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The Independent
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Rust movie crew members settle lawsuit against producers and Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting
Actor Alex Baldwin and producers of the 2024 film 'Rust' have settled a civil lawsuit filed by several movie crew members, court documents released Friday reveal. The Western film turned fatal when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot while Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the movie, was rehearsing with a loaded gun on the set near Santa Fe in October 2021. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting. Baldwin has claimed he was told there were no live rounds in the gun. He also claimed he did not pull the trigger, which prosecutors say forensic reports disprove. The civil lawsuit was brought by three crew members who claim they suffered emotional distress from the shooting. The suit alleges that film producers failed to follow industry safety rules, which they have denied. Plaintiffs to the lawsuit included Ross Addiego, a front-line crew member who witnessed the shooting at close range. A charge of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed at trial last year on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense. 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and completed an 18-month sentence in May. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unwittingly bringing live ammunition on set and failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. Addiego testified at Gutierrez-Reed's trial and appeared before the grand jury which indicted Baldwin. The filming of 'Rust' was completed in Montana. The Western was released in theaters in May.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Rust, review – Halyna Hutchins gave Alec Baldwin's cursed western more beauty than it deserves
Every film becomes a séance eventually, but Rust made the transition quicker than most. This sombre, workmanlike western lit up with notoriety four years ago after its 42-year-old director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, was fatally shot on set. The bullet, which also wounded the film's director Joel Souza, came from a gun that was being used as a prop, and which was fired by its star, Alec Baldwin, during preparations for a scene. In the ensuing trial, the film's armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; Baldwin was acquitted and the same charge dismissed on procedural grounds. That awful, avoidable accident is why a large portion of Rust's audience will have heard of the film at all; it's why I'm writing about it, and probably why you're reading about it, too. There's a ghoulishness to this, which is human. But equally human, I think, is the deeper, warmer desire to appreciate the last work of an artist who would have never conceived of it as such, and must have assumed she was just getting started. (Hutchins had served as director of photography on just five fairly minor features in the four years before she made Rust.) It's hard not to suspect that the film's lengthy running time – two hours and 20 minutes is unusual for an independent western without much of a pedigree – is the result of a desire to showcase as much of Hutchins' best work as was possible. (Two years after her death, the further month of filming required to complete the film was overseen by her friend and fellow cinematographer Bianca Cline.) That would certainly explain the film's patient, plaintive and pointedly beautiful opening: two shining close-ups of Baldwin and his young co-star Patrick Scott McDermott's eyes (very Sergio Leone), followed by a series of shots of dawn-pink clouds rolling tenderly across the vast western landscapes, then a proper introduction to McDermott's Lucas Hollister, a careworn 13-year-old orphan, as he wraps up warm for the morning farmyard chores while firelight caresses his face. It's Lucas on whom the film centres, as after an accidental shooting (grim irony), the boy is sentenced to death, then sprung from jail at the 11th hour by his outlaw grandfather, Baldwin's Harland Rust. Films made on this scale often require a Baldwin-level name to attract enough funding to be made in the first place, but the 30 Rock star isn't a natural fit for this grizzled and stoical role: he has the sort of face which knows a well-poured Martini when it sees one, and doesn't quite belong in the rickety saloons of 19th-century Wyoming Territory. The plot, co-written by Souza and Baldwin, toggles soap-operatically between the flight of Lucas and his grandfather for the US-Mexico border and the efforts of Josh Hopkins' sheriff and his rag-tag posse to thwart their escape. It's methodically told, but often ravishingly captured. A simple riverside conversation between Baldwin and McDermott is shot with a split diopter: a vintage lens attachment which lets actors on opposite sides of the frame appear in focus simultaneously, even though one is deep in the background and the other nearby. Rust is stippled with such flourishes; in any other circumstances, they'd feel a little too good for the film in which they appear. In this one, however, they're the reason we're here at all. 15 cert, 140 min. On digital platforms from June 23
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed released from prison after serving sentence for involuntary manslaughter''
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film Rust, is no longer behind bars. New Mexico authorities confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Gutierrez-Reed was released from prison Friday, after having been sentenced to 18 months in April 2024. As part of her parole, Gutierrez-Reed is required to report immediately to an officer in Bullhead City, Ariz., according to a parole certificate reviewed by EW. Her early release comes with stipulations including no contact with the victim's family and abiding by a curfew. Gutierrez-Reed was serving as the weapons supervisor on Rust on Oct. 21, 2021, when a prop gun being wielded by actor and producer Alec Baldwin discharged a live round, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin had been told the gun was "cold," meaning it did not contain live ammunition, and he has maintained that he did not pull the trigger. The actor was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter before the charges were dropped, then was charged again in January 2024. The case against him was ultimately dismissed last July after the prosecutors committed a Brady violation. Prosecutors in Gutierrez-Reed's case argued that she was neglectful in her duties supervising the safety of the prop weapons on Rust, contending that she unknowingly brought live ammunition to the production and allowed it to remain on set for at least 12 days, according to the Associated Press. Gutierrez-Reed also faced a charge of tampering with evidence but was acquitted. Rust eventually resumed production in 2023 and completed filming 19 months after Hutchins' death. The film opened in limited release earlier this month, grossing $25,000 from 115 theaters. When Rust opened, Hutchins' mother, Olga Solovey, and sister, Svetlana Zemko, encouraged people to see the film despite its tragic background."I watched my daughter's stunning film twice," Solovey told PEOPLE. "I was so happy for the success of my daughter because it was filmed so beautifully. I would want everybody to watch it because it was the dream of my daughter and she would want people to see it." Zemko used a term of endearment when she added, "Everyone should see Gala's work; this is high professionalism and high-level artistry. The film is strong. I would want Gala to be remembered not for the tragedy but for her talent and hard work." Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Sky News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed: Weapons supervisor convicted in fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set freed from jail
A weapons supervisor who was jailed for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie, Rust, has been freed. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was released on parole from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants on Friday, after serving her 18-month sentence, NBC News, Sky's US partner said, quoting New Mexico Corrections Department spokesperson, Brittany Roembach. Gutierrez-Reed was released to return home to Bullhead City, Arizona, where she will be on parole for a year for the manslaughter case. She was in charge of weapons during the production of the Western film in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021, when a prop gun held by star and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal. Cinematographer Hutchins died following the incident, while director Joel Souza was injured. Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of charges of tampering with evidence in the investigation, but will be on probation over a separate conviction for unlawfully carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar where firearms are banned weeks before Rust began filming. Involuntary manslaughter means causing someone's death due to negligence, without intending to. At her 10-day trial in New Mexico in March last year, prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of Rust and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. The 18-month sentence she was given was the maximum available for the offence. Baldwin, 67, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dramatically dismissed by the judge during his trial last July over mistakes made by police and prosecutors, including allegations of withholding ammunition evidence from the defence. The actor had always denied the charge, maintaining he did not pull the gun's trigger and that others on the set were responsible for safety checks on the weapon. Rust was finished in Montana and released earlier this month, minus the scene they were working on when Hutchins was shot, Souza, speaking at November's premiere in Poland, said. Rust is billed as the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents' deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after being sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Freed From Prison Following Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is now free from prison following her involuntary manslaughter conviction related to the 2021 death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The film's star, Alec Baldwin, was holding the loaded firearm when it went off, fatally wounding Hutchins and hospitalizing director Joel Souza. However, his trial was dismissed with prejudice on the third day of witness testimony, meaning he will no longer face jail time for his role in her death. On Friday, May 23, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Corrections Department told NBC News that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had been released that morning. The film armorer was released in Arizona near the border of Nevada and California. The spokesperson, Brittany Roembach, informed the public that she will be under the supervision of both probation and parole authorities for the following year. She is also facing 18 months of probation for a separate case, in which she was accused of unlawfully carrying a firearm into a licensed liquor establishment. According to the state's sentencing commission, women in New Mexico state prisons often serve less than 60% of their sentences on average. However, Gutierrez-Reed, who was sentenced to the state maximum penalty of 18 months after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, was required to serve at least 85% of her sentence at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, New Mexico. The length of Gutierrez-Reed's sentence was due to the fact that she was convicted of a 'serious violent offense.' Although involuntary manslaughter is not considered a serious violent offense in all circumstances, it was decided that it was warranted here. During the trial, the armorer was accused of using other drugs at or around the time that the crew was filming. While she was behind bars, the corrections spokesperson revealed that she had received 60 days credit for completing two phases of a residential addiction program. She also received four days' credit each month for good behavior and 40 days of pre-sentence credit. Although she pleaded not guilty and tried to get her case dismissed, lead prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey argued that she 'was negligent, she was careless, [and] she was thoughtless' on set, which ultimately led to the death of Halyna Hutchins. In March 2024, family attorneys Gloria Allred and John Carpenter released a brief statement on behalf of Halyna Hutchins' mother, father, and sister following Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's guilty verdict. "Halyna's parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna's death to be held accountable," the statement began. "Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process. We are satisfied that the jury, based on the evidence, found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for her part in the taking of Halyna's life." They went on to say, "We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna's death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions." In Wednesday's closing arguments, prosecutor Kari Morrissey said, "The astonishing lack of diligence with regard to gun safety is without question a significant cause of the death of Halyna Hutchins," per ABC News. "This is not a case where Hannah Gutierrez made one mistake, and that one mistake was accidental - putting a live round into that gun," she continued. "This case is about constant, never-ending, safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another." The film 'Rust' had a limited theatrical release after it opened on May 2, 2025, and was acquired by Falling Forward Films. According to Box Office Mojo, the film only brought in $25,000 at the domestic box office and less than $2,000 at the global box office. In a strange twist, the film's plot also involves an accidental shooting: an orphaned boy must go on the run with his estranged grandfather after he is sentenced to death for the accidental shooting of a local rancher.
