CURIOSITYEthan Hawke and Russell Crowe’s 94% Sundance Thriller Finally Has a Release Date3 min read

A Debut Director and Two Heavyweights

The Weight marks McKinley’s feature directorial debut — and he came out swinging. Landing Hawke and Crowe as your leads on a first film is remarkable enough. Getting a 94% out of Sundance is something else entirely.

Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey described it as “a smart, character-driven thriller that captures the tension and sophistication of the great 1970s classics while feeling sharp and contemporary.” That’s not distributor-speak for once — the reviews back it up.

“Seeing the film connect with and energize audiences at Sundance and Berlinale has been incredibly rewarding,” McKinley said, “and has only amplified my excitement to bring this kind of big-screen, throwback experience to theaters in September.”

What Hawke and Crowe Have Been Up To

Hawke has had a busy stretch. Last year he appeared in Blue Moon, his ninth collaboration with director Richard Linklater, and he’s set to return for the second season of the FX series The Lowdown. The Weight adds a grittier, more physical register to a run of work that keeps finding new corners.

Crowe, meanwhile, reunited with Michael Shannon for Nuremberg in 2025 and received a lifetime achievement honor at the Zurich Film Festival. As Warden Clancy, he gets to play the kind of quietly menacing authority figure that suits him like a second skin. The Weight opens September 18.