Rebel Ridge Review: Small Town Corruption, Big Time Thriller

In Rebel Ridge, local police pick a fight with a nobody who turns out to be their worst nightmare- an Ex-Marine

Netflix is often criticised for their seemingly endless stream of low quality movie output. But even a broken clock is right twice a day and every now and again, they release that special gem, a real diamond in the rough. And yes, Rebel Ridge is that gem

Rebel Ridge is written, directed, produced and edited by Jeremy Saulnier. I’m not the biggest fan of film makers wearing every hat as I alway fear a creator being spread too thin and the end product suffering. On his previous two projects, Green Room and Blue Ruin he was happy to share the duties and those were successful movies so my hope going in was that this project didnt suffer.

During my first 20 mins into the film, I was hit by the realisation that by this point, John Wick would have already shot about a hundred people, either for killing his dog or touching his car. This was not going to be that kind of movie. In fact, Jeremy Saulnieir actually approached writing the script for this film by challenging himself. He decided to break his own streak of onscreen violence and making a film without killing everyone. Could he actually make a successful action thriller without all the killing? Im happy to report the answer is Yes!

Rebel Ridge stars London born and raised Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond, an ex-marine who comes to town with a bag full of money to bail out his younger cousin who had become mixed up in some illegal activities. He is aware his cousin wont survive if sent to jail due to his previous issues with already incarcerated gang members. So Terry is in a race to get him bailed before he is transferred to jail. Following a run in with the local police, Terry soon finds himself in a battle of wills and ‘one-upmanship’ with the town’s sheriff, played by Don Johnson. As things unfold, he discovers a conspiracy and systemic corruption deep rooted in the heart of this community

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When the trailer was released, there were comparisons made between this and the first Rambo movie. While understandable, it couldnt be further from the truth. Terry Richmond is not suffering PTSD or any mental health conditions. He is not a loner and infact has completed his service and intergrated successfully back into society. He is intelligent, respectful, well spoken, highly skilled and attractive (or so ive been told by the many women who watched the trailer)

Does the fact that Terry is a Black Ex Marine matter? Director Jeremy Saulnier is careful not to make this a movie purely about race but he litters it with very clear examples of how those in power exploit their positions and the existing system is set up to trap, penalise and punish the most vulnerable and powerless in society. And most of the time those tend to be young black men. From the very first interaction with the police, we see Terry is profiled and believed to be one thing (uneducated, unaware of his rights, drug dealer etc). Infact, that ignorance gave Terry the upper hand as he is continuously underestimated by his foes.

If i was going to be picky, I would say i went in expecting a movie with elaborate set pieces and ‘Rambo’ levels of action and violence, but this is not that kind of movie. This is definately more thriller than action. That is not to say the action that is there isn’t great, its just not at that high fuelled ‘popcorn movie’ energy.

This is a somewhat dark, gritty and realistic depiction of a hero fighting against an unfair legal system and deep rooted corruption. Infact, the movies extremly low body count adds to the realism of the movie. If a Black ex-marine had actually slaughtered all the police officers in a small town, the govenrment would have likely sent in a swat team or the national guard to put him down! So I feel the decisions made to keep deaths to a minimum support the character and its realism.

The performances in the film are all solid. Don Johnsons ‘Chief Sandy Burnne’ is just the right amount of scheming and evil without being a bad guy caricature. AnnaSophia Robb plays paralegal Summer McBride, who teams up with Terry to expose the corruption. She is not included simply as a love interest but has a story with her own demons to face. But the real star of the film is the lead, South Londons very own Aaron Pierre.

His almost subtle performance is combined with a strong physical presence and humility which somehow still oozes the right amount of tension and aggression. This role was initially meant for John Boyega who had to pull out due to personal issues. While we wish John well, this is definitely a role I feel was made for Aaron. I’ll be very surprised if this isnt the catapult he needs to even bigger roles in the future. Dare I say a star in the making?

Rebel Ridge is an excellent thriller, filled with the great energy and a real tension where things simmer just under the surface ready to explode. Its unfortunate that some of the conspiracy threads they pulled at were not fully explored and even after the obligatory third act showdown, we dont necessarily get an ending that ties up the other storylines that were introduced.

I can’t help but wonder whether more could have been achieved if the writing, producing and editing duties had been shared? But regardless, this is a remarkable solo achievement for the director and can sit comfortably as one of the best thrillers of the year.

Rebel Ridge is out now on Netflix

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