--- title: "The Weight: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-weight/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-weight" critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Weight (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 68 from 15 reviews: 8 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come away warm on The Weight, Padraic McKinley’s debut about prisoners hauling gold through the Oregon wilderness in the Depression. The praise gathers almost entirely around Ethan Hawke, whose stoic, near-wordless lead performance is singled out in nearly every review as the thing holding the film together. Beyond him, the reviews like the film’s 1970s throwback feel, the grubby, lived-in period detail and a handful of practical set pieces, the rope bridge crossing chief among them. The reservations are about pace and script. Several critics find the middle stretches slack and the plotting too straightforward, with few surprises and thin supporting characters. The spread is wide: the film’s harshest notices, from The Hollywood Reporter and IndieWire, call it murky and underpowered, while later reviews from RogerEbert.com and The AV Club are among its most enthusiastic. The Los Angeles Times, otherwise admiring, wishes it had been braver in its final minutes. ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2026. The critic calls the film successful in every department as a prison movie, wilderness adventure, psychological thriller, and political fable about capital and labor. Hawke's performance is singled out as one of his best, anchoring the drama with minimalism and gravitas. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-weight-ethan-hawke-russell-crowe-movie-review-2026) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2026. Festival review. Padraic McKinley’s confident debut is a hugely effective survivalist tale set in 1930s Oregon wilderness, with grizzled performances from Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. The critic highlights memorable set pieces and human stakes in this tense, character-driven adventure. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-and-russell-crowe-expertly-carry-tense-effective-1930s-survival-tale/5213064.article) ## The AV Club — Mitchell Beaupre Rating B+. 15 September 2026. Ethan Hawke excels in this throwback '70s-style adventure about prisoners transporting gold through dangerous wilderness, with great performances and exciting set pieces. It highlights the director's care in world-building, strong character focus, and visceral practical action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-russell-crowe-old-school-adventure) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2026. Festival review. McKinley's Depression-era thriller about prisoners transporting gold bars through Oregon forests establishes strong physical and emotional stakes with believable camaraderie and tension from the cast led by Ethan Hawke. It singles out the atmospheric, lived-in world and survival-thriller elements as the kind of exciting period drama we don't get much anymore. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-weight-review-we-dont-get-movies-like-this-anymore.html) ## The New York Times — Beatrice Loayza Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2026. The critic finds the film an adrenaline-spiked adventure that doesn't fully reach the suspense of classics like Deliverance, but Hawke's arresting performance carries its testosterone-fueled escapism. The script is noted for feeling forced at times despite confidently choreographed sequences. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/movies/the-weight-review.html) ## Time Out — Stephen A Russell Rating 3 out of 5 stars. 17 February 2026. McKinley’s Great Depression gold heist has a welcome old-fashioned ’70s vibe and charm, largely thanks to Ethan Hawke. The critic notes some overlong stretches and editing issues but praises its simple thrills and band-against-the-odds adventure feel. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-weight-review-2026) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2026. The critic sees the film as a 1970s throwback blending Sorcerer-style tension with indie authenticity, praising its period details, cast, and craft while noting it stages nail-biting sequences. It is faulted for opting for an oddly cheery, optimistic ending over a bolder, more despairing one. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-09-18/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-russell-crowe-austin-amelio-padraic-mckinley) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds The Weight a conventional but mostly admirable adventure drama about gold smuggling in 1930s Oregon, anchored by Ethan Hawke's physically gruelling and persuasive lead performance. The low-budget production lacks sufficient suspense and setpieces, with some stock characters and pacing issues holding it back from greater impact. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/27/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-sundance) ## Slant Magazine — Ross McIndoe Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2026. The film has an old-fashioned allure as a grubby survival thriller about prisoners smuggling gold through the wilderness, with a tactile 1930s world and clever set pieces like the rope bridge. However, its best ideas are often let down by execution, taking a too-straightforward path with few surprises or twists. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2026. Festival review. The critic describes it as an intermittently exciting if sometimes arduous throwback to Deliverance-era action movies, praising Hawke as a proactive problem-solver who carries the film and the score's heavy lifting. It is faulted for uneven pacing, lurching quality, and characters who lack depth beyond the lead. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-1236641750/) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2026. Festival review. Padraic McKinley's action throwback is a 'Sorcerer' homage in which Hawke smuggles stolen gold through the Oregon wilderness, but the plot moves with a slow, murky trudge. It notes the resourceful inmate premise while critiquing the dragging pace and execution. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-weight-movie-review-ethan-hawke-1235176261/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2026. Festival review. The film is well-acted but murky and underpowered as a Depression-era crime drama about a gold-smuggling expedition. It praises Ethan Hawke's charismatic lead performance and some atmospheric elements but faults the lack of suspense, dimension, and dramatic power. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-russell-crowe-julia-jones-1236484790/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds this a rousing, gritty Depression-era adventure that revives the spirit of classic 1970s studio pictures and should appeal to audiences in theaters. Hawke delivers a standout lead performance as a determined father driven to extremes. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/01/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-russell-crowe-movie-1236697873/) ## The Wrap — Chase Hutchinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2026. Festival review. The critic calls the film a gripping, tense Western thriller elevated by Hawke's mesmerizing, word-light lead turn as a stoic father on a perilous mission. The action sequences are well-executed and the wilderness setting adds thematic weight. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke/) ## The Playlist — Carlos Aguilar Rating C. 31 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds the film highly watchable but mostly by-the-numbers and predictable as a survivalist western, praising Ethan Hawke's grounded and brawny lead performance along with the energetic cinematography of the natural landscapes. They single out the derivative screenplay for complaint, noting its reliance on familiar tropes and archetypes without deeper innovation or commitment to its themes. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-weight-review-ethan-hawke-elevates-a-rugged-predictable-gold-run-survivalist-westernsundance-20260131/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-weight.md