Samuel wants to get home to his daughter. The man offering him a way out is the prison warden. That is the ugly bargain at the heart of The Weight, the Depression-era thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. After playing at Sundance, Padraic McKinley’s film opens in US theaters today, September 18.
Hawke plays Samuel, a father sent to a work camp in 1933 Oregon. Crowe plays Clancy, a warden who can grant him freedom if Samuel helps move gold out of a remote mine. The promise is simple; the job is not. A small group must make a dangerous journey, and every mile brings Samuel closer to either the life he lost or another trap.
What makes the bargain hurt?
The film has the tools of an adventure: harsh country, a valuable load and men who may not trust one another. But Samuel is not taking the risk for a payday. The possibility of seeing his daughter gives the warden power over him. That personal stake keeps the story from being just a puzzle about how to smuggle gold.
Sundance’s account of the film places the action in the Depression, when survival itself could make a terrible deal look reasonable. McKinley directed the feature, and the official trailer frames Clancy as a man who knows exactly what Samuel wants. Crowe’s imposing presence turns the offer into a threat even before the mission begins.
The trailer shows rivers, woods and the mine, all far from any easy rescue. It also makes clear that the men sent on the journey are not a comfortable team. The less predictable question is whether Samuel can keep hold of the reason he agreed to go in the first place.
Who else is in the film?
Alongside Hawke and Crowe, the cast includes Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash and Sam Hazeldine. The ensemble matters because the escape does not belong to Samuel alone: other men have their own motives and their own ideas about the gold. The preview shows the pressure rising within the group without giving away who makes it home.
The Weight is McKinley’s feature and comes to theaters through Vertical. Its original Sundance presentation built interest around its old-fashioned adventure feel, but this is not a review or a promise that every audience will read it the same way. The theatrical opening is the news today; the film can now be judged on the screen.
Is it streaming?
The confirmed US opening is in theaters on September 18. Theater listings will vary by city. An at-home streaming date is not part of the official release information used here, so there is no reason to tell readers to expect it on a particular service yet.
If you are choosing a movie tonight, the hook is clear: two powerful actors face off over an offer Samuel cannot comfortably refuse. The gold creates the journey. His daughter is why the journey matters.
See cast, premise and release details on our The Weight movie page.
