Don’t maintain your breath ready for a movie celebrating the “good man with a gun” narrative.
Simply as unlikely? A gun-toting rabbi taking the phrase “by no means once more” into his personal palms. Unlikely, however not not possible, because it seems.
The indie thriller “Weapons & Moses” follows a fed-up Rabbi who arms himself following a buddy’s assassination. It’s a ripped-from-the-headlines yarn created earlier than the occasions of Oct. 7. Its timeliness couldn’t work any higher on its behalf.
Sadly.
“Weapons & Moses” doubles as a close-up of Jewish traditions, however the movie’s unconventional hero units this thriller aside. Step apart, Soiled Harry, Rabbi Mo is on the town and he’s packing … brownies.
Rabbi Moses “Mo” Zaltzman (Mark Feuerstein, glorious) welcomes an previous buddy’s contribution to his synagogue. Rabbi Mo has been understanding of a storefront for too lengthy, and a donation from benefactor Alan Rosner (Dermot Mulroney) will permit his flock to broaden in the end.
An murderer kills Alan throughout a ceremony honoring that present. All indicators level to Clay Gibbons (Jackson A. Dunn), a White Nationalist who beforehand tangled with Rabbi Mo.
Open and shut case, proper? The Rabbi isn’t satisfied of the teenager’s guilt, so he begins investigating leads that native legislation enforcement deemed nugatory. And the extra he investigates, the extra he realizes he wants safety to maintain his household secure.
We all know what which means.
ScreenRant presents an unique BTS clip from Weapons & Moses.
The crime thriller starring Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Lloyd, Neal McDonough, and Mark Feuerstein arrives in theaters on July 18. #gunsandmoses pic.twitter.com/smHHFeDvgJ
— Display screen Rant (@screenrant) July 15, 2025
Our bodies begin to pile up, and the whodunnit components come into sharp reduction. Greed, inexperienced power and ambitions collide, and extra lives may very well be in danger.
Can Rabbi Mo clear up the homicide, or will he be subsequent on the killer’s “to-do” checklist?
“Weapons & Moses” opens with a western-style rating, and that’s no accident. Swap the settings, and this story would match properly throughout the style. Besides director/co-writer Salvador Litvak understands the stakes in play. Jews have been beneath assault for a while, and their vulnerability makes them a goal.
The movie advantages from acquainted faces lending gravitas to the yarn. Christopher Lloyd performs a Holocaust survivor who memorably remembers his historical past for a wayward teen. Neal McDonough, out of the blue as busy as Pedro Pascal, co-stars as a mayor surprised by Alan’s homicide.
Jake Busey isn’t granted a lot display time, however he leaves an impression as Clay’s stricken Pa.
“Weapons & Moses” spends high quality time upending stereotypes, all of the whereas specializing in Jewish tradition in methods most motion pictures ignore. That alone provides the movie a way of inventive urgency.
Feuerstein’s reluctant hero pushes redemption in addition to lead slinging. He’s a really completely different type of hero, and the veteran actor by no means embraces his vigilante potential.
He’s afraid however resolute, unwilling to change into one more statistic.
The movie wraps in a method that is smart on paper, nevertheless it nonetheless breaks the movie’s humble tone. That unfolds according to the subject material, however the transition nonetheless feels jarring.
The message all through stays clear. The villains in “Weapons & Moses” messed with the improper Rabbi.
HiT or Miss: “Weapons & Moses” suffers from a tonal shift within the third act, nevertheless it’s a cautionary story informed with coronary heart and confidence.