Alec Baldwin’s Western Rust Becomes a Hit on Prime Video

Alec Baldwin has spent decades working in films and television, from The Hunt for Red October and Glengarry Glen Ross to The Departed and The Aviator. His role as Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock earned him an Emmy.

One of Baldwin’s more recent films, the 2025 Western Rust, has found an audience on streaming after a production marked by controversy. Directed by Joel Souza, the film recently reached No. 5 on Amazon Prime Video’s U.S. movie chart, according to FlixPatrol. It has also found an international audience on streaming a year after its release.

What is Rust about?

Set in 1880s Wyoming, Rust follows infamous outlaw Harland Rust, played by Baldwin. Harland comes to the aid of his 13-year-old grandson, Lucas Hollister, played by Patrick Scott McDermott, after the boy is sentenced to hang for accidentally killing a rancher.

Harland breaks Lucas out of prison, and they flee toward Mexico. Along the way, they try to evade U.S. Marshal Wood Helm, played by Josh Hopkins, and bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang, played by Travis Fimmel.

The film received a mixed response from critics. It holds a 56% critics’ score and a 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s critics’ consensus describes it as a middling drama with impressive visuals but little to distinguish it from other Westerns.

The controversy surrounding Rust

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on the set in October 2021 when a revolver Baldwin was holding discharged during a rehearsal. Souza was also wounded.

Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024 after the judge found that prosecutors had improperly withheld evidence. Production eventually resumed, and Rust arrived in theaters in May 2025.

Source: Polygon