Title – The Weight (2026)
Director – Padraic McKinley (feature debut)
Cast – Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Avi Nash, Austin Amelio
Plot – During the depths of the 1930’s Great Depression, single father Samuel Murphy (Hawke) finds himself separated from his daughter in a labour camp and involved in a desperate venture to transport a large collection of gold through the unforgiving Oregon wilderness in hope of earning an early release.
“A problem shared is a burden halved”
Review by Eddie on 06/11/2026
It’s not hard to see why debut director Padraic McKinley has found himself overseeing the next iteration of the Sicario film franchise hot on the heels of The Weight, his 1930’s set thriller that overcomes a few flaws and hiccups to become one of the year’s more surprising releases.
Estimated to have been produced for somewhere around the $2 million dollar mark, McKinley’s Oregon set and German shot venture does a lot with not a lot thanks largely to a committed leading man turn from the ever-reliable Ethan Hawke, some stunning vistas and a white knuckle set up that does call to mind the likes of Sorcerer and Wages of Fear.
Doing a good job at easing us in and setting the scene as Hawke’s ex-army man Samuel Murphy finds himself wrongly incarcerated and sent into the unforgiving Oregon wilds to work in a prisoner’s labour camp, only to find himself and some of his cohorts enacting out a dangerous job coordinated by their overseer J.J Clancey (a gruff and having fun Russell Crowe), The Weight establishes itself into a good time and place that makes Murphy and co.’s gold-carrying hike one you’ll get invested in.
During this perilous adventure that includes dangerous locals, the allurement of riches, group in-fighting and the Oregon wilderness’s natural hazards, Hawke and McKinley’s ensemble cast, that houses notable turns from Julia Jones and Austin Amelio, are always up for the task and with a few standout segments including a storm encounter and a canoe getaway, The Weight is able to stand above weaker elements like some underdeveloped characters, story arcs and some questionable segments that are topped by a very bizarre gold throwing sequence.
Underlying everything with a foreboding sense of dread and bubbling away tension, it’s these particular ingredients that make one clearly see how the appointment of McKinley into the Sicario world, that once again is set to include Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin alongside Benicio Del Toro, is a great one, with his debut behind the camera one that’s assured and confident while at the same time not afraid to take risks.
Perhaps not the blood rush thriller some may be seeking with the potential for some viewers to be wrapped up more with its shortcomings than overcoming’s, The Weight is an impressive low-budget offering that makes it a worthwhile candidate for one of 2026’s most memorable little surprises.
Final Say –
Built around a stereotypically solid Ethan Hawke turn and doing a lot of unexpected things with a sometimes-familiar central set-up, The Weight is a strong and impressive calling card for director Padraic McKinley, who has set himself up for great things with Sicario 3 to come.
3 1/2 wedding rings out of 5
