directed by Padraic McKinley, written by Shelby Gaines and Matthew Booi, starring Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia James, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Sam Hazeldine, George Burgess
One time I was camping in the Smokies and this lesbian couple invited me over to share some wine. They were also having trouble with their fire and mine was crackling along. Earlier in the day we had met hiking; they were from the University of New Orleans, and I had been to New Orleans. We had a nice night and later on a bear stumbled between our tents and scared the hell out of all of us.
I say all that to illustrate that anything can happen in the woods. You can be sitting and enjoying a nice fire when in stumbles a bit of trouble. Ethan Hawke's character learns that in The Weight, a new thriller from the minds that brought you… Holy shit this is the director's and the writers' first movie (one writer has one other credit, but that's not really holy shit worthy). I'll be honest, that lifts my estimations of this movie much higher.
The "trip through the woods" movie has been a genre for decades now. Deliverance, Stand by Me, and Lord of the Rings all find a group of people setting off into the heart of darkness for one reason or another and discovering not just their own relative place in the world, but a connection to one another. Sometimes, with guns (or the fantasy equivalent, magic). I don't know what I was gonna say about that other than I really like this genre. The Weight also feels like it cribbed a little from Southern Comfort (1981), with local folks getting enraged and some light boat-stealing.
You won't find grand revelations watching this movie, but you will see some damn good acting and an enjoyable story. Have a few drinks on Saturday and this movie works well to while away a Sunday afternoon hangover.
Check it out.
Plot Summary
In 1930s Oregon, a wrongly convicted man partners with some unruly fellow prisoners to smuggle gold across the wilderness to win his freedom.
Characters
Murphy (Hawke) - A capable World War I vet with a daughter who wants to get home anyway he can.
Clancy (Crowe) - An affable warden who controls who leaves his prison camp.
Singh (Nash), Rankin (Amelio), and Olson (Tønnesen) - Murphy was told to find three trustworthy men. "I could only find two. You guys seem to like [Rankin]."
Anna (James) - A native woman with a pragmatic view of the world and a haunted past from gov'ment programs to "kill the Indian, save the man." "They didn't kill anything in me. They didn't save anything either."
Amis (Hazeldine) and Letender (Burgess) - Two bruisers sent to guard the gold and make sure the prisoners carrying it make it to the drop point (and maybe no further).
Setting
1930s Oregon
Eugene - Not much time there. Murphy and his daughter are struggling to make ends meet when he is arrested.
Deschutes County Prison Labor Camp - Where prisoners break rocks and build roads, living a hard life under the watch of Clancy.
Black Hawk Gold Mine - Prosperous remote mine about to have its gold confiscated by FDR's gov'ment.
Wilderness - An unforgiving land lush with plant and wildlife and home to greedy, violent miners as well as a rope bridge and river.
Favorite Scenes
Birds - Murphy is talking to Clancy, the two shooting birds like skeet. Murphy takes his turn, and shoots them right as they are released. "I thought you were supposed to kill them." Clancy trusts Murphy enough to let him have a shotgun while we see Murphy's pragmatic nature. It's also shocking and funny.
Escape from mine - The mission is a secret one, so once the prisoners are loaded with gold they have to slip out of the mine undetected at night. The prisoners believe they are hidden in darkness until Anna slips up behind them.
Rope Bridge - Right out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The bridge is too old to hold the weight of a man and the gold, so they have the stupid plan to throw the gold to Murphy in the middle and he throws it the rest of the way. Vertigo inducing photography and tense as hell. "Easy."
Campfire with The Man - There's strangers out in the dark, and one wanders to the campfire and asks for a meal. Who do they trust and is The Man alone? A solid mystery and unnerving look at strangers in the wilderness.
Crossing the River - Knowing they are being followed, the group attempts to cross the river on foot. Rankin gets swept away by some logs floating downstream, Murphy saves him but is trapped himself. We did vertigo, how about fear of drowning?
Discussion Questions
How far do you think you could hike with tons of gold on your back?
Ever been on a rope bridge in the woods? Ever seen that and thought, "fuck that shit, I'll go around"?
Imagine you are in prison on trumped up charges for six months. Your daughter will be put into the adoption system in one month. The warden gives you a shotgun. Would you fix his car?
For thousands of years, men have been living in the woods. When did that get so creepy? Is civilization worth losing our contact with nature? Is man's need for gold a poison infesting the heart? What kinda things would you eat in the Oregon woods?
Y'all like to drive fast?
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