Rust

I have written an unpublished book about the accidental shooting of Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza on the New Mexico set of Rust. My book is about how accidents happen, not the movie. I am not a fan of Westerns nor low budget movies but I enjoyed Rust. Joel Souza surprised me with a well written movie, a depth of characters and morality that I did not expect. Wood Helm and Lucas Rust characters were well acted and Alec Baldwin never over shadowed his co-stars in a reserved portrayal of a broken man. I hope everyone pays to see Rust. Any proceeds go to Halyna Hutchins per an end of credits video. Halyna's death was a terrible accident caused by many foreseeable and unforeseeable events. Tragic if people feel it does not honor Ms. Hutchins going to see the movie.

Definitely worth the watch. Good acting, good story line, and it was all well done. I didn't find it slow at all. Captured our attention from the start, and the characters all made you sympathize with each of them in one way or another. They were all likeable, too. Would watch it again, and would recommend to anyone.

I get the politics around the release of the film, but this review is about the film, not any particular point of view.

If you don't agree with it being released, then don't watch it. But don't give it a poor rating because you don't agree with something that has nothing to do with the film itself.

Although Rust starts off with a slower pace and a few rough edges-some scenes admittedly reveal the film's limited budget-it steadily gains momentum, evolving into a compelling story of family, redemption, and grit. What begins as a modest Western transforms into a character-driven narrative with emotional depth and moral complexity.

Alec Baldwin delivers a surprisingly nuanced performance as the flawed but fascinating deuteragonist. He brings an authenticity to the role that makes his character both detestable and oddly sympathetic, a balance that few actors can pull off so effectively. The film's attention to period detail adds a strong sense of place, immersing viewers in a time when justice and loyalty often came at a high price.

While Rust may face criticism, much of it will likely miss the film's strengths like its cast and the emotionally satisfying arc it ultimately delivers. For fans of the Western genre looking for something a bit off the beaten path, Rust is absolutely worth the watch.

If you watched the Hulu documentary "Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna", you would go to see the work of this great cinematographer because it was her families wishes for everyone to see her work.

As for the movie, a lot of the shots were absolutely stunning and truly conveyed the atmosphere and spirit of the film.

While some parts of the movie could have been more refined and were a little drawn out, the overall story line was good and fitting of a classic western. The actors were the right fit. Alec Baldwin and Patrick McDermott did a good job!

Sometimes simple is better. In all, I think it was worth the watch.

Of course I had heard about this movie prior to watching it. I mean, it was after all the movie that caused quite a ruckus for Alec Baldwin given the situation with a firearm loaded with live rounds.

I have to say that the storyline and narrative was not the most interesting, and it struggled with slow pacing, which made it somewhat of a dull viewing experience to sit through two hours and nineteen minutes of watching it. There was a whole lot of talking throughout the course of the movie and not particularly much in the action department.

The movie does have a good cast ensemble, with the likes of Alec Baldwin, Jake Busey, Frances Fisher, Josh Hopkins, Xander Berkeley, Abraham Benrubi and Travis Fimmel. So you are in rather capable company throughout the course of the movie. The acting performances in the movie were good, which I figure was needless to point out.

"Rust" does look and feel like a proper Western, so thumbs up to the set designers, wardrobe, props, etc. That made it a bit more bearable to sit through the narrative.

This is a movie for diehard fans of the Western genre. I sat down to watch it as a casual viewer and I was struggling to keep having an interest in the sluggish narrative. I will not be returning to watch "Rust" a second time, as I was struggling enough to get through it the first time.

My rating of writer and director Joel Souza's 2024 movie "Rust" lands on a four out of ten stars.