Remember a couple days ago when I mentioned Ethan Hawke talking about that drowning scene, the one that genuinely scared him? Well, the movie's almost here. The Weight opens in theaters on September 18, which as I'm writing this is tomorrow, and the critics have already weighed in before audiences get the chance. It's sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, which for a movie starring Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke in heavy adult drama territory, is a very good sign.

Quick word on what 93% means and doesn't mean. It doesn't mean every critic thinks it's a masterpiece. It means 93% of critics thought it was worth a positive review, and for a film like this, that distinction matters. This isn't a crowd-pleaser engineered for a 95% with smiling emoji quotes. This is the kind of movie where a positive review often reads like a bruise, you know? Critics admiring something that put them through the wringer.

I wrote earlier this week that water scenes are one of the few things movies can't fake, and Hawke's story about the drowning shoot backs that up. The man has been acting for four decades, he's seen every trick there is, and he still came out of that experience shaken. When an actor that seasoned says a scene actually scared him, I listen. Then there's Crowe, who has spent the last few years alternating between blockbusters and strange little passion projects (some better than others, we can be honest), and you've got two guys who clearly showed up for the material.

The score also puts The Weight in rare company for the fall season. Awards contenders usually build toward numbers like that after festival buzz settles, not walk in with them the week they open. I don't know if this is an awards movie, I haven't seen it yet, but critics as a group are difficult to impress, and nearly all of them came away positive.

My plan is to catch it opening weekend, ideally before I read too much more about it. I've already absorbed the drowning scene stuff and the general shape of the premise, and that's about my limit. There's a version of seeing a movie where you walk in knowing the score and nothing else, and that's usually the best version. Some films you want to meet cold.

So if you're on the fence: two great actors, a score that almost nobody argues with, and a September 18 theatrical release. Worst case, you watch two pros go to work for a couple hours. Best case, you see one of the year's best before anyone spoiled it for you. What are you seeing first this weekend? Whatever it is, one of your options has Ethan Hawke terrified of water.