Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe star in "Smugglers," an action film set in 1930s America, directed by Padraic McKinley. The film premiered as the opening film of the 52nd edition of the Deauville American Film Festival, where Ethan Hawke was honored with the Deauville Talent Award for his entire career. "Smugglers" will be released in theaters on September 16. The film is set in Oregon, 1933, during the Great Depression, a time of severe economic hardship following the 1929 stock market crash. It follows Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke), a man surviving through small-scale smuggling while trying to make ends meet. After being expelled from his apartment and arrested, Murphy is separated from his young daughter, whom he raises alone. Placed in a labor camp, he is given a chance at freedom by Clancy (Russell Crowe), the camp boss, who offers him a dangerous mission: to transport a cache of gold bars through the wild forests of Oregon, where bandits and other dangers lurk. The mission, supposedly aimed at protecting the gold from greedy individuals so it can be used to help the state, as President Roosevelt might require, involves Murphy assembling a team of three men from the camp, two of Clancy's henchmen, and a woman he meets along the way. If he succeeds, Murphy will be free and able to reunite with his daughter. The film paints a vivid picture of 1930s America, marked by the economic turmoil of the Great Depression, the exploitation of the poor by wealthy mine owners, the prohibition era, segregation, corruption, and racism. Although the film was shot in Bavaria, it uses clever cinematography to create an illusion of Oregon's natural beauty, focusing on the forest and its waterways. Ethan Hawke portrays the protagonist, a man driven by love and survival, while Russell Crowe plays the antagonist, a ruthless supervisor with his own motives. Julia Jones appears as a female character who adds depth to the story, representing the perspectives of the indigenous people. The film has an 1980s aesthetic, using techniques like cross-cutting and lighting that mimic firelight, along with denim jackets. The soundtrack includes natural sounds, which enhance the atmosphere but can sometimes feel too prominent. While the direction is strong during action sequences, it loses a bit of momentum between them. The original title of the film is "The Weight," and it is categorized as an action, adventure, and thriller film. The film is a co-production of the United States and Germany, with a runtime of 1 hour and 52 minutes. It is distributed by SND. The story centers on Samuel Murphy, who is torn from his daughter and sent to a harsh labor camp. When a ruthless supervisor offers him freedom in exchange for a dangerous gold smuggling mission, Murphy takes the chance to return home. He embarks on a perilous journey through the wild, where betrayals and dangers multiply. The film poses the question of how far Murphy will go to see his daughter again.