Anyone who's ever wanted to see something violent happen to Nick Cannon will get their wishes right away. I avoid discussing spoilers in my reviews, so trust me when I say it's the very first shot of the film in which Reggie (Cannon), absently chewing on a burger in the middle of a fast food restaurant, takes a shotgun blast to the back of the head right into the lens. His mildly mysterious, out-of-focus attacker turns and walks out, and the movie begins from there: everything you learn about the characters or happens in the other 70 minutes is leading up to that brutal opening sequence.

The movie is broken up into chapters, each with a bold title (like "Bulletproof" or "I'm Making a Movie"), and while the lead actor shifts from segment to segment, the same key players appear in all of them. Sean (Webber) has just returned from out of town and is reconnecting with some old friends. Jason (Riley Smith) is stinging from a fight at a house party (or perhaps several), and is looking to get some revenge. Chris (Dano) is a sycophantic tagalong clawing desperately for acceptance by playing with a digital video camera. Along with Cannon's Reggie character, these four people make up the heart of the story.

That story is where the movie hits a bunch of speed bumps. Despite the suggestively action-packed title, Weapons is a character study, and a good chunk of the movie (especially the first segment) is spent just watching the characters go about their lives. I wouldn't say it was boring, because it's a fairly honest and accurate portrayal of suburban life, but it's easy to think Weapons might have started life as a short film instead of a feature. The characters are also surprisingly well-performed, especially Nick Cannon (I'm not sure he's quite impressive, but he holds his own with ease) and Mark Webber (most people might recognize him from Freddy vs. Jason). The movie is also more interested in how the audience feels about the events that are occurring and less about whether or not those events themselves are interesting all on their own.

Director Adam Bhala Lough shoots in a handheld style designed to accentuate the reality of the film. The constant movement is a little annoying, although this isn't a Bourne film, so I doubt anyone will get motion sick. Like any good Sundance auteur, Lough also plays out Weapons in non-chronological order, which flattens out the natural tension of the story so that Lough can create new tension. I'm not sure what purpose it serves, but the film flows pretty well, so I guess it doesn't matter.

No, the Weapons is not its ambition or style but that it wants to send a message, yet it doesn't seem to have any concrete feelings about what that message is. Is it about the rising tide of violence in America? Is it about the rash decisions kids make in order to be accepted, fit in, and stand for something? The title itself implies that the movie is about weapons of some sort, thematic, literal, or otherwise, but there's not much emphasis on them in the film, other than their basic presence. I suppose the film raises interesting questions, which is a commendable trait, and it isn't preachy, which most movies on the subject (especially independent films) have a tendency to go way overboard on.

I appreciated most of what Weapons was trying to show me and the craft that went into presenting it, but at the end I was unsure of what it actually wanted me to see. It's an intriguing conversation piece of a movie, and viewers with patience will probably find the movie to be worth a look, especially for the surprisingly strong performances from the young cast, but when the credits roll you may find yourself forced to make up your own mind about what the movie is actually about.

The DVD
Weapons has passable cover art ruined by small but insistently dopey touches (a horrible tagline and some poorly placed "zinging" bullets). The single-width case I got it in was also one of those dumb new eco-friendly cases with huge holes punched out of them that are likely to end up stabbed through with a pencil before they ever reach store shelves. No insert is included, and the menu is simple.

The Video
weapons looks pretty low-def in this 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The movie doesn't quite look digital (except, of course, for the clips taken from Chris' DV camera), but it is extremely soft, contains constant ghosting and blur, and is often hot, with whites burning out on a constant basis. All in all, I expect this is about as good as the movie will ever look, but it's a pretty mediocre DVD transfer.

The Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio is equally middle of the road. Aside from the occasional song or gunshot, everything comes pretty much straight through the front, and the occasional party or outside scene fails to activate the surrounds much either. 2.0 English is also included, along with English and Spanish subtitles.

The Extras
None, other than trailers for My Bloody Valentine 3-D, The Spirit, Punisher: War Zone, Kids, Bully and Way Past Cool.

Conclusion
Weapons is a challenging DVD to grade: it isn't worth twenty dollars, especially given the mediocre A/V and the complete lack of extras, but I'd like to endorse the movie more strongly than adding it to a Netflix queue. In this case, however, my appreciation for a well-made (if open-ended) independent film is going to win out, so I'll recommend seeing Weapons, if you can find it on sale.