All articles tagged with #the weight
Ethan Hawke discusses making The Weight with on-location shoots to preserve realism, the antihero-driven storytelling, and his collaboration with Russell Crowe; he reflects on his Marvel Moon Knight era, the streaming market’s shifts, and why The Lowdown suits him now, while leaving open the possibility of a Black Phone trilogy if Scott Derrickson remains inspired.
Padraic McKinley’s debut The Weight follows Ethan Hawke as a Depression-era prisoner forced to shepherd a team of fellow inmates on a perilous gold-haul across Oregon’s mountains, with Russell Crowe as the warden. While the movie delivers adrenaline-drenched set pieces and Hawke’s commanding performance helps keep the ride engaging, the screenplay leans on blunt racial optics and narrative devices, making it a largely thrilling but uneven wilderness thriller.
A four-film reviews roundup centers on Ethan Hawke’s restrained lead in Padraic McKinley’s The Weight, a 1930s Pacific Northwest prison-heist drama that nods to classic thrillers with practical effects and strong character work; it’s joined by Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom (a warm, silent-stop-motion Halloween romp), The Stunt Driver (a sincere Canadian stuntman biopic led by Jay Baruchel), and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Mahershala Ali in a tense thriller about faith and violence that struggles with its ambitions). Overall, Hawke’s standout performance anchors a mix of nostalgia-soaked homage, family-friendly entertainment, and uneven thematic explorations.
Ethan Hawke, flanked by wife Ryan Shawhughes and their 15-year-old daughter Indiana, turned a Deauville red carpet into a family affair as he was honored at the Deauville American Film Festival and his upcoming film The Weight was listed for premiere; Indiana wore a white bohemian dress, Ryan wore a sheer black gown, and the couple’s family—also including Hawke’s older children Maya and Levon and his daughter Clementine Jane (18) from his marriage to Uma Thurman—has largely stayed out of the spotlight.
Padraic McKinley’s debut The Weight is a mood-driven Depression-era crime drama set in 1933 Oregon, with Hawke delivering a soulful center as a father caught in a ruthless gold-smuggling plot led by a corrupt warden (Crowe). While the film evokes 1970s survival thrillers and benefits from strong performances and a tense score, it remains murky and underpowered in storytelling, offering atmosphere more than sustained momentum at Sundance.
At Sundance, The Weight follows a Depression-era prison escape led by Ethan Hawke’s Samuel Murphy and a corrupt warden played by Russell Crowe, as a diverse crew of inmates attempts to smuggle gold across backcountry Oregon. With strong performances, moody cinematography, and a throwback Western-adventure vibe, the film is pitched as a potential awards-season contender and a revival of old-school studio adventure.
At Sundance Hawke described doing most stunts in The Weight and stressed the film’s grounded, human-scale action, and he told Maya Hawke that after Stranger Things ends she should move on and not look back, underscoring his belief in continual work and collaboration with his daughter.