Rustin

"Own your power."

2023 1h 48m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 227

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.

“Own your power.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Colman Domingo
Bayard Rustin
Aml Ameen
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Glynn Turman
A. Philip Randolph
Chris Rock
Roy Wilkins
Gus Halper
Tom
Johnny Ramey
Elias Taylor
CCH Pounder
Dr. Anna Hedgeman
Michael Potts
Cleve Robinson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George C. Wolfe
Writers: Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black, Julian Breece
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CAST

Did you know

326+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George C. Wolfe, shot by Tobias A. Schliessler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Branford Marsalis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andrew Mondshein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Colman Domingo and Aml Ameen and Glynn Turman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Own your power.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt14160834 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George C. Wolfe directs. Tobias A. Schliessler behind the camera. Branford Marsalis scores. Andrew Mondshein cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2326+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
3Directed by George C. Wolfe, shot by Tobias A. Schliessler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Branford Marsalis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Andrew Mondshein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Colman Domingo and Aml Ameen and Glynn Turman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Own your power.".
8IMDB entry: tt14160834 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "protest", "biography", "black activist", "lgbt".

The technical file

Cinematography: Tobias A. Schliessler
Original score: Branford Marsalis
Editing: Andrew Mondshein
Production design: Mark Ricker
Costume design: Vanessa Nirode
Makeup / hair: Abigail de Casanova
VFX supervisor: George Loucas
Sound: Skip Lievsay
Stunt coordinator: Chad Knorr
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Rustin (2023)

Also by

George C. Wolfe

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2023-11-19
★ 7/10
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.
CinemaSerf2023-11-23
★ 7/10
Colman Domingo is pretty good as the eponymous, gay, civil rights organiser who not only had the problems of his colour, but of his fairly open sexuality to deal with as he tries to organise a massive march to the American Capitol. The goal of the march is to keep the pressure on the Kennedy administration's promises to end segregation - but there are plenty from within his own camp who would happily do without Bayard Rustin. I knew nothing about this man, and Domingo's energetic and charismatic performance goes some way to demonstrating just how hard he worked to fight internal squabbles - largely with Chris Rock's Roy Wilkins and Jeffrey Wright's Congressman Powell - as well as raise cash, galvanise the teams securing everything from tables to buses, and deal with the Washington authorities who were never exactly co-operative. It's a personal story which doesn't shy away from his relationships with Gus Halper's Tom and latterly with a man who has rather more to be discreet about. Occasionally violent but not graphic, it's clear this was a man who was passionate about many things, even when being homosexual was almost as toxic for him as his colour! The conclusion is the stuff of American history, so we always know what happens - it's the journey of a man determined through sheer force of personality to achieve his aims that's the focus here, and I think it works rather well.