Weapons movie review: This Josh Brolin, Zach Cregger film starts with chills, ends with a whimper

It’s the kind of suburban American town where everyone seems to be connected to each other. One fine morning, teacher Justine Grady (Julia Garner) walks into her empty classroom, with the exception of a solo boy sitting in the last row, angry parents gather to sling mud. How is it, demands Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), father of the missing Mathew, that the class teacher is as equally at sea as the parents? How can Ms Grady claim that she knows nothing? What is she hiding?

We do get some answers, and in the way the plot unfolds, with different characters becoming the focal points of their ‘chapters’, we see Cregger’s skills in keeping things tight, with jump scares showing up just where they should.

Justine herself is shown to have flaws. She likes her drink, and is to be seen spiking her juice as she stakes out the home of Alex (Cary Christopher), the little boy who has been left behind by his mates. All she wants is to ask some questions, she protests, when questioned by policeman Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) who has history with her. The latter too is no noble cop, coming down harder than he should have on vagrant-druggie Anthony (Austin Abrams), who in turn may have seen more than he should in the basement of a darkened home he breaks into, in search of loot he can sell for his next fix.

Concerned school principal Andrew (Benedict Wong) is steered towards asking some questions of his own from the hollow-eyed Alex: did he hear any of classmates planning the dash-at-night? Could Andrew speak to Alex’s parents? They are unwell, declares a visiting aunt (Amy Madigan), and she is taking care of Alex till they are better. At this point, things could have gone anywhere, but a twist takes ‘Weapons’ into a oh-no-we’ve-seen-this-before direction.

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You could be left searching for metaphors and meanings in this tale, especially when it comes to gunmen stalking primary school classrooms in the US, shooting to kill innocent children. What did this town and its people do to deserve such punishment? After a point, though, it all starts feeling empty: monsters without motives are no longer interesting, and the big reveal takes away the much-needed suspense. Where initially you couldn’t move from the edge of your seat, the bloody fallout leaves you underwhelmed.

Weapons movie cast: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan
Weapons movie director: Zach Cregger
Weapons movie rating: Two and a half stars