Gold is such an apt metaphor for greed. It’s shiny, it’s heavy, it’s superficial, and it’s obtained through someone’s hard labor. That labor is carried on the backs of the downtrodden and desperate while its benefactors maintain a comfortable distance. Gold prices are currently at an all-time high, a testament to the timelessness of its corrupting allure, while life isn’t getting any easier for those on the bottom of the economic totem pole. Every day, we see news stories about more people struggling to make ends meet or afford healthcare. It’s a devastating sign of the times which director Padraic McKinley taps into in his debut feature, The Weight.
McKinley’s intense and, at times, brutal thriller is crowd-pleasing without being pandering. He melds a winning premise, breathless sequences, and lush photography with the right cast to draw you into the treacherous journey. The Weight borrows from action-adventure films like Cliffhanger and Indiana Jones, but possesses a more thoughtful soul—one hand on its heart, the other on a blade.
McKinley takes us back to another difficult time for the nation: The Great Depression. Sam Murphy (Ethan Hawke) is doing his best to provide for his young daughter (Avy Berry) using his skilled hands and keen mind. While most can’t afford to be scrupulous, the single father tries to set a good example for her through hard work and moral judgment. He projects optimism for her sake, but his strong character isn’t enough to stop their eviction. After unknowingly assaulting a group of police officers while protecting his daughter, Sam is sent to a work camp to pay off his debt to society. When Sam uses his wits to move an enormous boulder, Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe) takes notice. Impressed by his ingenuity and virtue, the warden offers him a deal: freedom in exchange for leading a gold heist. With time running out before the state puts his daughter up for adoption, Sam has no choice but to accept the six-day mission. Luckily for us, the simple smuggling operation becomes more complex and perilous with each passing day.
For the journey, Sam handpicks three of his fellow inmates, not all of whom are ideal candidates. His band of convicts is chaperoned by two armed goons and later take on Anna (Julia Jones), who wants to escape the gold mine and is also willing to work for her freedom. As in a war film or western, the troop shares stories around a campfire and on their trek, shedding light on how they ended up in their respective predicaments. Each accomplice is colored-in enough to elicit our sympathies that pay off when tragedy strikes. It adds to the dramatic stakes of the heart-in-throat sequences McKinley puts them through, including a harrowing rickety-bridge scene that feels fresh despite its well-worn usage. The same can be said for The Weight’s marquee lead.
Certain things are proven to get better with age: cast-iron cookware, catcher’s mitts, and Ethan Hawke. Hawke mines his wealth of sensitivity as a performer to play the devoted dad and invests us in his ultimate goal of reuniting with his daughter. He can also go toe-to-toe with the innately imposing Crowe in their lopsided power dynamic; Sam is unafraid to respond to Clancy’s hard edge with pithy retorts. It’s unfair to say Hawke is experiencing a catchy, portmanteau-labeled renaissance, but there is certainly a newfound momentum behind his stardom. Never fully crossing over to the Hollywood mainstream, Hawke has continued seeking out projects that interest him, working with filmmakers like Pawel Pawlikowski, Paul Schrader, and continuing his longtime collaboration with Richard Linklater. Those “one for me” projects do come with the “one for you” roles, but even those feel like they’re rooted in sincere interest in the project. As he’s aged, he’s found new gears in his performances that build on his intensity and movie star charisma. With another Oscar nomination to his name (his fifth!), it seems Hawke’s peers have also taken note of his progression.
Whether it’s the dialogue-focused Before trilogy, his action thrillers, or the more recent stature as an elder statesman in horror, Hawke brings a sincerity to his performances that pulls you into the diverse worlds of his films. His range has only refined and widened over the years, affording him a character actor versatility as a leading man. He can elevate a film that has its faults or, in a film like The Weight, complement a strong one to help it reach its potential.
The Weight premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.