Rust
Martin Scorsese Teaches Filmmaking
A teenage boy convicted of murder goes on the run with his outlaw grandfather in Rust. In 1882, in Wyoming Territory, Lucas Hollister (Patrick Scott McDermott) is an orphaned 13-year-old struggling to survive on his family farm with his younger brother Jacob (Easton Malcolm). One morning, while chasing a wolf, Lucas accidentally kills the father of a boy who was bullying Jacob, while the former was arriving to take Lucas to work off his debt. This history is enough for the courts to determine that the murder was premeditated, and Lucas is sentenced to hang, despite the protests of his great aunt Evelyn Basset (Frances Fisher), who arrives in the town of Haysville to dispute the sentence.
It isn’t long until Lucas finds himself broken out of jail by the infamous outlaw Hardland Rust (Alec Baldwin), who happens to be Lucas’ estranged grandfather. Rust plans to ride Lucas to the Mexico border and safety. However, a $1000 bounty is placed on their heads and Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and bounty hunter Fenton ‘Preacher’ Lang (Travis Fimmel) race to locate Rust and Lucas.
Rust Synopsis
Rust is the now-infamous western written and directed by Joel Souza, based on a story by producer and star Alec Baldwin. Years before the film was finally released, Rust gained infamy for the 2021 on-set shooting incident, which claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, to whom the film is dedicated. The incident resulted in the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, being convicted of manslaughter, with Alec Baldwin also being charged in a case that was eventually dismissed.
What makes the Rust shooting incident more chilling is how it mirrors the inciting incident of the plot, where the film’s 13-year-old protagonist Lucas, played by Patrick Scott McDermott, replacing an originally cast Brady Noon, accidentally shoots and kills a local rancher. Sentenced to hang for the crime, Lucas finds himself broken out of jail by Alec Baldwin’s titular Harland Rust, who plans to take his grandson to Mexico. However, on their trail are both lawman Wood Helm, played by Josh Hopkins, replacing the originally cast Jensen Ackles, and the notorious bounty hunter Fenton ‘Preacher’ Lang, played by Travis Fimmel (Warcraft).
My Thoughts on Rust
If allowed to be viewed on its merits, Rust is a fine enough Western, somewhat reminiscent of the Coen Brothers’ True Grit. The film was reportedly a passion project for Alec Baldwin, who does an OK job playing a grizzled outlaw. However, it is almost impossible to critique Rust without the shooting incident hanging a cloud over the film.
Even writer/director Joel Souza seems conflicted about finishing the film, even going as far as to say in a recent interview that he wished that he hadn’t written the film. I’m also sure that there are still those who wish Alec Baldwin were prosecuted for his role in the shooting incident, with his involuntary manslaughter charge being dismissed with prejudice, after it was discovered that the prosecution was hiding evidence. This leaves the question about whether it was worth it to finish and release Rust, and my answer is that I am not all that sure. At the very least, finishing Rust pays respect to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who receives a dedication at the end and is credited second, after Joel Souza. While it can be difficult to tell where Hutchins’ cinematography ends and her replacement Bianca Cline begins, I do have to admit that Rust is a well-shot film.
I believe that the ultimate legacy of Rust is that it was a cursed production from the start. The shooting incident was only the biggest of a series of problems that also saw crew members quitting the production. As such, it is impossible not to let this incident affect my ultimate opinion of Rust.
At the end of the day, Rust is a watchable western, but it is not an undeniably great one. The world is not missing a great cinematic gem if it was never resumed after the incident. A lot of Rust probably had to be reshot in the end, since it lost cast and crew in the aftermath of the incident, including two of the leads. I ended up watching Rust out of curiosity and not any real desire to support the film. Under different circumstances, I would probably give the film a higher rating, but as it stands, the infamy of Rust will forever be more interesting than the film itself.
Trailer for Rust
