As a film critic, I can appreciate big blockbusters, but I’ve always found that smaller, more independent movies tend to be better. The best movies are the ones that we discover and that completely catch us off guard. Another good example for me this year is The Weight, starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. It’s a heist movie that masquerades as a prison movie. But it’s unlike any other heist movie because it’s about stealing gold and transporting it through Oregon’s rugged, heavily wooded terrain. When a chance to get an early parole comes up for a down-on-his-luck father who’s just trying to keep his family together and stay afloat, but ends up in prison, he jumps at the chance to transport gold that he knows is basically being stolen by cops and prison guards. Ethan Hawke is no stranger to great performances, and this is certainly one of his best. However, there are so many subtleties in the storytelling that make it an intense experience for the audience; it makes it a movie worth watching. Here’s why.
Yes, the Great performances of Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe help drive this movie along with the beautiful performance of Julia Jones; there’s interesting character development among the prisoners and their motivations. But it is the journey itself through the harsh terrain, which in itself is its own character, that keeps building intensity until the end, especially if you don’t know whether they’re going to make it on time to deliver the gold or kill each other over the gold, or fend off bandits who want to steal the gold. One of my favorite aspects of this movie is that it has the same feeling as Deliverance with Burt Reynolds or even another hidden gem from the early 80s with men having to escape harsh terrain and men trying to kill them, Southern Comfort with Powers Booth. Can you trust the men you’re with? Can you trust the terrain? That’s what this movie is asking us while rooting for the characters to get their parole, especially Ethan Hawke, as he wants to reunite with his daughter. It’s a slow build, and many times you don’t know whether they’re going to make it or not. The bridge scene is by far the most intense. But all of this leads to really good pacing against the backdrop of these beautiful landscapes that can easily defeat and kill the characters. There’s more than one enemy that can stop them from completing the task, and that’s where the true intensity within this film comes from. This film does a great job slowly building to its natural conclusion, and it makes you not want to look away until the end.
There’s certainly a lot to like about this film, and my criticisms are few and far between. Russell Crowe is great in the film, but we should have had more scenes with him, although he delivers a great performance in the end. Sometimes we don’t get enough time to really get to know the characters, which a longer movie would have allowed, or even a series on streaming. While the nighttime scenes are great and they are intense, sometimes it’s hard to see with the lighting; it also helps build that intensity. Overall, this is a good movie worth watching. And I would even say that it’s worth the price of a movie ticket. It’s a small film that will probably be overlooked this year, but shouldn’t be, because there’s not a scene that is wasted, and it’s full of surprises until the very end. Plus, you get some good car chases even in 1930s cars. And, even if you only watch it once, it will still be worth it because it’s not a predictable film, and it’s easy to root for the main characters as they’re trying to get their lives back while not being betrayed over gold. It has a great ending, in my opinion. Sure, it might be nice to spend more time with the characters and see them develop, but at the heart of this film is a heist movie that slowly builds and erupts into a good story.
