THE WEIGHT (2026) Sorcerer Meets the Great Depression

PLOT: In the middle of the Great Depression, a veteran (Ethan Hawke) is separated from his young daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. While there, the warden (Russell Crowe) notices his ingenuity and offers him a deal. He’ll commute his sentence if he agrees to smuggle gold through the deadly Oregon wilderness.

REVIEW: The Weight is easily the biggest highlight (for me) of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A rough-and-tumble period action movie, it features Ethan Hawke at his best in a rugged, heroic role, while director Padraic McKinley takes his cues from grounded action fare, with William Friedkin’s Sorcerer seeming like a direct influence.

It’s set against an intriguing historical backdrop. In 1933, FDR passed an executive order requiring citizens to surrender most privately held gold to the Federal Reserve. The film revolves around the efforts of mine holders to smuggle their gold before it can be seized by the government, but the catch is that every bandit worth his salt knows a lot of gold will be moving around — and they’re ready to pounce.

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