Alec Baldwin’s Rust is finally set to land in theaters three and a half years after the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. However, the film doesn’t appear to sit well with critics, many of whom found it to be haunted by Hutchins’ tragic death.
The Western drama — which will play in a limited capacity at select theaters beginning Friday — follows a recently orphaned 13-year-old boy whose grandfather takes him on a journey to old Mexico after he’s been sentenced to death for an accidental killing.
“It’s a handsome and watchable indie art Western, set in 1882, that turns into a sentimental cross-generational buddy film,” Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote. “Yet I can’t say that the movie, in the end, is especially good. It’s got a bare-bones plot, it lopes along more than it takes wing, and for no good reason it’s two hours and 19 minutes long.”
Gleiberman, however, found Hutchins’ “dusk-and-sunset cinematography, abetted by the work of Bianca Cline” to be “the best thing about Rust.”
The Guardian’s Jesse Hassenger felt similarly, hailing Hutchins as “the movie’s saving grace.”
“Without her work, it wouldn’t be worth a look at all,” he said in his two-star review, adding that otherwise, Rust felt “ghoulish in addition to dull.”
USA Today’s Brian Truitt agreed. “Where Rust stands out is in its look, a gorgeously shot production with an emphasis on contrasts and dark colors that’s a testament to the talents of Hutchins and fellow cinematographer Bianca Cline,” he argued, adding that “storywise, it’s a solid if overlong tale of family and redemption — fans of Yellowstone or Horizon will find stuff to love.”
“Is it a good movie? That depends on your definition of ‘good,’ I suppose,” TheWrap’s William Bibbiani shared, saying “it’s hard to celebrate any production where such an unthinkable, avoidable event took place.”
“The resonance of Rust doesn’t emanate entirely from its story,” he continued. “Rust’s sadness, guilt and grief are amplified by the unfortunate fact of the film’s own existence, the tragedy that took place mid-production. Let’s be clear: that cannot make it better. The very implication is ghoulish. But it does have an impact, and it leaves the film with an aura that’s inexorably grim.”
“The film is competently made and absorbing at times,” Lovia Gyarkye wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, “but there’s a workaday quality that slows its momentum. It’s a handsomely made project, but a story about such a complicated set of characters should make us feel more strongly, and Rust struggles to accomplish that.”
Rust’s forthcoming release follows a turbulent few years for its star Baldwin, who was dismissed of involuntary manslaughter charges for the accidental shooting of Hutchins.
In October 2021, Baldwin discharged a prop gun while practicing a gun-drawing technique on the set in New Mexico. The gun fired a live round that ended up killing Hutchins and striking the director Joel Souza in the shoulder.
Baldwin, 67, who’s maintained that he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2023, along with armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The actor was ultimately dismissed of his charges. However, Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
