Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust” will finally be released to American audiences on Friday, available in select theaters and streaming on Amazon Prime.
The film will always remain most famous for the on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin was holding a gun from the props department when it discharged on Oct. 21, 2021, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
In a number of reviews published Thursday, critics agreed that the film’s cinematography — led by Hutchins and her eventual replacement, Bianca Cline — was its best attribute.
“It’s not clear where Hutchins’ work ends and Cline’s begins, but the end result is harmonious and visually compelling,” Lovia Gyarkye wrote for The Hollywood Reporter. “There are some impressive moments that play with shadows and silhouettes, and no shortage of dramatically staged gun battles.”
However, critics also agreed the rest of the film was relatively unspectacular, a “perfectly decent addition to the well-worn [Western] genre that basically is found these days on television rather than the big screen,” as Deadline’s Pete Hammond wrote.
Even more favorable critics questioned the movie’s two-hour and 19-minute runtime, which they said felt overly long for a film centered around the straightforward pursuit of an outlaw (Baldwin’s character, Harland Rust).
“The fact is, the discomfiting sight of Baldwin firing off pistols during the obligatory gunfight climax (after which the movie continues for a truly stretched-out denouement) isn’t really worth the long sit; it makes ‘Rust’ feel ghoulish in addition to dull,” Jesse Hassenger wrote for the Guardian, giving the film two out of five stars.
Some critics questioned the decision to continue making “Rust” after Hutchins’ death. When camera assistant Sarah Jones, 27, was killed in a 2014 accident while filming “Midnight Rider,” that project was shelved entirely.
The original producers of “Rust” will not see any profits from the film. They reached a settlement with Hutchins’ surviving family, and her widower, Matthew, will see at least a portion of the movie’s profits.
“Will the offscreen tragedy that now defines ‘Rust’ make viewers curious to see it or turn people off?” Owen Gleiberman wrote for Variety. “Either way, those who seek it out will find that the movie ‘delivers’ without ever becoming an adventure to remember.”
Originally Published: May 1, 2025 at 5:28 PM EDT
