We Don’t Get Movies Like The Weight Much Anymore

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I just finished reading Padraic McKinley’s The Weight, and wow, it really grabbed me! It reminded me a bit of movies like The Wages of Fear or even Sorcerer – but instead of cars, these guys are hiking! It’s a thriller set during the Depression, and it follows a group of prisoners tasked with carrying backpacks full of gold through the Oregon forests. It doesn’t sound huge, but McKinley builds the tension perfectly, both physically and emotionally. Plus, the actors, led by Ethan Hawke, really make you believe in their relationships – the good, the bad, and everything in between. It’s just a really immersive, exciting period piece, and we don’t get enough of those these days!

The film immediately draws you in with a shocking injustice. Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke), a hardworking widower, and his young daughter, Penny, are unexpectedly evicted and then harassed by police while searching for a new home. Tragically, Penny is taken into custody, and Murphy is sent to a harsh work camp run by Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe), a man who loves baseball but enjoys exerting control. Murphy, a skilled mechanic and war veteran, quickly impresses Clancy with his strength and work ethic. He has six months left on his sentence, but Penny will become a ward of the state in just one month. Seeing Murphy’s situation, Clancy makes him an offer: transport three inmates and a shipment of gold across 50 miles of dangerous terrain, and Clancy will secure his immediate release. But if even one gold bar is lost, both Murphy and the inmates will face deadly consequences.

While the story’s central idea might have flaws, the film creates a remarkably believable world with rich details. The filmmakers clearly understand the technical aspects of the story, and they’ve grounded it in real history – referencing Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 order forbidding private gold ownership. This careful approach draws the viewer in. The film also effectively builds tension through the protagonist’s desperate race against time to reach his daughter before she’s adopted. He enlists the help of three fellow inmates – a passionate socialist named Singh, a talkative gambler called Rankin, and a strong, quiet farmer named Olson – and together they embark on a dangerous journey through the wilderness, constantly shadowed by two armed men who are prepared to kill them if anything goes wrong.

The challenges the men face arise naturally from the environment around them. For example, they stumble upon a log drive – a massive collection of logs being floated down a fast-moving river – which creates a thrilling and unexpected danger. A classic rope bridge sequence adds to the excitement. Throughout their journey, the heavy gold bars they carry make the physical struggles even harder and hint at a deeper meaning. The beautiful but unsettling cinematography by Matteo Cocco emphasizes the wildness of the setting and gives the men’s experience a sense of profound weight.

I was completely hooked by The Weight whenever it leaned into being a tense, thrilling survival story. Though the ending, with all the action, felt a bit fast-paced and maybe a little confusing – the director used quick cuts and close-ups which, while exciting, made it feel like things were getting a bit shaky. Honestly, by that point I was so invested in these characters and what was happening to them, I was on the edge of my seat, desperate to see how it all ended. Seriously, you have to see this one with other people – it’s a much better experience that way.

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2026-01-28 21:55