THE WEIGHT Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Padraic McKinley
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Lucas Lynggaad Tonneson, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Julia Jones, George Burgess, Alex Newman, Sam Hazeldine, Avy Berry.
This tense drama is set in Oregon in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression.
Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) is a down on his luck single father, a former soldier and mechanic who is struggling to find work. He runs afoul of a couple of corrupt cops while looking for some temporary accommodation for himself and his young daughter Penny (Avy Berry, from Hollyoaks, etc) and is sent to prison. Murphy ends up working as part of a chain gang helping to build a road in the Oregon wilderness, while Penny is sent to foster care. Clancy (Russell Crowe) is sympathetic towards Murphy’s situation and offers him a chance at earning an early release so he can rescue his daughter from foster care before she is put up for adoption. All he has to do is help transport an illicit shipment of gold bullion through the wilderness in five days.
Local mining boss Taggert (Alec Newman) is keen to remove a small fortune in bullion from a remote mine before Roosevelt’s government can confiscate it to help combat the Great Depression that has put an economic strain on the government.
Murphy and a couple of other trustworthy convicts – Olson (Lucas Lynggaad Tonneson), Rankin (Austin Amelio) and Singh (Avi Nash) – carry five backpacks laden with gold across 100 miles of harsh wilderness. They are accompanied by a couple of brutal and unscrupulous guards (former NRL player and boxer George Burgess and Sam Hazeldine). The presence of Anna (Julia Jones, from Wind River, etc), a feisty indigenous woman eager to escape the mining camp, adds another complication to the perilous journey.
They embark on a physically arduous journey across a harsh terrain. Some of the natural challenges they face include crossing a chasm via a rickety wooden suspension bridge and crossing a river carrying floating logs. Before long though the mission is further shaped by suspicion, mistrust, paranoia and violence.
Written by television writer Matthew Booi, film composer and first-time screen writer Shelby Gaines and Matthew Chapman (the 2011 drama The Ledge, etc), this depression era adventure is reminiscent of the classic 1953 French drama The Wages Of Fear, albeit with gold bullion instead of nitro glycerine. But gold brings with it its own danger – greed and violence. The clever title has multiple meanings in the context of the film – it can refer to the physical weight that the men are carrying on their backs; the emotional weight of Murphy potentially losing his daughter due to circumstances beyond his control; the loss of hope during the height of the depression; or the weight of responsibility that Murphy feels in carrying out this illegal task.
The Weight marks the debut feature film for director Padriac McKinley, who hails from a background in television and film editing, and his direction is muscular. He maintains the tension for the bulk of the film’s running time. This is a visually gorgeous film thanks to the spectacular locations and atmospheric cinematography from Matteo Cocco. Although set in Oregon, The Weight was actually filmed in Bavaria.
Hawke delivers a strong performance here in a fairly physically demanding role, and he lends gravitas to the material. He brings a strong sense of gritty determination, quiet intelligence and morality to his role as the brave, softly spoken and resourceful Murphy. His weathered face and taciturn nature perfectly suit the character. Crowe has a strong presence in the small but integral role of the enigmatic Clancy who essentially bookends the drama.
★★★☆
