THE STORY – A boy left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after he is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
THE CAST – Alec Baldwin, Patrick Scott McDermott, Travis Fimmel, Josh Hopkins, Frances Fisher, Jake Busey & Devon Werkheiser
THE TEAM – Joel Souza (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 133 Minutes
It goes without saying that any review of Joel Souza’s latest film, “Rust,” won’t come without some form of discussion surrounding the unfortunate tragedy that is forever attached to its production. The accidental shooting that took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is forever ingrained into the perception of not only “Rust” but the film’s star (and producer) Alec Baldwin and the ongoing discussion over certain industry practices as well. Despite a slew of court proceedings and countless changes behind and in front of the camera, Souza’s passion project finally resumed production years later. What results after this calamity of production is a Western that would rather live in the image of films that it’s so heavily influenced by than strive for anything worthwhile, let alone entertaining.
It’s 1882, Wyoming. A young rancher named Lucas (played by Patrick Scott McDermott) is fighting each day to take care of his baby brother after the untimely passing of both of their parents. Lucas struggles with the upkeep of their ranch, leading them to slowly barter goods and even cross paths with other antagonistic members of their community. His commitment to keeping his brother safe eventually leads him down an unjust path to the town’s hangman. Lucas’s only hope for survival finds itself in the unexpected presence of his long-lost grandfather and notorious outlaw, Harland Rust. The gruff elderly fugitive thrusts Lucas into the dangerous terrain of the American West, filled with bounty hunters, illnesses, and indigenous natives to the region who are attempting to defend their territory. All of which threatens the two from obtaining the opportunity of a better life.
Despite “Rust” having a fairly simplistic screenplay, Souza’s direction attempts to make something grand out of these various storylines. The film constantly jumps between three various groups of characters, including the Rust family, the grieving Sheriff Wood Helm (played by Josh Hopkins), hot on Rust’s trail, and the relentless Bible-quoting bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang (played by Travis Fimmel). It isn’t bad enough that each of these characters comes off as a surface-level exploration of established character archetypes familiar with the genre.
Almost every performer feels constricted by the overtly self-serious nature that “Rust” is trying to create. The story, which is bleak at times, is only doubled down by Souza, which sadly deprives most of the characters of any sense of personality. One of the only characters that leaves an impact on the viewers is Fenton. Fimmel, who brings an almost cartoonish approach to the “Preacher,” leads his performance having some of the showier moments in the film, even if his one-note antagonist is nothing revelatory. There’s some amusement found in watching his morally corrupted “officer of the law” shoot his way out of trouble and use the Holy Word of god to entice romantic paramours. On a more emotionally engaging level, Hopkins’s performance as Sheriff Helm does the most in trying to instill an investment in the audience, which is absent throughout most of the film. Helm is a character who is at a crossroads in his life. A family man whose absence while his young child is battling a severe illness only instills guilt as he’s trying to fulfill his purpose by bringing Harland Rust to justice. It also helps that Hopkins’s entire look feels in the vein of the late Kris Kristofferson, who is the only actor in the whole cast to rise above the material given to them.
Baldwin, who plays the titular character of “Rust,” is not at his best. Again, it is a challenging task to ask of your lead performer, especially considering the position he was put in during the tragedy at the heart of this production. Putting aside the headspace Baldwin was in being on this set once again, what we’re given is a performance that comes off as unremarkable. McDermott does a far better job of engaging audiences with their side of the story, carrying the film on his shoulders.
The technical aspects of “Rust” are solid, with Bryan Norville’s production design standing out the most. The score by James Jackson and Lile Bytheway-Hoy is acceptable, even if its generic nature could lead to distracting moments. It’s hard to discern how much of a contribution Hutchins had in terms of the overall visual language “Rust” displays compared to cinematographer Bianca Cline, who stepped in to fill in Hutchins’ shoes in the wake of her untimely passing. It’s unknown how much of what was originally shot was kept in the final cut by Souza. At times, “Rust” does look good, even if most of the credit goes to the various locales where they filmed. Yet the film overall is never able to impress on a visual level. Characters are constantly standing around in shadowy locales, whether inside buildings with minimal lighting or during the nighttime. It only makes an already rough viewing experience tedious, having to struggle to discern what’s playing out in front of your eyes for durations of the film.
Watching “Rust,” you buy into this world, but only in sparse moments. It’s far from the immersive western it craves to be, let alone a memorable one. You have to wonder whether continuing this project in light of everything that happened was worth it. I can’t personally answer that question as that remains something that Souza will only know. What I do know is that “Rust” certainly will stand the test of time, but sadly for all the wrong reasons.
