In Sedgwick County, Wyoming Territory, 1882, a young boy named Lucas (played by Patrick Scott McDermott) lives on his parents’ property with his younger brother, Jacob (portrayed by Easton Malcolm). After losing both of their parents, Lucas feels the weight of responsibility to provide food and finances for their survival. Despite receiving offers to buy their home from various people, Lucas refuses, even though he desperately needs money.
One day, Lucas and Jacob go into town to sell some livestock, including pigs and one of their horses. During their visit, an altercation occurs, forcing Lucas to repay a debt. Unfortunately, things get worse for Lucas and his brother after this incident. While on his property, Lucas spots a dangerous wolf and attempts to shoot it to protect his home, but accidentally shoots and kills a man. It soon becomes clear that the victim was the same individual seeking fulfillment of Lucas’s outstanding debt.
Now, with blood on his hands, Lucas is captured, imprisoned, and sentenced to hang. But while in prison, a mysterious man breaks Lucas out. Lucas’s rescuer is none other than Harland Rust (played by Alec Baldwin), Lucas’s grandfather. Now on the run, Lucas and Rust are being pursued by various lawmen and bounty hunters, including the most charming and dangerous of them all, Fenton “Preacher” Lang (played by Travis Fimmel).
Rust is a western film that features brief, minor moments of action, primarily consisting of shootouts. For those who may not be aware, the film is written and directed by Joel Souza, whose previous works include Crown Vic (2019), Christmas Trade (2015), and Ghost Squad (2015), among others. The story was developed by both Joel Souza and Alec Baldwin.
I have some great praises for this film. Firstly, its visuals are a major strong point; everything is stunningly beautiful, with incredible, sharp shots throughout the film’s runtime. Performance-wise, Alec Baldwin stands out as the most significant highlight, delivering the strongest and most compelling performance among the entire cast. At the same time, Travis Fimmel also has a few memorable moments. Rust’s musical theme (soundtrack by Lilie Bytheway-Hoy and James Jackson) is a great fit, especially during Rust’s introduction, conveying a sense of mystery and danger. The biggest reward of the story comes in the final thirty minutes, which ties together various plot points and characters in a gripping and heartfelt conclusion. It serves as an excellent ending, even if some elements were predictable.
While Rust has its merits, I found a few aspects disappointing. The film’s runtime is excessively long. It introduces various characters eager to earn rewards for discovering and capturing Rust and Jacob’s, but unfortunately, too much screen time is dedicated to these many side characters. As a result, several scenes felt disconnected from the core storyline and felt uninteresting, especially after the one-hour mark. With so many characters introduced and so much time spent on them, I felt that Rust might have been better suited as a television series. Without being too harsh, I also found some performances from the younger actors unconvincing and often unrealistic.
Overall, Rust is an engaging Western film that showcases strong performances from Alec Baldwin, who commands the screen with confidence and authenticity, and Travis Fimmel, who delivers many memorable moments as a charming yet deadly bounty hunter. Visually, the film is impressive and well-crafted. However, its lengthy runtime includes introducing various side characters and subplots that may have been better suited to a TV series. Despite this, the film’s saving grace is the final thirty minutes, which offer a satisfying conclusion filled with exciting action sequences, including shootouts and emotional moments. For fans of the Western genre, this film is definitely worth watching!
Rust (2024) is available on Digital in Australia from May 7th and on DVD from May 28th!
Published: 1st May 2025
Written by: Peter Walkden
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