If you’ve seen the 2025 movie schedule release Weapons, you already know it’s packed with haunting imagery and disturbing body horror sequences. However, what you might not know is that the flick is genuinely funny at times, rivaling some of the best horror-comedies of all time. And according to Josh Brolin, the star of the blockbuster hit, one particular line of dialogue stood out so much that none other than David Fincher gave it the ultimate compliment. And yes, it involves an f-bomb.
Brolin revealed the story on the new podcast On Film…with Kevin McCarthy, where he couldn’t resist sharing the anecdote about Fincher’s reaction. According to the Goonies star:
You know, Fincher told him it’s the greatest line in R-rated history. Which I love, Fincher fucking said that.
For those who haven’t had the chance to watch the new horror movie, the moment in question comes when Brolin’s character suffers a surreal and horrifying dream, only to suddenly wake up and blurt out a bewildered, perfectly timed: “What the fuck?!?!”
The American Gangster actor seems to believe the beauty of the line was in its raw simplicity, which is an honest reaction to chaos rather than a neatly scripted speech. The fact that Fincher, one of the most meticulous directors in Hollywood, singled it out as one of the top movie f-bombs of all time only amplified the impact.
As Brolin explained, the comment came after Cregger reached out to Fincher to get his thoughts on the film. The Fight Club and Gone Girl director reportedly watched Weapons closely but had almost no notes. As the Avengers: Endgamestar tells it:
He actually said that, because Zach is close with him, and he went through the film, and he had very little notes. You know, Zach said ‘Will you please watch it and just tell me what you think?’ And he had very, very few things to say. I think it was more like you could cut out two frames here, two frames there. It’s like almost nothing.
A throwaway curse word to be so well-regarded might sound a bit strange, but as Brolin explains in the full interview, which you can watch below, he sees it differently. Those raw, honest reactions and the specific kind of comedy really stick with people, and in a flick as bizarre and unsettling as Weapons, that shocked “What the fuck?!” is kind of like a pressure release for the audience. This interplay of horror and comedy is something Weapons director Zach Creggar is becoming a master at.
It also doesn’t hurt that Fincher has spent his career crafting some of the most quotable R-rated dialogue in film history. From Se7en’s infamous “What’s in the box?!” to the cutting barbs of The Social Network, he knows the power of a line that captures a character’s emotional breaking point.
Zach Cregger’s well-reviewed Weapons, his highly anticipated follow-up to the chaos of Barbarian, has quickly become one of the standout horror films of 2025, and it’s been dominating at the box office. Josh Brolin’s “Fincher-endorsed” f-bomb is just one reason audiences are connecting with the film.
Love it or not, the buzz is undeniable, and if you’re a movie fan, you owe it to yourself to head to your local theater, arms outstretched like the missing kids in the movie, and experience Weapons on the big screen while it’s still playing.
