Review: "Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna" Creates A Complete Portrait of a Devastating Event

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna looks to showcase the work of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and her unfortunate death on the set of the western Rust. The accidental shooting of Hutchins took the media by storm back in late 2021, becoming the biggest film set story since the helicopter crash that took place during the filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie. For those unaware, Alec Baldwin was on set of the western when he used his prop gun and fired a bullet into Halyna Hutchins. The gun was, as all on-set firearms should, expected to be filled with blanks, not live ammunition.

The documentary looks to explain the events of the horrendous accident, the unsafe workplace practices that led to the atrocity, and the return to shooting. Overall, rather unexpectedly, the film deftly tackles the case without taking sides or diminishing the work of Halyna.

As often is the case, especially in these salacious types of stories, documentaries tend to join in the media frenzy by choosing to villainize many while never discussing the legacy of the victims. Luckily, the documentary works to share all evidence without choosing to decide who the viewer needs to loathe. Even more so, the doc works to shine a light on how the media and social media conversations about the case hurt all involved, including the victim and their family.

The only true qualms I felt reside with the documentarian’s odd choice to include themselves in various aspects when it wasn’t necessary. They are never positioned as a narrator for the story, though they do appear randomly throughout, including an end-of-film voice over that tries to place a bow on the proceedings, but instead feels out of place and quite random.

What viewers can expect to take away is a larger, unbiased and detailed explanation of a remarkably sad case. In a world filled with true crime content that looks to incite rage and fear, Last Take does a great job of just explaining. No nonsense, just facts. Those involved who are interviewed are not presented to create more tension or anger, but to help flesh out the entire story.

Yet, even outside of the case, the most powerful takeaway is Hutchins’ passion for the art of cinematography. The film never shies away from discussing the craft that is filmmaking, even while still tackling the case itself. As the credits are set to roll at the documentary’s end, Hutchins’ gorgeous shots and work on Rust is presented to viewers, showcasing not only her talent, but the extreme loss the cinematography community must feel. As the conversation continues about whether or not Rust should have completed filming (luckily, this is where the film takes a hard stance), the shots revealed help to contextualize that the film community is better off having her work released.

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Helyna is now streaming on Hulu.