1,416 / 5,585 (75%)
Cult indie director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin (2013), Green Room (2015)) is back with a tight, small-town police thriller in Rebel Ridge. Can the story of a black former Marine seeking justice for his family in a rural southern town carve its own cinematic path, or will it retreat into the anticipated formulas?
Imagine if First Blood (1982) had a low-key pacifist streak and traded Vietnam PTSD for critiques of systemic racism and sexism, and you might get the vibe of this surprisingly intelligent action film from Netflix. Aaron Pierre (Old (2021)) is former Marine Terry Richmond, traveling to the sleepy town of Shelby Springs, Louisiana to post bail for his cousin before moving on to purchase a truck and into a new future. Terry is stopped in his bicycle tracks by two small-time deputies who conduct a dubious search and seizure of his $36,000. Looking through the tight-knit township leaves Terry with only one avenue: court employee Summer played by AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia (2007)). She is willing to answer Terry’s questions, but is busy and reluctant to provide any actual aid.
Left with little recourse, the former Marine attempts to directly bargain with the local police and with Chief Sandy Burnne, played by the deliciously deceitful Don Johnson (Knives Out (2019)). From this point, Rebel Ridge toys with the expected crime thriller escalations and revenge film themes, but Saulnier deftly opts against well-trod paths, keeping his audience off balance. Both the police and Terry make surprising decisions and mistakes as the tempest is always near boiling over. Pierre and Johnson play off each other well as two serious men who feel trapped, each trying to gain the higher ground with every stare-down.
Saulnier never gets lost in side plots as he develops his characters and tightens the circle around Terry and Summer. Attentive viewers won’t be shocked by many turns or discoveries in Rebel Ridge, but the nuanced subversion of the action and revenge genres creates a palpable tension. Rebel Ridge confronts issues of police brutality, use of lethal force, racism, sexism, and corruption without drowning the film in monologues or sermons. Saulnier uses the visual power of cinema and lets his viewers engage in their own conversations with his former Marine’s methodology and those of his adversaries.
My Flickchart ranking for Rebel Ridge –
> Look Who’s Talking Too (1990)
< Marygoround (2020)
> Safety Last! (1923)
> Humanoids from the Deep (1980)
> Captive State (2019)
> 9 (2009)
> Tuesday (2023)
> Joy Ride (2023)
< The Small Back Room (1949)
< Young Adult (2011)
< Mirage (1965)
< The Public Enemy (1931)
> Pulse (2001)
