Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: In “The Weight,” a new historical drama starring Ethan Hawke and now playing in theatres, a man takes an enormous risk to earn an early prison release and be reunited with his young daughter.

CAST:  Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen, George Burgess, Cameron Brady, Avy Berry, Alec Newman, Sam Hazeldine. Directed by Padraic McKinley.

REVIEW: A showcase for Ethan Hawke, “The Weight” is an effective historical drama elevated by the actor’s emotionally charged study of a desperate man pushed to the limit.

Set in 1933, four years into The Great Depression, the story focusses on Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke), a recently widowed War World I veteran and father to Penny (Avy Berry). A jack of all trades, he can fix anything with a motor but is having a tough time finding work or keeping a roof over his daughter’s head.

Arrested after misunderstanding, he’s sentenced to a hard labor camp while Penny is sent to foster care and will soon be put up for adoption.

Samuel’s obvious intelligence and problem-solving skills catches the attention of the plain-spoken Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe) who offers Samuel a way he could be released before Penny is adopted and gone out of his life forever. “I have a friend who needs a little help,” he says. “I don’t trust any of these boys, but I trust you. You do this thing, your time is done.”

The offer, however, comes with strings attached. Clancy wants Samuel, and three other inmates, to transport precious cargo across very unforgiving terrain. When the job is complete, the warden will sign Samuel’s release papers, and he’ll be reunited with his daughter. But if he fails, he may never see his daughter again. “You ain’t getting your kid back if you’re dead.”

“The Weight” contains elements of a survival thriller and a crime drama and does a nice job of painting a picture of The Great Depression, but those are just some colors director Padraic McKinley uses to create a vivid portrait of his main character Samuel.

On the page and through Hawke’s layered performance, we see a story of a desperate man, not driven by greed, but by his love for his daughter. It raises the emotional stakes and allows Hawke to reveal the width and breadth of Samuel, from his doting dad side to hardened WWI vet and tactician.

McKinley doesn’t hesitate to put Samuel in precarious situations. The action scenes are deliberately paced in keeping with the historical nature of the story, but a sequence on a rickety rope bridge strung high above a deep canyon is low fi, but packs a punch.

“The Weight” has atmosphere to burn and some visceral violence, but it is Hawke who elevates and entertains. Samuel is the film’s most interesting character, and it’s not even close. The rest of the ragtag crew are colorful but broadly drawn place holders who are overshadowed by Hawke and Samuel’s story of resilience and family.