'Rust' review: Alec Baldwin Western shows true grit, tragic back story aside

An accidental death and an unpredictable court case are at the heart of “Rust,” not only on screen but also behind the camera.

In October 2021, while the indie Western was filming outside Santa Fe, a live round discharged from a gun that Alec Baldwin was wielding as a prop. The film’s writer-director, Joel Souza, was injured, but cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed. The movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and Baldwin was indicted on the same charge. But in a dramatic reversal, the Massapequa-raised actor’s case was dismissed last summer after a New Mexico judge assailed prosecutors and law enforcement for what she called “signs of scorching prejudice.”

It's hard not to think of all that as “Rust” introduces us to Lucas (Patrick Scott McDermott), an orphaned Wyoming boy struggling to run a farm and raise a little brother on his own. When Lucas shoots at a pesky wolf, the bullet instead kills a man, and very quickly this scrawny tween finds himself headed for the gallows. Indignant words from a wealthy grandaunt (Frances Fisher) can’t save him, but then a mysterious figure breaks into the jail, yanks Lucas from his cell and carries him off into the Wild West.

The figure is career outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin, graying and commanding), whose reasons for risking his hide will be revealed as the story unfolds. The boy’s initial suspicions slowly soften into trust, especially as it becomes clear that Rust will kill anyone who threatens him. Meanwhile, Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) gathers a posse to bring back the fugitives even as a bounty hunter named Lang (Travis Fimmel) begins closing in.

“Rust” borrows from several familiar sources but manages to blend them into something that feels authentic. The mostly austere dialogue recalls Charles Portis’ masterful novel “True Grit,” though Helm, who tends to stare into the abyss, carries a whiff of Cormac McCarthy. Fimmel’s Lang, dressed in black and spouting Scripture, seems clearly modeled on Robert Mitchum’s Harry Powell in “The Night of the Hunter.” (They’re both called "Preacher" and have a tendency to hop around when the action gets hot.) And while it’s hard to say which scenes were captured by Hutchins or her replacement, Bianca Cline, “Rust” is often gorgeous to look at, especially when the West’s big blue skies fade to black and a campfire illuminates the contrasting faces of our younger and older protagonists.

The film is dedicated to Hutchins and closes with a quote that must have been her byword: “What can we do to make this better?” The original producers of “Rust,” including Baldwin, will not gain financially from the film, according to a news release that points to an NPR story for details. Following a settlement, it says, profits will go to the late cinematographer's husband, now credited as an executive producer, and son.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com