Because it is so rich and varied, one of the many interesting factors regarding American history is that we often find ourselves learning something new. We discover information about which we have minimal knowledge, even if that history is shared with us through the lens of a motion picture camera.
In 1933, four years into the Great Depression in the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt suspended the gold standard and ordered that the hoarding of all forms of gold — coins, bullion, and certificates — be forbidden within the United States. Roosevelt’s goal was to stabilize American currency.
The economic policies and mechanisms for carrying out this plan were authorized by Congress. The hoped-for result was that if everything went according to plan, gold items would be turned over to the government. Not everybody was happy with what Roosevelt and his team were doing. The new movie “The Weight” explores the fact that there were American citizens who didn’t cooperate and resisted the seizure of gold by the United States. Some citizens, seeing a golden opportunity for easy riches, concocted plans to grab the gold before it could be safely hidden away.
That’s the backstory for an action and adventure film that is constructed like classic cinematic tales such as “Wages of Fear” and “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” First-time American director Padraic McKinley has clearly learned from what came before, but he is unfussy and is highly focused on telling a good story without extraneous clutter; therefore, the movies noted above are utilized as clever signposts, not as something to mimic.
Although shot in a dense and hilly forest in Bavaria in Germany, the story being told in “The Weight” takes place in the state of Oregon. We are introduced to Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke), who is traveling with his young daughter Penny (Avy Berry) when, through a series of events that are elevated with extreme tension, he is arrested on a phony charge.
Murphy is sentenced to serve a year in a prison work camp. His daughter is put in an orphanage. A plot twist here is that it is possible she could be adopted before he is set free. In the United States in the 1930s, rules about the care and housing of children were definitely different. His one goal is to get out of prison and reclaim his daughter before she can be adopted. It really is possible that he could lose her forever.
The work camp’s overseer, Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe), decides that Murphy is the trustworthy person for whom he’s been looking. He believes the inmate has the natural intelligence he needs. Clancy tells Murphy that he has the authority to release him, but he needs to first carry out a highly dangerous and illegal task that must remain secret. Clancy has a plan to seize some gold before the government is given control of it. The warden is not a cliched movie sadist. He is merely a man with a plan in concert with others who want the gold. Crowe is flawless in the part. His performance expertly bookends the story being told.
“The Weight,” which is playing in theaters, does have an interesting anti-government subplot. Everyone is a rebel of some kind or another, even the guards, and especially the inmates. We follow a group of highly focused men, all of whom have their own motivation. They are compelled to traverse 100 miles of rugged terrain that is inhospitable. If the plan succeeds, the payoff will be immense. Of course, sacks of gold are heavy.
McKinley and his screenwriters, Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines, establish early on that the journey is going to be extraordinarily challenging. Violent men who have been sent to prison are generally not types who play nice. The group will encounter numerous physical and psychological roadblocks. They are even joined by a Native American woman named Anna (Julia Jones), who is a runaway for specific reasons. Gritty determination by all is essential for the plan to succeed. Survival is not guaranteed. And the clock never stops ticking against Murphy and his mission to reclaim his daughter.
“The Weight” revolves primarily around Murphy, and thanks to Hawke’s utterly believable performance, we never lose interest in what’s happening to his character, especially how he reacts to the circle of men around him. Murphy has had a rough life. Fortunately, he has been blessed with the ability to cope with the serious hard knocks he has faced and overcome. He is a passionate man, which propels the story in expert ways. Defeat is something he resists.
The film offers the audience a gift of superb cinematography from Matteo Cocco, who is from Italy. Shadows in the woods become theoretical characters. The editing by director McKinley and Matthew Woolley enhances the movie wonderfully, especially the many scenes that are rife with tension.
Not enough praise can go to the music, which is unusual and effective in the best way possible. It delivers crescendos of haunting, plaintive sounds, as well as generating a remarkable and ethereal sense of mystery. The composers are co-screenwriter Gaines and his brother, who is inventor and composer Latham Gaines. They made unique new instruments from found objects and used them to create the original score for “The Weight.” Original is the byword. I’ve rarely heard anything like it in a motion picture. The music, which is a blend of modernity and folk history, is a wonderful surprise and I’m intrigued by what the Lathams will do next. There are any number of reasons to see the movie, starting with Hawke’s physical presence as an actor in love with a role that allows him to play a character in love with reuniting his broken family. As a new director, McKinley has attained a high level of understanding as to what will engage an audience. His filmmaking debut is a success.