2024's Most Controversial Western Thriller Is Suddenly a Hit on Prime Video

Published Nov 11, 2026, 3:18 PM EST Sam Hill is a news writer at Polygon covering gaming and entertainment. He's a Portland, Oregon–based journalist known for covering gaming, the outdoors, national parks, tech, food, and internet culture. He has written for a range of publications including Outside Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vice, the Seattle Times and Digital Trends. The divisive Alec Baldwin film is riding high on streaming despite its troubled history Image: Falling Forward Films Sign in to your Polygon.com account Alec Baldwin has spent decades as one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, moving between blockbuster movies, acclaimed dramas, and television comedy. From The Hunt for Red October and Glengarry Glen Ross to The Departed and The Aviator, Baldwin has built an extensive filmography, while his Emmy-winning role as Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock remains one of his most memorable performances. Baldwin has remained a familiar face in Hollywood for decades, but one of his more recent movie projects has attracted attention for reasons beyond its cast. A Western thriller led by the veteran actor is now finding an audience on streaming, giving viewers an opportunity to check out a film that generated considerable controversy before it ever reached theaters. The 2025 Western Rust, directed by Joel Souza, has climbed into Amazon Prime Video's U.S. movie top 10, according to FlixPatrol. The film recently reached No. 5 on the platform's U.S. chart and is having massive success internationally right now, finding a second life on streaming a year after its release. What is Rust about? Set in 1880s, Wyoming, Rust follows Harland Rust (Baldwin), an infamous outlaw who comes to the rescue of his 13-year-old grandson, Lucas Hollister (Patrick Scott McDermott), after the boy is sentenced to hang for accidentally killing a rancher. Image: Falling Forward Films With his grandson facing execution, Harland breaks him out of prison, and the pair flee toward Mexico. Their journey quickly becomes a dangerous fight for survival as they attempt to evade U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and ruthless bounty hunter Fenton "Preacher" Lang (Travis Fimmel). Despite its renewed streaming attention, Rust received a mixed reception from critics. The movie currently holds a 56% critics' score and 68% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The site's critics' consensus describes it as a middling drama with impressive visuals, but little that distinguishes it from other Westerns. The controversy surrounding Rust Rust made headlines after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on set in October 2021 when a revolver Baldwin was holding discharged during a rehearsal. Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the incident. Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024 after the judge found prosecutors had improperly withheld evidence. The film eventually resumed production and arrived in theaters in May 2025.