Light spoilers follow for “Weapons” — if you haven’t seen the movie yet, tread carefully!
Ever since we first heard rumblings about Zach Cregger’s second solo directorial debut “Weapons,” audiences and fans of Cregger’s 2022 horror hit “Barbarian” have been wondering what the former sketch comedian had up his sleeve. Turns out, “Weapons” was bigger, better, and more ambitious than “Barbarian,” and in many ways, that comes down to the movie’s central cast. Cregger takes a cue from Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film “Magnolia” and tells the story of “Weapons” — a story that centers around 17 children vanishing at 2:17 in the morning with no obvious or apparent explanation — throughout vignettes focused on six character. First we have teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), who taught the third grade class of children that disappear save for one, followed by grieving dad Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), inept cop Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), struggling addict James (Austin Abrams), the well-meaning but ineffectual school principal Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong), and Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the only child from Justine’s class who didn’t run gently into that good night.
As it turns out, the mystery in “Weapons” centers around both Alex and his “aunt,” the mysterious and bizarre Gladys (an absolutely astoundingly transformed Amy Madigan). Gladys, who is either Alex’s aunt or great-aunt (depending on when you ask her), is a genuinely terrifying figure who barely appears in the promotional material for “Weapons,” keeping Madigan and Gladys’ absolutely wild look a huge secret (to great effect). We won’t get too much into the weeds where Gladys is concerned, so you’ll have to check out “Weapons” for yourself if you wat to know more … but where have you seen Madigan before? Considering that Madigan has been a star on the big and small screen since 1981, you’ve probably seen a handful of her performances … but might not have recognized her fully under Gladys’ upsetting makeup.
Amy Madigan has been working on the big screen for years
One of the most surprising things about Amy Madigan’s stunningly outrageous performance as Gladys in “Weapons” is, again, just her sheer physical transformation … especially when people figured out that Madigan also played Annie Kinsella, wife of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) in the 1989 sports drama “Field of Dreams.” The film earned an Oscar nomination for best picture, and by that point, Madigan was no stranger to the awards ceremony; she earned her own nod for best supporting actress for the 1985 film “Twice in a Lifetime” where she starred alongside Ann-Margret, Ellen Burstyn, and Brian Dennehy.
Right after “Field of Dreams,” Madigan starred in “Uncle Buck” as Chance Kobolowski and went on to take roles in movies like “Female Perversions,” “Pollock,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “Sweetwater,” and “Rules Don’t Apply,” just to name a few. In recent years, though, Madigan hinted at her “Weapons” appearance — undoubtedly by accident — when she appeared in another original horror movie, “Antlers,” in 2021. Here’s the funny thing, though: in “Antlers,” a teacher (Keri Russell’s Julia Meadows) worries about a young boy in her class, Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T. Thomas) who seems to be having trouble at home, though she’s completely unaware that his home has actually been attacked and held hostage by a demon. Madigan’s character in “Antlers,” Ellen Booth, is a victim of the malevolent entity rather than the entity itself (as she is in “Weapons”), but still, this parallel is pretty eerie!
You’ve definitely seen Amy Madigan on the small screen before
If you’ve managed to miss Amy Madigan’s major performances on the big screen, you’ve probably seen her on a TV show at some point, because she’s been appearing in guest and recurring roles on television shows for decades now. Madigan made her television debut in 1981 with an episode of “Hart to Hart” and went on to show up in now-classic shows like “CHiPS” and “Frasier” as well as the TV movie “Roe v. Wade” in 1989, which won her a Golden Globe and earned her an Emmy nomination.
As far as larger roles go, fans of the HBO original series “Carnivalé” probably recognize Madigan as the deeply religious Iris Crowe, sister of Clancy Brown’s man of god Brother Justin Crowe. If you’ve ever binged “Grey’s Anatomy,” you also probaby recognize Madigan as Dr. Katharine Wyatt, a therapist who works at Seattle Grace Hospital who helps Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) understand a devastating event from her past and who encourages her to pursue the man she loves, Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Around that time, Madigan also appeared on “Fringe” and has also turned in performances on “ER,” “Criminal Minds,” “Grace & Frankie,” “How to Get Away With Murder” (another show produced by Shonda Rhimes, who created “Grey’s Anatomy”), and “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.”
Madigan is an exceptionally talented and experienced performer, and casting her in the pivotal, horrifying role of Gladys in “Weapons” was a masterful play by Zach Cregger. Not only does she deliver a truly unforgettable performance in a film chock full of excellent turns, but the makeup and clothes she sports will, we can only imagine, be a very popular Halloween costume this fall. In any case, Cregger had the right idea: when you write a character as offbeat and weird as Gladys, get someone as great as Madison on board.
“Weapons” is in theaters now.