Alec Baldwin’s film ‘Rust’ does not provide solace or resolution for Halyna Hutchins’ memory

After many, many headlines about the fatal October 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, “Rust” has finally been released in theaters.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer, is currently in prison, serving an 18-month sentence for her involvement in the tragic shooting incident. On the other hand, charges against actor Alec Baldwin were dropped in July 2024 related to the same incident.

Interestingly, the movie’s plot also revolves around an accidental shooting. The story is set in 1880s Wyoming and follows a 13-year-old boy named Lucas Hollister, who is left to care for his younger brother Jacob after their parents’ unfortunate demise. Lucas unintentionally shoots the father of a boy who stole Jacob’s candy while aiming at a wolf, leading to his sentencing to death by hanging.

The unexpected savior for Lucas is his grandfather, Harland Rust – portrayed by Baldwin himself, a role he takes on to rescue his grandson. The two embark on a journey to Mexico to escape the authorities, including Marshal Wood Helm and bounty hunters like Fenton “Preacher” Lang. While the film features stunning cinematography showcasing Hutchins’s talent, the various perspectives introduced by cinematographer Bianca Cline tend to complicate the narrative instead of enhancing its depth.

This might scratch an itch if you’re a fan of Westerns, but for fans of the genre, there are much better films that have already been released. The acting in the film is just okay, although Baldwin’s performance seems to improve in the latter half of the film, no doubt wearied by the real-life shooting that he had a hand in.

On October 21, 2021, the “30 Rock” actor was holding a gun while they were rehearsing a scene inside a church. Although he denies pulling the trigger, the gun went off, striking and killing Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza, who later went on to complete the film. Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023, only for those charges to be dropped a few months later.

Charges were refiled in January 2024, and the actor went to court in July 2024 for only three days before a Santa Fe judge determined that the prosecutor knew about evidence that they failed to turn over to the defense. Charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning that Baldwin could never again face criminal charges for his role in the shooting.

It’s impossible to watch the film and not think about Baldwin’s trial and its effect on his seven children, as his wife Hilaria Baldwin describes in their TLC reality series “The Baldwins.” It’s also difficult to think of the impact that it had on Halyna’s son and her husband, Matthew Hutchins, who agreed to become an executive producer on the film following a settlement.

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the indie film currently has a score of 46% at the time of this writing.

David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote, “The fact that Hutchins’ work here is the best thing the movie has going for it only compounds both the irony and the tragedy” while Kyle Smith of the Wall Street Journalnotes, “The Old West is a savagely twisted moral landscape: Good men might be mistaken for bad ones, and vice versa. The insight lacks freshness but makes for a reasonably compelling inspiration for the western ‘Rust.’”

Cole Groth of FandomWireopined, “It’s difficult to separate the film from the tragedy that shaped it, but what remains is a quietly moving story of redemption and connection.” Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporterpenned, “The film is competently made and absorbing at times, 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.”