Rebel Ridge (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – An ex-Marine grapples his way through a web of small-town corruption when an attempt to post bail for his cousin escalates into a violent standoff with the local police chief.

My Take – “A lone wolf passer-by stirs up trouble in a small town and finds himself facing a bunch of corrupt authorities” might read as the synopsis of at least a dozen features released over the decades.

Arguably, the most famous of the lot being First Blood (1982), which set itself as a fine example of a familiar story being very well made. Such is also the case of this latest trending Netflix release.

Which sees writer-director Jeremy Saulnier, known for his excellent works Blue Ruin (2013) and Green Room (2015), take advantage of a known narrative and structure and pump it up with strong direction, excellent character engagements, intensity and superb performances from the entire cast.

Yes, the film works well enough as a Reacher and Rambo audition for both its lead star, Aaron Pierre and its helmer, Saulnier. But thankfully, both of them have a little more on their mind than just delivering musclebound B-film carnage, leaving us with something that’s both entertaining in its action and engaging with its ideas.

Sure, there are relatively minor quibbles, however, this is also one of the finest action thrillers to come out in the last few years, and deserves a watch irrespective of whatever your watch list looks like.

The story follows Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), an ex-Marine who finds himself in a small Louisiana town hoping to post bail for his cousin, who’s being held on a minor drug charge. The catch is that his cousin, who was once a cooperating witness in the murder trial of a gang leader, is being transferred in two days to state prison, where he’ll be a dead man walking.

Terry can’t allow that to happen. But as he is blasting his heavy metal playlist on his ten-speed bike, he’s driven off the road by a pair of local cops (David Denman, Emory Cohen) looking to get their daily power trip.

Which is followed by a convenient loophole in the local justice system, that allows any property seized by the cops under suspicion becomes police property, which means the $36,000 in cash in Terry’s backpack now stays within precinct walls. It doesn’t matter if Terry has receipts for how he acquired it, as the process for fighting the accusation will take months of paperwork that he doesn’t have.

Though, Terry finds help from aspiring-lawyer Summer (AnnaSophia Robb), who works for the county clerk, everyone within city hall is either oblivious, complicit, or scared of Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), the local sheriff, who keeps a tight leash on everything going on within the community, going so far as to threaten and blackmail.

But Terry isn’t just any ex-Marine, he’s a martial arts and survival expert who isn’t afraid to chase down a prison bus on a highway with his bike, and soon enough he finds himself standing against a convoluted system that allows for those with power to easily, and legally, take advantage.

As the writer, director, producer and editor there is absolutely no doubt that Saulnier‘s taking full credit for this masterful gem that is steeped in the auteur’s now-trademark dread.

The unique spin of the film is that the lead’s special set of skills have mostly to do with disarming and disabling attackers. In the sense, he’s always looking to defuse the situation, which creates an enjoyably unbearable tension between what he’s being put through and what he’s willing to do about it. We know he is going to explode at some point, and that none of this is going to end well for anybody.

As expected, director Saulnier builds tension well, but he also elegantly choreographs the havoc when it does come. His steady camera moves and patient edits gain speed, just enough to give us a rush of adrenaline; he’s always careful to establish space, because once we know what’s going on and who’s where, the director can get really creative with what they’re doing to one another.

This isn’t an action film, but the set pieces it affords are masterfully handled, with a huge Reacher vibe to the whole enterprise, albeit the kind of hellish indie nightmares escape Reacher you would only really get if, well, director Saulnier directed a Reacher story. Indeed, the film is not without its flaws. There is a slight lag in the middle, necessary in some ways for its plot and for the rhythm being generated, but in the end it all works as well as it should.

Performance wise, Aaron Pierre brings a star-making turn to the feature. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the first choice for the role. Who joined the project following original star John Boyega’s abrupt departure (after filming had already begun), something that caused months-long delay.

But Boyega bailing on the film proved to be a blessing in disguise, because Pierre is so magnetic in the central role that the film would have undoubtedly been a lesser experience without him. Mainly as the English actor puts in a powerful and mesmerizing performance, with a mixture of controlled violence and vulnerable sentimentality that proves a compelling combination.

AnnaSophia Robb is essentially the co-lead, and leaves a strong impression too, with her and Pierre hopefully going on to big things from here on. Don Johnson makes for a tremendous antagonist as the corrupt police Chief. In other roles, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Zsané Jhé, Dana Lee, Steve Zissis and James Cromwell are effective. On the whole, ‘Rebel Ridge‘ is a knockout crime thriller that is gripping and electrifying throughout.