Rebel Ridge Review – Competent Filmmaking, No Algorithms Needed
Ken Jones, OnScreen Blog Chief Film Critic
If there has been a consistent knock on the movies released directly on Netflix, they’re too generic and partly/completely made with the Netflix algorithm in mind. Rebel Ridge is one of the exceptions because nothing writer/director Jeremy Saulnier does is generic. Rebel Ridge is his first film since 2018’s Hold the Dark (also a Netflix release) and is a pure genre treat.
From the beginning, this film throws you into the middle of things. Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), is riding his bicycle at a steady clip, blasting music in his earbuds, when he is suddenly run off the road by a police officer. While being questioned by the police officers, they seized $36,000 in his backpack through civil forfeiture, money he was bringing to the local courthouse to bail out his cousin.
From there, Terry tries to find alternatives to bail out his cousin, including enlisting the help of a good-hearted town clerk named Summer (AnnaSophia Robb) while increasingly butting heads with the corrupt local police, led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson). As things escalated further between the two dug-in sides, the police find out that they may have bitten off more than they can chew, as they are facing off against a man who is (almost literally) the poster child of the US Marine Corps hand-to-hand, close quarters combat, martial arts program.
Rebel Ridge is well-paced, and the story has very few, if any, weaknesses. There have been a fair number of movies where one man takes on the corrupt authorities of a town or even the system in general. Rambo comes immediately to mind, but there is also Walking Tall and even a few Jean-Claude Van Damme movies like Nowhere To Run. Rebel Ridge is on the higher quality end of the spectrum of these types of action movies.
The one thing you can always be guaranteed about with a Jeremy Saulnier film is that the action and the violence will feel real and visceral. This is absolutely true here. In the opening scene, Terry takes a nasty spill off his bike, leaving scrapes all over his forearms and legs. The hand-to-hand combat and all of the action are grounded in reality; this is not a John Wick movie where there’s a ridiculously high body count. You feel every punch and know that these characters will feel it the next day. Gunshots, stab wounds, these things all have consequences in Saulnier’s world.
Aaron Pierre is a relatively unknown actor; his biggest claim to fame to this point was the role of rapper Mid-Sized Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan’s 2021 movie Old. He has impressive physicality as an actor and is more than capable of selling all of the hand-to-hand combat as believable. In addition to that, though, he is entirely believable when imbuing Terry with poise and stoicism in the face of disrespect and facing off with the likes of Don Johnson.
Don Johnson is really strong in his supporting role as the Chief. He is big on showing the badge and his position the proper respect. There is a scene early on when Terry offers a truce, desperate to bail out his cousin, and suggests a deal, but the Chief rejects it because nobody gets to dictate terms in his station except him.
The conflict at the story’s heart also makes the film work so well. Civil forfeiture is real and could easily be exploited under the right circumstances. Saulnier weaves a compelling mystery into the plot about what is happening with the authorities and the extent of their corruption. But he also throws in the why too, which is also easy to understand, even if their actions are not. It’s weird to say this is a movie with a message, but it is true. Thankfully, it is never close to being preachy about it. Like Terry, it is simple and straightforward. And it never overpowers the story or the action.
Rebel Ridge is just a competently made movie that you can enjoy and appreciate the craft and execution of action and story while also looking good and not being painted by numbers. It’s also about a subject of civil forfeiture that doesn’t immediately come to mind as being something to center a movie around. This is a potential star-making role for Pierre, and Hollywood would be foolish to squander an opportunity to utilize him and his action star potential. I also hope it doesn’t take Saulnier another six years to make a movie. And I’d like to see it on the big screen, if possible, rather than on my couch.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars