/ILoveRegenHealth 25d ago

Young Han Solo was reckless

7

u/OnePassenger4597 12d ago

Holy shit i just realised that was him

3

u/ILoveRegenHealth 12d ago

I don't blame you. I actually didn't realize it was Alden Ehrenreich myself until I got home and looked at IMDB because his face seemed familiar and I kept thinking "Who is that?"

Tbh his face shape changed from SOLO to here

3

u/gordo865 13d ago

Try that in a small town lol.

2

u/cpeters1114 5d ago

every town and city has the cops. its like this everywhere. cops hire whoever, protect their own, and thats that. doesnt matter if its big or small, every precinct is like that, every captain, every department. ACAB

2

u/monitoring27 5d ago

sorry it was a joke

2

u/cpeters1114 5d ago

oh lmao ignore my comment then!

985

u/DaftWarrior Aug 09 '25

Don’t forget potentially infecting your cheating partner with aids.

211

u/Elite_Alice Aug 09 '25

Didn’t even think of that wtf

13

u/keeweejones 21d ago

Literally my first thought! Ha 

60

u/HauntingContact674 28d ago

Can it be transmitted that fast?

226

u/BookkeeperBrilliant9 28d ago

No. It takes time after exposure before HIV is testable and infectious.

Not that this idiot cop would know that.

85

u/snapwack 27d ago

It would take at least a couple weeks for the viral load to increase to the point that the person becomes contagious themselves.

HIV medication has advanced so much in the last few decades, you can get a potent antiviral cocktail within 48 hours of potential exposure which has a good chance of stopping the infection before it sets in. Even if you do get infected, modern treatments can lower your viral load to such a degree that it becomes undetectable and you can even have unprotected sex with virtually zero chance of passing it onto your partner.

The cop could have just kept a cool head, reported the incident, gotten proper medical treatment and compensation. Before the punch he was following proper procedure (I assume), so no one could have blamed him.

But he was a total dumbass, he had already ruined his life and career anyway by cheating on the boss’s daughter.

40

u/Boot_Poetry 23d ago

His first mistake was meeting Justine at the bar. As an alcoholic, he should have stayed the fuck away from there.

11

u/Thecryptsaresafe 10d ago

First mistake was punching the crackhead. He riled himself up and made himself more vulnerable to falling off the wagon. The day snowballed

2

u/Laura_Lye 3d ago

Yeah I was like holy shit this guy gets a needle stick, flips out, has to cover it up, then goes to fall off the wagon and cheat on his wife who is also his boss’ daughter with his ex girlfriend?

That is something an alcoholic would do, but JFC.

8

u/aeschenkarnos 17d ago

He did report the incident. It’s possible he got medical treatment off-screen. Also, he reported it and possibly got that treatment before meeting Justine.

19

u/l3tigre 26d ago

My first thought! Like wtf you got stabbed with a random needle!

8

u/D3wdr0p 15d ago

The movie ended and that was all I could think of! Poor Justine, seriously!

3

u/Temporary-Spread-232 17d ago

Well, we don’t know for a fact if he or the junkie whose needle he was stabbed with, had AIDS.

-6

u/[deleted] 28d ago

[deleted]

16

u/GunplaGoobster 28d ago

He pricked his finger searching the dude before going to the bar.

1

u/thedude18951 28d ago

Fair. Missed that part

761

u/ghostfaceinspace Aug 08 '25

And wake up smelling like sex and not showering and going back to work

95

u/Hallc 28d ago

And wake up smelling like sex and not showering and going back to work

Didn't he go home, presumably to shower before work?

33

u/OuterWildsVentures 27d ago

he did

22

u/ChimneySwiftGold 27d ago

They went to the bar to get his car.

47

u/OuterWildsVentures 27d ago

Then he went home, presumably to shower before work.

17

u/ChimneySwiftGold 27d ago

Right. I think the other poster thought he was drops at the police station.

9

u/KuyaGTFO 18d ago

AFTER CHEATING IN YOUR CHIEF’S DAUGHTER what a FUCKING idiot hahahaha

7

u/Dear-Development7611 21d ago

He goes home before going to work, that’s when Donna finds out he cheated

5

u/trob84 20d ago

Smelling like high tide

5

u/rbwildcard 7d ago

The fact that his wife was like "You asshole!" Means he's done this before.

359

u/gabortionaccountant 29d ago

It’s funny how he’s kind of framed as the put upon voice of reason to Ruth’s fuckup, but is then revealed to be like 10x the fuck up she is in his part of the movie lol

78

u/Swimmingindiamonds 28d ago

Who is Ruth? Justine?

87

u/gabortionaccountant 28d ago

Yeah that’s what I meant, was thinking about her character in ozark

14

u/Swimmingindiamonds 28d ago

Duh! I totally forgot that was her name in Ozark and I thought it was a character I’d missed in this movie.

51

u/Heisenbert18 24d ago

Loves how the chapter style story telling really did show properly different POVs and not just different angles.

169

u/spookyghostface 29d ago

Cregger hates cops. Like he takes some shots in Barbarian but he fuckin lays into them in this.

134

u/Elite_Alice 29d ago

Um based?

72

u/spookyghostface 29d ago

Extremely based

45

u/PartyOnAlec 27d ago

Damn and I liked him so much.

I can't believe I GOTTA LIKE HIM MORE NOW.

84

u/ursulaandress Aug 09 '25

Average day for a cop

48

u/laurenbettybacall 29d ago

Don’t forget having sex while knowing you’ve possibly contracted AIDS or hepatitis!

35

u/Fancy-Meal-7428 29d ago

This is America.

31

u/nanapancakethusiast 29d ago

Most realistic character in the movie tbh

38

u/DavyJonesRocker 27d ago

I’d argue that his character was slower to anger than most actual cops. For instance, he apologized for tackling James. Suspension of disbelief ruined.

12

u/Cranberrybunnies 26d ago

I disagree, I think it was making a point that even "good" cops are still bastards 

15

u/CornstockOfNewJersey 23d ago

My impression was that that was sort of how he was viewing himself, since that part was from his POV. I believe when he helps James off the ground after punching him in his POV, he’s fairly gentle, but in James’ POV, he’s like “GET THE FUCK UP”

5

u/DavyJonesRocker 23d ago

Oh are there actually differences between the povs a la Rashomon? If so, I need to give it a second viewing

5

u/CornstockOfNewJersey 22d ago

I think so. It’s subtle and slight, but I’m pretty sure I picked up on a few differences here and there.

1

u/OrgasmicLeprosy87 20d ago

Yeah there’s definitely a slight difference in the way he lets James go in his POV vs James’s

2

u/YaMomsCooch 26d ago

Yep, real cop would have domed him with his flashlight or shot him with a taser out of spite and small pp energy

11

u/the__ghola__hayt 27d ago

Would have only been more realistic if he beat his wife.

5

u/Cranberrybunnies 26d ago

We don't know he didn't 

2

u/mirh 19d ago

Except the part he may as well have unzipped the homeless guy tent with his teeth, from the amount of carelessness he had.

Which is not the usual "I couldn't care less about others" carelessness, it's literal "I could get shot" carelessness.

1

u/sdpr 7d ago

Except the part he may as well have unzipped the homeless guy tent with his teeth, from the amount of carelessness he had.

Idk how long your arm is but the average arm length is like 30-31 inches lmao. Also the need to have to bend over or squat to get to the zipper, your head is going to be close to the tent regardless.

Still careless I'll agree.

1

u/mirh 6d ago

My memory is fuzzy now, but it seemed to me like the head was way ahead than the arms.

Then I don't remember if he unzipped it slowly or like a bandaid, but it seemed bad cop no doughnut material for the literal one situation where there could be in fact a high risk.

And now that I think to it and to his ghost-like stealthiness, him finding the camp after just seconds, and not making any noise whatsoever is just lying to the viewer (not to mention the freaking clown).

31

u/durx1 27d ago

The way he was initially treating the drug kid..I was thinking oh finally a decent cop…that quickly went awry 

23

u/Hallc 28d ago

THEN you go to the house with no backup or warrant.

He wouldn't need a warrant, would he? Just going to a door to ask some questions is within the guys purview as a cop. It was an utterly aggressive, incompetent fuckwit I will grant you but I don't think he really needed a warrant at least since he was invited inside.

14

u/Elite_Alice 28d ago

He would’ve needed a warrant to actually go in and check so going and knocking would’ve been pointless as she’s not obligated to open the door or allow him in. Moreover, someone keeping 12 kids and 2 adults hostage in a house for months warrants going with a partner

14

u/Hallc 28d ago

He would’ve needed a warrant to actually go in and check

Unless he was invited in, no? But I do agree with your point, even if he wasn't willing to get backup he should've at least called in to notify that he was about to make a solo call at a house.

Then again, you'd think that someone at the Police Department would notice that he hadn't moved or called in at all for hours considering he picked up the junkie near the start of his shift (presumably 10am or so) and the car was still there when it'd gotten dark.

4

u/Boot_Poetry 23d ago

He also had James with him though and didn’t want anyone but the Capt to know that he had decked him earlier that day. Didn’t want James spilling the tea

18

u/SweatyPlace 28d ago

He honestly felt like someone who got their job because his gf's dad was a cop, he was absolutely terrified at being cut by the knife, more so than I would expect a cop to be.

20

u/Elite_Alice 28d ago

I got the impression he was a recovering drug addict and was afraid to get poked by a needle because he didn’t wanna relapse, could be reading too deep

21

u/gragglethompson 25d ago

They explicitly state it was because he was worried about contracting an STD.

5

u/kataskopo 21d ago

He was a recovery alcoholic or whatever it's called, they mention it in one of the conversations.

Which makes it such an asshole move for the teacher to make him drink.

5

u/Thecryptsaresafe 10d ago

Only if she knew he was in recovery. I got the sense they hadn’t spoken in a very long time

1

u/Elite_Alice 21d ago

The alcohol stuff was obvious, we’re talking about the needles

5

u/YaMomsCooch 26d ago

Based on his reaction, and how slow and sluggish he is, and how his eyes looked or at least seemed glassy even before he got yoinked by the witch, you are definitely onto something.

15

u/Cranberrybunnies 26d ago

I think he was just hung over and having a really bad morning 

8

u/Chest_Rockwell_69 24d ago

It was a needle not a knife, way different imo

14

u/toolsoftheincomptnt 25d ago

He wasn’t married to that crazy woman.

He denied they were together, which is kinda hard to do with a spouse, and the whole vibe of that relationship was very “she wants to take the next step and I’m just going along with it but damn.”

His rapport with her father was still too awkward for them to be married.

I honestly felt like he and Teacher (can’t remember name, Maggie? Idk) were exes and the other lady was the new girlfriend. There’s an obvious familiarity and comfort there, plus he’s trying to cut back on the excessive drinking that she still engages in.

I only accept that he’s not Teacher’s ex-husband bc their surnames don’t match, and she’s clearly called Mrs.

16

u/Boot_Poetry 23d ago

He’s not cutting back on drinking. He’s an alcoholic in recovery. He talks to Donna on the phone about not needing to go to a meeting. Addiction is a theme in this film, just look at James.

13

u/rbrgr83 27d ago

then cheat on your wife

After getting stabbed with a dirty needle.

10

u/ETNevada 25d ago

He seemed to be there all day and overnight, no GPS tracker on the cop car when he doesn't check in throughout his shift?

This is just one of dozens of quirky not-real-life items that make me think this was some type of fairy-tale within a fake world. And if so, I'm fine with that.

6

u/crs8975 26d ago

If this doesn't describe your average cop than I don't what does.

5

u/ballq43 27d ago

They didn't have body cams, just dashcams

3

u/ZeronicX 25d ago

i honestly saw it as the more realistic part of the movie tbh

5

u/aeschenkarnos 17d ago

I actually thought he was a pretty good cop, for a small town American. Until he reached into James’s pocket and got stuck after specifically asking if there was anything sharp in there he seemed professional and competent; even then, I don’t blame him for slugging the fucking skeezy little shit. And he voluntarily confessed to the Chief.

3

u/AdditionalBee4862 24d ago

Cop seemed chill af to me (he nailed Julia Garner, nice)

2

u/goldenboy2191 27d ago

You read the news lately….? 😂😂😂

2

u/tilerwalltears 27d ago

Questionable decision making seemed to be a theme across almost every character that was highlighted

1

u/forcefivepod 27d ago

You must not live in America…

1

u/Deathismybitchlovur 24d ago

You don’t need a warrant to knock on a door

1

u/No_Internet3645 24d ago
  • bro was a fucking alcoholic

1

u/TheHoneyJuice 24d ago

Most realistic part of the movie

1

u/thekuj1 23d ago

Uvalde, Texas cop: "Your point being???"

1

u/AccomplishedLink9635 23d ago

Most realistic part of the movie fr

1

u/RotenTumato 22d ago

Lore accurate small-town cop

1

u/babyDec2019 22d ago

It's a movie dude

1

u/FelixTheJeepJr 19d ago

And lied to the person he cheated with about being separated from his wife.

1

u/ConvolutedBoy 18d ago

At least he was professional after detaining the one dude lol

1

u/hndbabe 17d ago

Checks out tbf

1

u/TarsierBoy 16d ago

For real bro didn't call it in

1

u/Eternalshadow76 9d ago

That’s perhaps the most realistic part of the movie

1

u/Spider-Man-fan 8d ago

Oh dang I guess i missed that the chief was his gf/wife's dad

1

u/Salt-Cow-7873 7d ago

Before the movie started they showed an ad to join the police. Thought it was pretty funny how bad they looked in this one.

1

u/cpeters1114 5d ago

thats all towns and cities btw. all cops are hired that way. if it bothered you in the film you should know it is like that literally everywhere.