Movie Review: 'Rustin'

Rustin (2023)

Directed by George C. Wolfe

Written by Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black

Starring Colman Domingo, Aml Ameen, Glynn Turman, Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright

Release November 3rd, 2023

Published November 2nd, 2023

I must be honest, I am not sure I can review the movie Rustin objectively. The film stars Colman Domingo, an actor whom I have interviewed on three occasions and who I have found thoroughly charming. Despite being an actor on a media tour on which he spoke to numerous journalists and was undoubtedly asked the same questions again and again, Domingo is one of the most dynamic and kind interview subjects I've had the pleasure of talking to. And, on top of that, after my first interview with him, he remembered my name the next two tours I was on with him and recalled details from the prior interviews. The man is a wonder.

With that out of the way, Colman Domingo is exceptional in Rustin. Based on the true story of the 1963 Civil Rights march on Washington D.C, Domingo plays the driving force behind the March, Bayard Rustin, a controversial figure in the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Rustin was at the right hand of Martin Luther King (Aml Ameen) until Bayard over played his hand politically and King was forced to side against him, causing Bayard to resign and leave the Civil Rights movement all together for several years.

Rustin was drawn back into the Civil Rights struggle after seeing the horrors being committed by authorities in Alabama. Reverting to his roots as a planner and organizer, Rustin gathers together a disparate group of young radicals in California and starts planning for a two day march on Washington D.C intended to put pressure on Congress to pass President Kennedy's Civil Rights bill. The plan is for more than 100,000 black people to gather on the National Mall where people like Dr. Martin Luther King and prominent black leaders from around the country will address the crowd.

8 weeks is the time frame when Bayard pitches the idea to Union Leader and Civil Rights legend, A. Phillip Randolph (Glynn Turman). The idea would be absurd if it weren't for Bayard Rustin whose talent for organizing is seemingly unmatched at the time. Randolph is on board but it will take a lot more convincing to get many other black leaders involved. Specifically, Roy Wilkins (Chris Rock), the head of the NAACP is no friend or fan of Rustin. It was Wilkins who appeared to orchestrate Rustin's ouster from leadership among Civil Rights leaders, and help divide Rustin from his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King.

This was, in part, due to a clash of personalities between Rustin and Wilkins and in part a concern on the behalf of other Civil Rights leaders that Bayard's past as a member of Communist organizations and rumors about his sexuality. Some leaders in the Civil Rights movement, whether out of their prejudice toward homosexuals, or concern that their enemies might use Rustin's past against the whole movement, Rustin had been systematically driven out of the movement. Now, Bayard was back in a prominent position and those same concerns are rising to the front again.

Indeed, Bayard Rustin was a homosexual. He was also a member of prominent communist groups as well. But it doesn't change the fact that he was a smart, savvy, and remarkably talented man when it came to bringing people together in a big way. Despite all of the infighting and concerns over Bayard's past, and present, proclivities, the March begins to gain momentum as Dr. Martin Luther King stepped forward and endorsed the March, over the objection of the NAACP and prominent black Congressman, Adam Clayton Powell (Jeffrey Wright), a man portrayed as a malevolent and selfish man, eager to protect his small, power base against even those who he is supposed to be representing as one of the few black elected officials.

If I have an issue with Rustin, it's a relatively safe biopic. The topic of Rustin's homosexuality is portrayed rather bloodlessly. It's not as messy as it really was. The safe approach of director George Wolfe is respectable but it also renders Rustin a little too sanitary, a little to simple. It's not a choice that is bad enough to make me not recommend the movie, there are plenty of good things to recommend Rustin, but it is a reasonable criticism. Rustin could use a little more conflict and a little more mess to underline the nearly impossible thing that Bayard Rustin helped to bring together, the single most historic gathering of Americans in peaceful protest in American history.

Minor complaints aside, Rustin rests entirely on the performance of Colman Domingo and he is more than up to the task. Domingo's Rustin is a huge personality, a brilliant man with just the right amount of ego to back up his brilliance. Rustin was a builder of coalitions and a passionate organizer, nearly unmatched in his in his energy and dedication. The movie Rustin captures these qualities wonderfully. Domingo plays Rustin with a dynamic personality and wit but with a particular sadness in his eyes that reflects the struggle he's faced as a black, gay man in America in the mid-20th Century. Watch for the early scene where Rustin is blind sided by his friend, Martin Luther King Jr. and the way Domingo plays the conflicting emotions wordlessly, using his expressive eyes and face to convey his hurt.

Rustin debuts on Netflix on November 17th. It's a must see for anyone who will be watching out for the Academy Award nominations. There has been buzz building about Colman Domingo's performance and I can tell you with certainty, that buzz is warranted. Domingo is exceptional as Bayard Rustin, elevating a standard and quite safe biopic via his lively, intelligent, charismatic and devastating performance. Domingo may be playing the character in a big and broad fashion for most of Rustin, but when he dials back that big personality, he beautifully lifts the veil on an ultimately beautiful soul in conflict with the times in which he lives and loves.

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