Florida's Film, Television and the Arts Magazine
The Weight
Ethan Hawke shines in this tension-filled period piece, set in the 1930’s. It’s four years into the Great Depression, and Hawke stars as Samuel Murphy, a single widowed dad, doing the best he can for his young daughter, Penny. She’s the light of his life, the only thing that’s keeping him going. Murphy was trained as a master mechanic and insists on dressing well, even if he’s as broke as almost everyone else.
He gets tossed in jail on trumped up charges of vagrancy and loses his daughter to the court system. He knows the clock is ticking away on the time he has left to get his daughter back, before the courts permanently give her away to another family.
While in prison, he crosses paths with JJ Clancy (Russell Crowe), the prison boss who’s in charge of getting roads built through the Oregon foothills. Using his wits and talent, Murphy not only stays above the fray, he also impresses Clancy so much that Clancy gives him the lead in what can only be a nefarious plan – steal the gold that’s been accumulating at a Klanath Falls mine, before the miners or FDR's goverment steal it for themselves. Through much of the film, Murphy keeps his opinions to himself, letting others squabble and fight over the scraps. It's clear Murphy has his reservations about the shady plot, but he knows this may be his only out and agrees over a beer and a handshake.
After they arrive at the mine, loading the heavy bars into their backpacks, Murphy, his ‘escorts’ and some fellow prisoners from the yard begin a trek across the wilderness to meet up with their contact on the other side. They are being stalked by an indigenous woman, Anna, who becomes integral to their survival. If they drop even one brick, their lives are forfeit. The bricks, the direction his life has taken, as well as the thoughts of his little girl, Penny, all weigh heavily on Murphy.
There's one scene that I found a little farfetched. When the group come upon a rickety rope bridge hanging across a rocky cavern, they start tossing the bricks to Murphy, who stands midpoint on the bridge, tossing the bricks one by one to the other side. The weight of a person carrying a knapsack of bricks would certainly be fatal. Yet for some reason, Director Padraic McKinley made it necessary for the men to toss every single brick across the crevasse. Of course, Murphy almost falls. Of course, the bricks keep coming. But you’d think that Murphy, an engineer, would know that when there was one brick apiece for the men on the near side of the bridge, why didn’t each carry just one brick across?
Sure, the tossing the gold ramps up the tension, but it seemed silly logistically, considering an earlier scene where Murphy was able to engineer the pivoting of what appears to be an immovable boulder, using just a tire jack and some well-place rocks. Every time he stuck his hand under that boulder to relocate one of the small rocks, I held my breath.
The scenes in Oregon are gorgeous, from the forests to the deadly rushing waters. Cinematographer Matteo Cocco deserves every bit of the accolades he’s bound to receive. The underwater scenes are spectacular and will leave you gasping. If you enjoyed the cinematography of Train Dreams, and for me, that was the best part of that film, you’ll enjoy The Weight. It’s tension-packed and gritty, with a well-written script, stuffed with characters you’ll love as well as others you’ll love to hate.
