Rustin

Rustin is another extremely conventional biopic about a person who was anything but that. It remains really good thanks to a central performance more than capable of single-handedly carrying the film and the fact that its story, even when told conventionally, is incredibly powerful.

Shining a spotlight on someone who did the extraordinary without being remembered like his peers, Colman Domingo delivers a perfect performance that's endlessly charming. Dustin Lance Black and Julian Breece create a screenplay that gives Domingo plenty of speeches which he performs in a way that never feels showy, always heartfelt and real.

The best aspect of George C. Wolfe's direction is the pacing. It moves fast without ever feeling rushed and is always further ahead than it seems. Branford Marsalis' jazz heavy score really works, reflecting the chaos of trying to arrange a march of this scale as well as the way all the leaders bounce off each other.

Unsung heroes often don't get their day. Fortunately, however, for civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, he's finally getting his due in this new biopic about the many challenges he faced in bringing this event into being. The flamboyant, outspoken, Black gay organizer faced much opposition to his proposal, including, surprisingly enough, from an African-American community that was apprehensive about the message his appointment and presence would send to a still-reluctant public in its support for equal rights measures, including such noteworthy figures as NAACP leader Roy Wilkins (Chris Rock) and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Jeffrey Wright). Things were even tense at times between Rustin and his longtime friend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Aml Ameen), for whom Rustin once served as his chief aide and advisor. Then there was Rustin's sexual orientation, a matter he didn't exactly hide, especially in his less-than-discreet relationship with married preacher Elias Taylor (Johnny Ramey), something other activists feared could undo all the progress they had made up to that time. But, as a determined champion, Rustin forged ahead, despite these hardships, culminating in the largest peaceful protest ever staged in the nation's capital. To the film's credit, director George C. Wolfe has compiled an informative period piece biography, even if the approach is somewhat conventional and, admittedly, gets off to a rather rocky start in the first half hour. However, that's made up for by a strong second half and the picture's powerhouse cast, including Domingo (a strong Oscar nominee contender), Wright and Ameen, as well as Glynn Turman and CCH Pounder in fine supporting performances. While this offering may not be everything it could have been, "Rustin" nevertheless reminds us of what so many people fought so hard to achieve - and why it's so important that we strive to protect those accomplishments against backsliding and those who might seek to undermine the fulfillment of those much-cherished attainments.

I always love it when the unsung heroes of history get their fair due - I must admit that I did not know much about Rustin before this biopic.

I think the beginning was fabulous, it had great speed and the camerawork was good but then for me it somehow did not balance well the depiction of the work and his personal life. Also, I hoped the events of the march would be portrayed more but it was somehow almost like pushed in quickly into the last 5 minutes of the movie with no real culmination.

Also, what is it with Americans never acknowledging the rest of the world? In the end it says something like "...with 250 000 people making it the biggest peaceful protest to date." Is it so hard to add "in America" in the end? E.g. The Baltic Way in 1989 when 2 million people from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania joined hands to form the longest unbroken human chain in history to protest their illegal occupation by the Soviet Union in 1940 after the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in 1939? As a history-enthusiast I just don't like such half-true statements being put out there.

Otherwise, solid movie with a very good lead and I think it is important that more people get to know about those who have thought for the rights of all.

I had no idea who Bayard Rustin was before this 2023 historical film, but now I know he was the primary orchestrator of the 1963 March on Washington, a peaceful protest attended by over 250,000 people and made mythic by Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Aml Ameen does a fine job capturing King's quiet assurance and fiery rhetoric, but the film is elevated by Colman Domingo's galvanizing performance in the title role. His fearless turn brings heart and soul to an essential figure in the civil rights movement hidden away because of not only his previous Communist ties but his openness as a gay man years before Stonewall. Directed by George C. Wolfe, the film itself is not quite as strong as Domingo's work because the multitude of key players flattens the storyline somewhat and makes even the march Itself feel a bit episodic. At the same time, Wolfe doesn't overreach by making this a full blown biography and smartly focuses on two incidents prior to the planning of the unprecedented protest. For that key reason as well as Domingo, the movie is essential viewing.

This is the type of biopics that I like, the story of those historical figures whose epics we do not know because they were so long ago. Colman Domingo shines alone as Bayard Rustin, with a unique performance worthy of applause.

But apart from that, I think the film takes too much refuge in a conventional style, when it could have been much bigger. The story of Rustin and Dr. King is the kind of story that could be talked about for hours and hours, and on screen we could have seen more fundamental aspects of their relationship and a more powerful conclusion.

It is an enjoyable film because of Colman Domingo's performance and the story of those we should not forget, like Rustin.