In a bold move to revive a forgotten genre, Ethan Hawke calls ‘The Weight’ a throwback to the ’60s and ’70s character-driven action films, revealing the physically demanding shoot was one of the hardest summers of his life.
At a time when action cinema is often defined by spectacle and explosions, Ethan Hawke is making a deliberate return to a bygone era. His upcoming action-drama, The Weight, is not just a film; it’s a mission to resurrect the character-driven action movies of the 1960s and 1970s, a genre Hawke feels has largely disappeared from modern screens.
Set against the harsh backdrop of the Great Depression, the film follows Samuel Murphy (Hawke), a widower who loses his home and his freedom after punching an undercover cop. To regain his liberty and save his daughter from an orphanage, he makes a perilous deal with Warden Clancy, played by Russell Crowe, to smuggle gold through the unforgiving wilderness.
The genesis of this project was deeply personal for Hawke. “This started very strangely when I was doing the Newman-Woodward doc,” he explains. “I was watching all these older movies, and I got thinking about why there was a genre of action movie that was around in the ‘60s and ‘70s that were character-driven action movies.” He cites classics like Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Sorcerer (1977) as prime examples. “There were action movies where not a lot of s— blows up. They’re about people, but they’re high stakes.”
This realization sparked a creative fire. Teaming up with director Padraic McKinley, with whom he previously worked on the Showtime miniseries The Good Lord Bird, Hawke set out to create their own homage to that lost style. “We started riffing on why there aren’t any great Paul Newman, Steve McQueen kind of action movies anymore,” he says. “I was like, before I get too old, I really wanna make one.”
The character of Samuel Murphy is central to this vision. He embodies an “old-fashioned idea of the principled man,” Hawke describes. “I’m really interested in trying to put forth a story right now about positive manifestations of masculinity, and like, what is dignity, empowering others, taking care of others, fatherhood, serving. Those kinds of old-fashioned principles, and then set them in an action genre, and have a person’s integrity tested.” To craft Murphy, Hawke drew inspiration from his grandfather, stepfather, and a silent, capable male role model from his childhood, a man who “never said a word” but “knew how to make a fire. He knew how to make a bow and arrow.”
Matteo Cocco
Hawke’s performance is a masterclass in subtlety. McKinley praises his ability to command the screen without grand gestures. “A lot of his bigger, louder performances are incredible, which is why it was such a thrill to see him play Murphy — quiet, studied, and stoic,” the director notes. “I don’t know what it is, but you never want to cut away from him, even when he’s doing almost nothing on the surface.”
The journey itself is an odyssey, with Murphy leading a group of fellow convicts and their armed handlers through treacherous terrain. Along the way, they encounter a colorful cast of characters, including a shady woodsman (Cameron Brady) and a Native American woman named Anna (Julia Jones) who forms a bond with Murphy. “For me, a character doesn’t really become clear in and of itself; it comes clear in relationship to other people,” Hawke explains, highlighting how his costars helped shape his portrayal of Murphy.
Matteo Cocco
While the film may lack traditional action set pieces, it is filled with intense, visceral sequences that pushed the cast to their physical limits. One harrowing scene sees Murphy guiding the group through a frigid, rock-strewn river, where they become caught in a deadly flow of massive, floating logs. The sequence was a testament to the grueling production.
“This was one of the hardest summers of my life,” Hawke admits. “Being in the water, being in the woods, I keep saying, ‘Oh, it’s an action movie without that much action,’ but it was exhausting. Just worrying about the ticks alone.” McKinley echoes the sentiment, describing the freezing water and his own difficult task of repeatedly asking the actors to perform the dangerous stunt. “The surface was jagged, full of boulders and sharp rocks, with really unforgiving footing.”
Matteo Cocco
Filmed over six grueling weeks in the Bavarian forest, the shoot’s “adventure aspect” reminded Hawke of his early career. “When I was a kid, I did this movie, White Fang, where I went to Alaska for six months,” he recalls. “It was so romantic. It was a life-changing experience for me. And I’m still hungry for this kind of experience where you take a camera into the wild and come out with a movie.”
The Weight premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26. The film stands as a powerful statement from Hawke, an actor using his platform to champion a more thoughtful, character-based approach to action storytelling, proving that a compelling narrative and a principled hero can be just as thrilling as any explosion.
For those who crave deeper insights into the intersection of character and action, the analysis from Entertainment Weekly provides valuable context. Furthermore, the thematic exploration of masculinity and integrity in modern cinema is a topic frequently examined by Entertainment Weekly through its coverage of classic and contemporary films.
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