MOVIES: The Weight (2026, Padraic McKinley)

The story is awfully thin in this action thriller, but Ethan Hawke is strong, and the action sequences were just enough to keep me engaged.

Hawke stars as Murphy, a veteran of World War I who's struggling to provide for his young daughter during the Great Depression. He winds up in prison, with a long enough sentence that his daughter will be removed from foster care and put up for adoption before his release.

As part of his sentence, he's sent to a labor camp, doing work to clear the way for new roads. The warden (Russell Crowe) is impressed by his cleverness and initiative, and moved by his desperation to get back to his child, that he offers Murphy a chance at early release. If Murphy and a crew of fellow inmates can transport some gold bars across many miles of wilderness within six days, the warden will grant him an early release. But, he is warned, if even one bar is lost, the punishment will be brutal.

The crew of four sets off on a perilous wilderness journey -- the role of Oregon is played by Bavaria -- eventually joined by a Native American woman (Julia Jones) whose nature skills prove useful. There are some terrific set pieces along the way -- the crossing of a rickety rope bridge, a river crossing interrupted by a dangerous log jam, confrontations with bandits out to steal the gold.

Crowe's role is significantly smaller than the movie's advertising would lead you to expect; he's present only for a few minutes to set up the journey, and for a few minutes at the end of the journey. He's very good in the role, and the scenes between Crowe and Hawke are the best parts of the movie.

Worth a look when it comes to streaming, if you like this sort of thing, but far from essential viewing.