Movie Review: ‘Rebel Ridge’

Plot: When ex-Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is intentionally rammed by two police officers in the town of Shelby Springs, the corrupt cops seize the cash intended to bail out his cousin. When the local courthouse clerk refuses to help him, Terry goes directly to the police station and tries to report the cash as stolen. Despite Terry’s efforts to de-escalate the situation, Terry finds himself increasingly at odds with a corrupt police force led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson). Aided by court employee Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb), the duo uncover a tangled web of deceit neither expected. As an inevitable final confrontation looms, Terry must do everything in his power to expose the conspiracy, save Summer, and attain righteous justice.

Review: “Shit escalates.” That’s a quote from Sevro au Barca, a character in one of my favorite science fiction series by Pierce Brown. Although the series takes place centuries in the future, I believe the phrase aptly applies to director James Saulnier’s latest crime action thriller Rebel Ridge and its main character Terry Richmond. Taut, tense, and terrific, Rebel Ridge is the kind of actioner that would have cleaned up at the box office in the 1990s. Led by a star making performance from Aaron Pierre, Saulnier masterfully directs a lean and mean flick that stands head and shoulders above the typically mediocre Netflix fare. In fact despite its tremendous success on the streamer, I’m shocked and disappointed Rebel Ridge wasn’t released in theaters, as I believe it would have played like gangbusters for crowds.

With few screen and television credits to his name (Old, Foe, Krypton), Rebel Ridge is the kind of performance that should make Aaron Pierre a star. Many have likened this to a modern day First Blood with Pierre in the Stallone role, however I respectfully disagree. While Stallone’s John Rambo was a war vet brimming with destructive emotions always on the verge of unleashing, Pierre’s Terry is calm, cool, and collected. An ex-Marine and an expert in close quarters combat, Terry never actually deployed. At every turn, Terry does everything in his power to de-escalate the situation. This, coupled with the fact that he’s an actual victim of injustice and police corruption, makes him easy to root for. It also makes the few moments where Terry does show emotion–especially the action packed, adrenaline fueled third act–that much more impactful. If this performance doesn’t put Pierre on the short list to play John Stewart in the upcoming Lanterns show, James Gunn needs to have his head examined.

Yet Pierre’s performance means nothing without the sublime and steady-handed direction of Jeremy Saulnier. With the thriller Blue Ruin and the horror flick Green Room under his belt, Saulnier (who also wrote and edited the movie) crafts a slow-burn crime actioner that keeps you guessing throughout. From the outset we know that the Shelby Oaks’ police department is corrupt but the why and the how of it unfolds like a mystery, one we don’t find the answers to until late in the film. Saulnier once again proves a master at building tension with a scene early on between Terry and Chief Sandy (a wickedly delightful Don Johnson) and another a clandestine raid on the police station with Summer, particularly anxiety inducing. Complemented by some slick cinematography by David Gallego and a solid score from Brooke and Will Blair, Rebel Ridge continuously surprises and delights.

Rebel Ridge also sports a strong supporting cast. AnnaSophia Robb, known mostly for lighter fare like Bridge to Terabithia and Because of Winn-Dixie, delivers her most mature performance to date as an aspiring lawyer and recovering addict looking to regain custody of her daughter. Although Robb’s Summer is at first reluctant to help Terry, she holds the key to uncovering the source of police corruption and finds herself unwittingly swept up in the tide. Longtime supporting actors David Denman (The Office, Logan Lucky) and Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond the Pines) also shine as two scumbag cops while former Oscar nominee James Cromwell shows up in a small but important role as the local judge. Yet it’s Don Johnson’s Chief Sandy Burnne that steals the show. Corrupt to the core, Burnne sees himself as the hero of his own story, putting civil forfeiture money like Terry’s back into the town. Yet its still a thinly veiled excuse to keep himself in power and maintain his status as cock of the walk. Having played an iconic and heroic police officer twice on the television shows Miami Vice and Nash Bridges, it was great to see Johnson play against type.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge proves to be one of the bigger surprises of 2024. I had an epic blast with this one, and if you’re a fan of the genre, chances are you will too.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See

Rebel Ridge: 8/10