Weapons (film)

Weapons (stylized as WEAPONS) is a 2007 American teenage crime drama film directed and written by Adam Bhala Lough and starring Nick Cannon, Paul Dano, Mark Webber, Riley Smith, and Brandon Mychal Smith.

Weapons
Film poster
Directed byAdam Bhala Lough[1]
Produced byRobert N. Fried
Dan Keston
Bill Straus
Sol Tryon (executive)
Elizabeth Destro (associate)
Written byAdam Bhala Lough
StarringNick Cannon
Paul Dano
Mark Webber
Riley Smith
Brandon Mychal Smith
CinematographyManuel Claro
Edited byJay Rabinowitz
Production
company
Release date
2007
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000

The film premiered in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released straight-to-DVD by Lionsgate in 2009.

Plot

The film starts off in a violent crime committed against Reggie (Cannon), who ends up having his head blown off while eating a burger in a fast-food restaurant. After his death, the film unveils why Reggie died in the beginning of the film—and ultimately, who killed him.

Welcome Home

The return of Sean (Webber) and his sequential, radical lifestyle—joined by Jason (Riley Smith) and Chris (Dano).

Bulletproof

The previous day, Reggie and his sister Sabrina argue over the bruises on her face. She reveals to him that Jason gave her the scars during a rape, forcing Reggie to retaliate. He brings along his friend Mikey, (Yorker) and Mikey's younger brother James (Smith), to retrieve a gun from Mikey's distant, irrational uncle (Arliss Howard), solely to kill Jason.

I'm Making a Movie

The night of Sabrina's rape through the eyes of Chris.

You Were My First

Sabrina's revealed pregnancy the same night of her rape.

The Funeral

The morning of Jason's funeral, Reggie's death, and his killer's breakdown.

Style

The style in the film foreshadows the characters. Gritty images and shots within scenes are common, but there are also times where the film becomes bright and clear when it is irrelevant, adding to the plot.

Cast

Budget, equipment and reception
"The first and last scenes were shot on 35mm, but most of the film was shot on 16mm. The scenes Paul Dano shot are on a PD150. So initially that was how we wanted to cover it for a number of reasons. We were on a super low budget. It was around $500,000. We were shooting in 18 days and practically speaking there wasn’t going to be time to do traditional coverage. I was more interested in doing something aesthetically that lent itself to this type of run-and-gun style."
— Adam Bhala Lough[2]

The film's budget estimated $500,000.

Dano's character uses a Sony PSR-PD150 in the film for his directorial debut.

The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival but received extremely negative reviews from the critics upon release. At the review aggressor site Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a "rotten" score of 0% based on nine reviews. Critics felt the characters were "unlikeable" yet praised the acting.[3]

Lawsuit and release

There was a lawsuit against the revamped works towards the film, including the rape scene and also a scene where Dano's character urinates on a fellow party member. In general, the film was delayed when After Dark Films, the company that purchased the film at the Sundance Film Festival for a reported 1.1 million dollar advance, failed to contact Lough regarding releasing the film to theaters as planned; consequently, Lough teamed up with Lionsgate for releasing the unrated version of the film straight to DVD.

Music

The film is notable for having an all DJ Screw soundtrack (the first of its kind) and an original score by the band International Friends,[4] originally composed for the film, but inspired by DJ Screw music.

Awards and nominations
Year Award[5] Category Recipient Result
2007 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Adam Bhala Lough Nominated

See also

References
  1. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/382522/Weapons/details
  2. http://www.hammertonail.com/interviews/a-conversation-with-adam-bhala-lough/
  3. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1206853-weapons/
  4. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/weapons-music-from-motion/id338704930
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497470/awards Internet Movie Database
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