Rust (2024) Review

 A 13-year-old boy, forced to care for his younger brother after their parents’ death, faces the noose for an accidental killing. His only hope — a hardened, estranged grandfather who spirits him away on a dangerous journey into new Mexico.

Director Joel Souza crafts tense, understated set pieces and character-driven exchanges, wisely letting his actors carry the film’s emotional heft on the back drop for real locations and great sets.

Cinematographers Bianca Cline and Halyna Hutchins deliver outstanding work here, giving the film a crisp, high-budget sheen with sweeping vistas and intimate character moments that ground the drama. Like it or not, the heavy grim colour timing adds to the mood as the leads encounter a variety of characters on the way.

Alec Baldwin leads as dangerous Harland Rust, the grizzled outlaw, while Patrick Scott McDermott portrays Lucas Hollister. The young McDermott impresses with a grounded, emotionally resonant performance. Travis Fimmel delivers a menacing turn as bounty hunter Fenton "Preacher" Lang, and Josh Hopkins is notable in as U.S. Marshal Wood Helm. Frances Fisher adds depth as Lucas’s grand-aunt, while Jake Busey also appears. Baldwin offers a solid performance as Rust, reminding viewers of his ability to inhabit morally grey characters with ease.

The acting across the board is first-rate, with the child actors particularly standing out for their naturalistic performances. Composers James Jackson and Lilie Bytheway-Hoy provide a restrained, evocative score that supports the film’s mood without overplaying it.

From the outset, there’s a clear emphasis on firearms, which feels a touch ironic given the tragic on-set death of Halyna Hutchins that shadowed this production. Yet, at its core, Rush is a Western — and guns, rifles, and frontier lawlessness remain intrinsic to the genre’s DNA, whether or not the Second Amendment feels relevant today.

Overall, Rush may not rewrite the Western rulebook, but it delivers a well-crafted, visually striking entry into the genre — one that feels both classic and modern in its execution. It’s a pity it landed straight to VOD.