Debuting earlier this year at Sundance, Padraic McKinley’s The Weight is a muscular, 1970s-style thriller about rugged men doing dangerous shit for rewards they might not live long enough to see. The film is led by Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, and Vertical has dropped the trailer for what I can tell you is one of my favorite movies of the year.
The Depression Era film stars Hawke as a father and a jack-of-all-trades who goes to jail for slugging a bullying cop. He’ll do anything to get out and be reunited with his daughter, so when Crowe’s Warden Clancy offers a chance at early release by smuggling stolen gold to a secret location. But with a crew made up of criminals, it isn’t long before greed and betrayal take hold, making the journey more like a suicide mission.
Also in the cast are Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, and Sam Hazeldine.
McKinley directs from a script by Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, and Shelby Gaines. The film marks McKinley’s directorial debut, and it’s an impressive one. You can check out my early review here.
The Weight opens in theaters on September 18th.
