Unveiling the Human Story Behind on-Set Tragedy

Read Time:4 Minute, 36 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna
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Genre: Crime, Documentary
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director(s): Rachel Mason
Where To Watch: premieres March 11, 2025, on Hulu

RAVING REVIEW: LAST TAKE: RUST AND THE STORY OF HALYNA is a documentary that caused me more internal conflict than I thought it would. On the one hand, it offers a moving and deeply personal tribute to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, ensuring that her legacy isn’t reduced to a headline in a tragic news cycle. Conversely, it sometimes feels like the film serves as both judge and jury, making decisive calls about responsibility while selectively choosing who to question. The depth is undeniable due to director Rachel Mason’s close friendship with Hutchins. Still, that same intimacy may have contributed to a slight imbalance in framing the tragedy. There’s no question that the film industry must reckon with the safety failures that led to Hutchins’s death.

The film’s greatest strength and potential flaw is Mason's connection to Hutchins. The personal nature of their relationship results in moments of raw emotion that elevate this beyond a standard investigative documentary. Interviews with close friends, cast/crew members, and others paint a portrait of a driven artist, and glimpses of Hutchins’s work reveal the depth of her vision. Stories about her passion for capturing the perfect shot add richness to her character, making her loss feel even more devastating. This documentary re-centers her as a person, not just as the subject of an industry scandal.

The film can’t escape the shadow of the controversy surrounding the RUST set and the questions about who should ultimately be held responsible. That’s where my feelings about the documentary become complicated. Its presentation of legal documents, safety reports, and on-set conditions is meticulous, showing a thorough understanding of the systemic issues at play. However, its approach to blame feels slightly selective. While the film rightly examines the failures of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the production’s cost-cutting measures, it seems to tread lightly regarding Alec Baldwin’s role in the incident. That omission—or rather, the uneven level of scrutiny—left me questioning whether Mason’s close relationship with Hutchins shaped how responsibility was portrayed.

To be clear, I’m not saying the blame for this tragedy should be placed squarely on Baldwin. The situation was far more complex than one individual’s actions. However, given that Baldwin was not only the lead actor but also a producer on the film, his role in the events leading up to the shooting deserved a deeper, more balanced examination. Instead, LAST TAKE almost seems to absolve him entirely, which feels like a disservice to the discussion the film is trying to have. The idea that Baldwin, an experienced actor, skipped safety training and still handled a weapon without verifying its contents is barely addressed. Instead, the documentary leans into a narrative that paints him as just another victim of a broken system. While the industry’s failures should be highlighted, so should individual accountability. That discrepancy made me uncomfortable and distracted from what the film otherwise does well.

Despite this, LAST TAKE does a lot right. Including behind-the-scenes footage from RUST and Hutchins’s archives adds authenticity and depth to the narrative. Mason ensures that Hutchins’s creative spirit remains front and center, even as the documentary unpacks her passing and its legal and ethical implications.

I would have liked to see the film more deeply explore Hutchins’s early career and her roadblocks in a male-dominated industry. A more comprehensive exploration of how Hollywood historically undervalues crew safety could have expanded the scope beyond the RUST tragedy, placing it within a broader conversation about labor protections.

LAST TAKE: RUST AND THE STORY OF HALYNA is both powerful and frustrating. It succeeds in preserving Hutchins’s legacy, reminding us of the person behind the tragedy, but its handling of accountability feels uneven. The documentary raises important questions, but being somewhat selective in how it assigns responsibility leaves some of those questions only partially answered. It’s a film that needed to be made and brings necessary attention to the risks crew members face in the industry, but it could have pushed harder where it mattered most.

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[photo courtesy of HULU]

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