Rust (2024) – A Western with Shadows Beyond the Screen
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (3.5/5)

“Rust” (2024) is a slow-burning Western that blends classical genre tropes with haunting undercurrents of regret and redemption — both onscreen and off.

Starring Alec Baldwin as weary outlaw Harland Rust, the film follows a man on the run after helping his estranged teenage grandson escape a wrongful hanging. Set against the sweeping, sun-bleached landscapes of 1880s New Mexico, Rust plays like a throwback to the revisionist Westerns of the 1970s, with deliberate pacing and a heavy emotional core.

Baldwin gives a restrained, grounded performance, portraying Rust as a man haunted by violence and choices that can’t be undone. His scenes with newcomer Brady Noon (as his grandson) offer the heart of the film, with a touching chemistry that balances grit and tenderness.

Director Joel Souza, who also penned the script, takes a minimalist approach — emphasizing quiet moments over spectacle, letting the tension build naturally. The cinematography is gorgeous, capturing a dusty, melancholic American West that feels both mythic and real.

But it’s impossible to watch Rust without acknowledging the real-life tragedy that hangs over it. The film is dedicated to Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who tragically lost her life during production in 2021. Her work on the film is stunning — light and shadow are used with masterful precision, lending the film a poetic, sometimes eerie tone that lingers long after the credits roll.

That said, the film isn’t without flaws. The pacing may test some viewers’ patience, and the script occasionally leans too heavily on familiar Western beats. Still, the emotional weight, historical context, and raw performances elevate Rust into something more than just a genre piece.

Final Verdict:
Rust is a somber, elegiac Western that carries both artistic merit and emotional weight. While its story may feel traditional, its place in cinema history — and its tribute to those lost — gives it a resonance that goes far beyond the screen.