I usually don’t say this about a movie, as they are my passion, but this film was unwatchable. I usually don’t take this stance, as I generally believe that every movie has something to offer, but in the case of The Weapon, this was not a movie that I enjoyed. It was a movie that I endured. This took me by surprise, as I was expecting to be moderately entertained given the sheer number of recognizable faces: Cuba Gooding Jr., Bruce Dern, Annalynne McCord, Jack Kesy, and the list goes on. The film even had Richard Grieco, who if I’m being honest, I didn’t recognize until the end credits. However, despite all of this, the film had no real substance, not to mention the cutting between character storylines and time periods, enough to make me want to ask for a roadmap just to keep up. I not sure what the intent was, but I feel safe in saying that this film missed it. Even the action sequences, of which there are many, did not hold my interest. That is saying something, because I love good action film. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what this was.
At its core, I believe that the film was a revenge story. Our protagonist, Dallas, played by the film’s director, Tony Schiena, for reasons that are eventually made clear, is on a solo rampage mission against biker gangs and meth labs. While his motivations do eventually come to light, they aren’t what I would call sufficient for his vendetta. Not to mention, there are also conflicting motivations, as he appears to also have a woman that he genuinely cares for who is mixed up in things as well. This is further complicated by another potential love interest, who sees him like a knight-in-shining-armor type. Dallas seems to be a complex individual, as he clearly does not seem himself as noble or deserving of happiness. Given the ruthlessness that he is capable of, I can see why. This could have played well for the film with some fine tuning. In my opinion, we never get a clear view of Dallas. He is a man of few words, whose past weighs heavily on him, devoted to someone who in my opinion is not worthy of such affection. It’s hard to root for this relationship given the type of person he is trying to protect. She is calculating and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. While her own actions are also explained, once again it was not sufficient. The devotion is clearly one-sided, which in turn takes a character which could have at least been likable and makes him kind of pitiful.
Then there is the plot itself. There is far too much going on and far too many characters. The story is told from too many angles. Dallas is the primary storyline, but then there are times we are following Sean Patrick Flanery’s character, then we are being switched to the Litzy character who finds her fate tied to Dallas; then there is the big bad, Lars, a.k.a Richard Grieco. Further complicating matters, there are several flashback sequences and cutbacks which are used to showcase more of Dallas’ one-man war. All in all, it all just gave me a headache while I tried to keep up with it all. This would have played so much simpler if the focus remained on Dallas and was told in a linear fashion, instead of the attempted nonlinear fashion. Then the conclusion is left open-ended as a means of setting up a follow-on film, and to that I say, please, no. This film was not strong enough to set up any kind of franchise, and the performances in it, even from folks that I have been watching for years and following their careers, even their performances felt phoned-in and inauthentic.
As I said earlier, I do not make this declaration lightly, but for me and in my humble opinion, this is a film that is best avoided. I endured it, and there is nothing about the experience that I can point to for a silver lining. It was a letdown for me, as I’d hoped based on the cast alone to be moderately entertained, but I was surely disappointed.
