Rust

NOW IN THEATERS! Writer-director Joel Souza’s cursed movie, Rust, is finally out. We all know the tragic events that transpired and the controversy surrounding the production, but ultimately, a film has to be judged by what’s on the screen, not by anything that went into its making. So saddle up, folks. The story begins after the death of 14-year-old Lucas’s (Patrick Scott McDermott) parents. He’s left to care for his younger brother on their small homestead in 1880s Wyoming. Struggling to survive, Lucas sells off what little his family owns for food and supplies. His desperation leads to conflict when he beats up the son of a wealthy landowner.

With the landowner’s son injured and unable to work, Lucas is forced into indentured servitude to the landowner. The very next day, while out hunting a wolf, Lucas accidentally kills the landowner in a tragic misunderstanding. In an instant, he is arrested, tried, and sentenced to hang for murder. On the day of his execution, the aging outlaw, Harland Rust (Alec Baldwin), breaks Jacob out of jail. Rust, who turns out to be Lucas’ estranged grandfather, offers no explanation except that Lucas must trust him. The two plan to flee to New Mexico but ultimately end up in Mexico for safety.

Pursuing them is U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins), a broken man haunted by a sad family situation and unable to control his rage. Helm is accompanied by a crew of lawmen sworn to bring Rust and the boy to justice. On their long, harrowing journey, Rust and Lucas face one trial after another. Chief among them is Fenton Lane (Travis Fimmel), a psychotic preacher-turned-bounty hunter known for chasing escaped slaves and taking pleasure in violence. Lucas is now forced to grow up fast if he wants to survive. Then there’s Rust. Hardened by a violent past, he does whatever it takes to protect his grandson, even if it means killing again.

“On their long, harrowing journey, Rust and Lucas face one trial after another.”

Overall, Rust is a fairly standard Western. It checks a lot of boxes, depicting a lawless frontier, and your safety and standing are measured by the quality of the gun or rifle you carry. Anytime a person rides up to someone’s front door, they are greeted with a rifle pointed at their chest. Of course, all arguments are settled by a gunfight. Every encounter is a matter of life and death.

What I like is that all of the characters are complex, especially Lucas and Rust. Lucas is a boy who must become a man. At some point, he has to stand up for himself rather than let others do it for him. Rust is a killer who needs to atone for the lives he’s taken.

Rust also boasts a sizable cast, including Fimmel, Jake Busey, Frances Fisher, and Xander Berkeley. Every character is distinct, with their wants, desires, and personality ticks. The gunfights are brutal, and no one comes out unscathed or alive. Like any good Western, the clock ticks until our heroes confront the violence that’s been chasing them.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the cinematography. The visuals make this feel like an actual Western, even though it doesn’t have the epic scale of the great Hollywood Westerns. Still, as dangerous as this terrain is, I can’t help but wish I could homestead on a Western farm or ranch in my waning days. The story also takes place across many states; each location looks and feels different. Every gunfight finds a new locale and setting for the action.

In the end, Rust is a solid Western worthy of a spot on your library shelf. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that transcends the genre, but it will go well with a pot of chili over an open flame and a bucket of popcorn. Sadly, a film like this will always be mired by its tragic events behind the scenes.