Rebel Ridge (2024) | REVIEW

Directed by Jeremy Saulnier — Screenplay by Jeremy Saulnier.

Over the course of more than a decade, Rebel Ridge writer-editor-director Jeremy Saulnier (who, even, sometimes serves as cinematographer on some of his other projects) has made a name for himself as a promising filmmaker beloved by many cinephiles for his gripping thrillers such as Green Room and Blue Ruin, both of which I am a huge fan of. In 2018, Netflix released his cold Alaska-set thriller Hold the Dark to mixed-to-positive reviews, but the film did not become the critical darling that his aforementioned color-coded thrillers, so to speak, are. With Rebel Ridge, Saulnier has given it another go with a Netflix release. Rebel Ridge, frankly, feels like a return to form. It is a sharp and intense thriller that hits the sweet spot, just like Saulnier’s best films have done in the past.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge follows an ex-Marine, Terry Richmond (played by Aaron Pierre), who, while on his way to post bail for his cousin is rammed and detained by a couple of police officers who racially profile Terry and seize the money — $36,000 — that he has on him via ‘civil forfeiture,’ even though Terry has committed no crime whatsoever and even though he had acquired the money legitimately. Now Terry is in a race against time, as his cousin is on his way to state prison, where he is in danger of being harmed for having informed authorities about the crimes committed by a gang. Meanwhile, the money he needs to get him out is stuck in the offices of a corrupt police department spearheaded by stubborn, slimy, and cocky police chief Sandy Burnne (played by Don Johnson) who isn’t about to let anyone ruin the great business they’ve been doing exploiting the system and their unchecked power. But Terry isn’t just anybody. In fact, he is uniquely suited to push back where it hurts.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge is equal parts neowestern and Rambo-esque as the film is essentially about a law-abiding citizen (with a particular set of skills, as it were) riding into a small-town to right wrongs, ensuring justice, confronting corrupt law enforcement, and take on a police station all on his own. And, frankly, the film is every bit as gripping as it possibly could be thanks to a truly phenomenal first act which really gets your blood boiling over the number of injustices that we’re confronted with, as well as the fact that Saulnier’s film, through strong filmmaking, writing, and editing, gradually makes the events of the film more and more pressing, urgent, and captivating. The confrontations, tete-a-tetes, and so on feature masterfully controlled tension, and the actual action beats are shot and edited in a way that is not only intelligible and coherent but also exciting. Unlike Green Room, though, Rebel Ridge doesn’t feature a lot of graphic and gory violence, as the film has put a character front and center who has a different, non-lethal, by-the-book modus operandi, but the action is nonetheless super satisfying.

When Rebel Ridge was initially announced way back in 2019, it was with Star Wars and They Cloned Tyrone star John Boyega attached in the lead role. A lot has happened since then, as the initial production was postponed due to COVID-19, principal photography was then put on hold when Boyega exited the project, before the film restarted production with Aaron Pierre in the lead role in 2022. Of course, having a rising star like John Boyega attached would’ve been brilliant for promoting the film, and I’m sure Boyega would’ve done a great job, but, having now seen the film, I, frankly, have a hard time picturing anyone other than Aaron Pierre playing the part. The relative unknown perhaps best known for playing ‘Mid-Sized Sedan’ in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old (and who will soon be voicing Mufasa in Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King) delivers a perfectly tuned performance in Saulnier’s film, as he both communicates his character’s intelligence appropriately while at the same time making sure to make his character the very definition of intense in his confrontation scenes. Pierre’s stare speaks a thousand words. Pierre’s primary co-stars, Don Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb, both turn in effective supporting performances, with the former being perfectly cast as the smug police chief.

Rebel Ridge is a brilliant showcase for its central, triple threat filmmaker, Jeremy Saulnier, and its lead actor, Aaron Pierre. Saulnier’s latest film never lost its grip on me despite certain lull points in its pacing in the slightly overly-complicated second act. There are plenty of scenes here that are just dripping with tension, and, as a whole, it is built on a captivating narrative that always has more up its sleeves. Admittedly, the exact mechanics of its town conspiracies may not always be fully clear, and the film is perhaps a tad overlong. But, make no mistake, this is a great comeback feature from Jeremy Saulnier as he here does what he does best. Rebel Ridge is arguably one of the most engrossing and entertaining films of the year. Don’t skip it.

8 out of 10

– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.