In modern times with digital currency and records readily available, it’s hard to fathom how things used to work, with physical gold and paper documents absolutely critical to amassing and holding onto any sort of wealth or property. The Weight tells a story very much grounded in the past that relies on a high-risk transportation operation as the only way for value to be protected and, for those charged with it, their chance at securing their freedom, provided they survive the journey.
Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) lives with his young daughter Penny (Avy Murphy) in Oregon during the Great Depression. When they’re evicted from their home and in search of new lodging, a misunderstanding with law enforcement quickly escalates and leads to his arrest. Brought to a labor camp where convicts work to build a road under the supervision of Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe), Murphy quickly stands out thanks to his technical knowledge and creative problem-solving. That makes him the perfect candidate to, along with fellow prisoners Olson (Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen), Singh (Avi Nash), and Rankin (Austin Amelio), traverse the woods on a six-day trek carrying gold bars, promised an early release should they arrive at their destination successfully with none of the bounty missing.
Filmmaker Padraic McKinley has created something truly immersive here, reminiscent of the world of Train Dreams but following a less isolated character on a far more treacherous path. Murphy and his fellow prisoners know that, though they’ve been told that the money they are carrying is to be handed over to President Roosevelt to help boost the economy, their mission is decidedly off-book and the two armed guards traveling with them may have other designs once they reach their destination. Yet facing a longer term of hard labor – and Murphy running out of time to get his daughter before she’s put up for adoption – this feels like the only option, even if they’re risking their lives to reach an uncertain destination.
The woods are expansive and often quite dangerous, as evidenced by one particularly stressful scene in which Murphy has to stand in the middle of a shaky bridge catching and tossing the bars one by one since the bridge can’t hold much more than just his weight. They’re also weary of strangers they meet along the way who can deduce that their bags are holding something heavy, and Murphy is particularly alert to the risks of lighting a fire and attracting the attention of those who could easily follow and attack them. Matteo Cocco’s cinematography is complemented well by the atmospheric score by frequent Hawke collaborator Shelby Gaines, who also worked on the film’s screenplay.
This film features a small but tight-knit cast since it follows six men – and one woman, Anna (Julia Jones), who is resourceful and joins the group shortly after they leave the mine – for the majority of its runtime. Hawke is dependable as always, gregarious and endearing around his daughter and then serious and somber when he’s away from her, and he does an excellent job of portraying Murphy’s wilderness resilience and calmness under pressure. Tonnesen, Nash, and Amelio are an effective trio representing a range of lived experiences and attitudes, and Jones adds welcome humor and poise as someone frequently underestimated because of her gender who is easily the most competent of the group aside from – or perhaps even more than – Murphy. Crowe shows that, in this new era of his career following Nuremberg, he’s once again taking on worthwhile projects and roles that use his talents well.
The premise of this film isn’t especially complicated, but that straightforward setup is perfect for this entirely captivating journey, which uses intertitles like “Six Days Out” as the only marker of time or place for these people following a map but entirely uncertain of what they’ll encounter along the way or if they’ll even make it in one piece. McKinley steers the ship with minimal fanfare, allowing the environment to add so much to the storytelling and simple obstacles to create tremendous complications. The film also manages to find moments of cleverness and joy, offering a well-rounded experience that’s stressful and suspenseful but never too harrowing thanks to a well-written script and solid cast who keep this plot captivating and enthralling from start to finish.
Movie Rating: 8/10
The Weight premieres in the Premieres section at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
