The Weight
September 15th, 2026
MOVIE: THE WEIGHT
STARRING: ETHAN HAWKE, RUSSELL CROWE, JULIA JONES, AUSTIN AMELIO
DIRECTED BY: PADRAIC MCKINLEY
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 115 MINUTES
A question I often ask after watching a movie is, “Who is this for?” Typically, the answer is everyone, because all cinema should be viewed with an open mind. The Weight, the feature directorial debut from Padraic McKinley, is for everyone, but it’s also for the dads of the world. This is an incredibly strong and gritty thriller, as well as a thrilling mission of survival. The story follows four convicts tasked with carrying large bricks of gold through the wilderness to a destination, all with the hope of being given a second chance at life. The Weight is a sweaty, enthralling, and seriously riveting piece of cinema. It’s a lot to carry.
The year is 1932, and Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke, doing what he always does- delivering great acting) is a single father to Penny (Avy Berry), trying to survive during the height of the Great Depression. There is nothing more dangerous than a desperate man, and Samuel’s desperation begins when he is fired from his job and evicted from his small apartment. Soon after, he gets into a scuffle with a group of police officers. He is sentenced to prison, losing his daughter and everything he had to live for.
Samuel is sent to a prison camp in the wilderness of Oregon, where he is tasked with breaking massive boulders off the roads under the watchful eye of a warden named Clancy (Russell Crowe). It’s a tight ship, with few breaks, a brutally hot sun, and countless ways to die. When Clancy gives Samuel the chance to choose three men for an expedition to transport the gold, he selects Singh (Avi Nash), Olson (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen), and Rankin (Austin Amelio), the only three men he feels he can trust. As they begin their trek, paranoia starts to creep in, with each man wondering whether the others will become greedy for the gold or simply fail to survive the unpredictable dangers of the wilderness. What seems like a simple task quickly becomes a deadly journey, with death lurking around every corner.
One of the biggest highlights of The Weight is not just the breathtaking cinematography from Matteo Cocco, which captures the faces of these men as they sweat, bleed, and get dragged through the mud. The true highlight is the environment itself, from lush green forests to rushing rivers, culminating in a bridge sequence where each brick of gold must be passed assembly-line style from one side to the other. Every inch of the screen feels authentic, evoking the spirit of classic films from the 1960s and ’70s, particularly William Friedkin’s Sorcerer and, to a lesser extent, Cool Hand Luke. Either way, this is a tried-and-true tough-guy movie.
The success of The Weight ultimately relies on McKinley’s excellent direction. He also helps himself with a stellar cast of actors who simply look like they belong in this world. Hawke is always in his element when playing characters consumed by desperation, while Crowe, although not in nearly enough scenes, delivers some of his best work in quite some time.
I love a movie like The Weight. It’s scary, it’s real, and it’s thrilling from beginning to end. One can’t help but be excited to see what McKinley makes next. That may be a heavy burden to carry, but he can handle The Weight. He can handle anything.
3 ½ STARS
THE WEIGHT IS PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
