THE STORY – A former 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.
THE CAST – Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Zsane Jhe, Emory Cohen & James Cromwell
THE TEAM – Jeremy Saulnier (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 131 Minutes
We start “Rebel Ridge” with Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) peddling his bike down a road in what appears to be somewhere in the southern United States. Iron Maiden’s “The Number of The Beast“ blares from Terry’s headphones as a police squad car enters the frame. The car erratically swerves, eventually knocking Terry off his bike and causing the police to start harassing him. Terry has nothing besides his large backpack, $31,000in cash, and a time-sensitive mission to help his cousin. This unlawful interaction soon leads to Terry’s gestating feud with the local police department, which spirals only as the film progresses. Audiences are instantly hooked within the first opening moments of Jeremy Saulnier’s latest feature. Saulnier has easily crafted his most satisfying film since “Green Room,“ and “Rebel Ridge“ is another display of how, whenever Saulnier is firing on all cylinders, it’s because he’s letting loose.
If there’s one thing Saulnier knows how to do, it’s crafting scenes that not only maintain the perfect amount of tension but also have consistent results that pay off in a satisfying manner. So far this year, only a few scenes have elicited the Warlock from “Top Gun: Maverick“ fist-pumping gesture other than watching Pierre’s character pedal his bike as fast as a bus on a highway and grab his cousin, who’s being driven to a correctional facility. It’s a moment that not only plays out as a perfect “hell-yeah moment,“ but it also perfectly showcases the relentless nature of our cool, calm, and collected protagonist who will stop at nothing when he sets his sights on something. Sure, Saulnier’s screenplay is fairly standard in almost every aspect, as “Rebel Ridge“ never tries to do anything too ambitious. He knows exactly what type of film this is and, at the very least, executes it in a highly efficient manner. His direction is also dependable, creating terrific action and an engaging storyline that builds up to a terrific third-act set piece. Saulnier knows when to hit all the right notes in terms of coolness in “Rebel Ridge.“ Watching Terry fish with his bare hands or mag-dump ammunition from whichever weapon he disarms from his opponents will never not be entertaining. Moments like those in “Rebel Ridge“ work well, and none of it works without the presence of an actor like Pierre.
Pierre is in top form, possibly giving the most movie-star caliber performance of his career so far – which is ironic, given that this film will never be seen in a theater. Pierre has been an actor worth noting ever since his breakthrough performance in Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of Colston Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad.“ Even in a disappointing film like last year’s “Foe,“ Pierre stood out alongside Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal. In “Rebel Ridge,“ Pierre essentially becomes a Jack Reacher-esque character of sorts, killing it every second he’s onscreen, whether it’s hurling 200-pound police officers over his body or exchanging passive-aggressive conversations with Don Johnson’s racist police chief, Sandy Burnne. Johnson, who since 2012’s “Django Unchained“ has been consistently cast as variations of a racist old white guy, maintains to deliver on why he excels at this typecast. Johnson clearly has a ball, constantly displaying a creepy grin, spitting in his big gulp cup, and going toe-to-toe with Pierre’s character. Seeing their rivalry evolve into utter chaos, uplifting this entire town’s ecosystem, is utterly delightful, even when the movie eventually seems to lose focus the longer it keeps going.
“Rebel Ridge“ eventually feels like it overstays its welcome, especially after that pitch-perfect first act. Certain character motivations evolve into far less compelling material that seemingly occurs only to keep the story going. Everything involving AnnaSophia Robb’s character, Summer McBride, is fine, but it’s the weakest aspect of Saulnier’s script. Even James Cromwell briefly appears in the film, leading to some of the film’s more distracting moments, albeit at the behest of further developing the conspiracy Terry is trying to uncover. However, “Rebel Ridge“ regains its footing as it builds back up to a final act that lands the plan, delivering on everything viewers expect and, of course, hope to see.
It’s a shame that dads across the country can’t flood theaters to watch this, but if they fire up “Rebel Ridge“ on Netflix, they will surely have a blast through the entire runtime. Saulnier allows Pierre to go all “First Blood“ on a bunch of corrupt, racist cops and the results are a thrilling time that only scratches part of one’s brain allocated to fast-food television like “The Night Agent.” “Rebel Ridge“ might not go down as one of the most acclaimed films of this year, but it certainly is one of the most entertaining. For that, audiences should carve out time to check it out because they likely won’t be disappointed.
