Parents' Guide to Rust

On the face of it, this is an attractive, passable, but fairly unremarkable Western, but it's almost impossible to untangle it from the real-life tragedy that happened during filming. On Rust's set in October 2021, star Baldwin fired a prop gun that somehow contained a live round, which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured writer-director Joel Souza. The accident led to extensive investigations, lawsuits, and trials (charges against Baldwin were dismissed, but armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter). It's very hard, if not impossible, to watch the film without this history in mind, and some may wonder why, in that case, the movie was finished at all—but a deal connected to its initial release stipulates that Hutchins' family members will receive any and all profits.

Knowing all this may lead viewers to pay special attention to Hutchins' cinematography, which is ravishing, with rich contrasts and a clear passion for the outdoors. (Another cinematographer, Bianca Cline, finished the film and receives co-credit.) But Rust is very long, at 139 minutes, without really feeling like an epic, and so it drags, spending too much time on characters who do nothing except add local color. It also has a glum quality, perhaps unconsciously instilled by the people charged with finishing it. Even Baldwin fails to give his outlaw character the oomph it needed. The story is also fairly predictable, focused entirely on men, with women portrayed as helpless or sexual objects. It would have been nice if Rust had been a fitting tribute to the talented Hutchins, but instead it's a sad coda.