Rebel Ridge (Dir. Jeremy Saulnier)
By: Adam Freed
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Unless of course that vengeance is sought in the muggy backroads of rural Louisiana. Writer and director Jeremy Saulneir (Green Room) teams with Netflix in order to present Rebel Ridge, a captivating action thriller about a podunk police force run by an egomaniacal chief with motives that exist outside of the realm of service and protection. What gives Saulnier’s film extra mileage is the true to life controversy it evokes by centralizing the topic of civil asset forfeiture, a process by which police have the right to seize the legal assets of citizens even though a crime has not been committed. Much to the chagrin of the film’s fictional police department, they inadvertently cross paths with the wrong man to exact such fringe legal tactics.
Rebel Ridge opens with an unforgettably riveting scene in which central character Terry Richmond comes into violent contact with officers prior to audiences becoming comfortable with the film’s surroundings. Through the strength of a poignant first act, Richmond’s character is posited within the confines of a system in which powerlessness is an expectation. Using a relatively mundane backdrop for the proceedings only heightens audience awareness that the status quo must change, and Terry Richmond is likely the right choice to upset the systematic apple cart. Played memorably by Aaron Pierre (Brother, Genius), the British actor brings a requisite level of physicality required to play Terry Richmond despite never completely unlocking the characters emotional depth beyond his noble designs at retribution.
It is inescapable to deny the DNA that Rebel Ridge shares with the iconic Syvelster Stallone thriller First Blood (1982), as both films centralize ex-military protagonists who rapidly find themselves on the wrong side of a rural police department unwelcoming to outsiders who exist beyond the standards of a remote community. Eerily similar too, are the villainous Brian Dennehy (First Blood) and Don Johnson (Miami Vice, Django Unchained) who as Chief Sandy Burnne wears the gold star to sinister perfection. What separates Rebel Ridge from lesser genre fare is that director Jeremy Saulnier never paints his characters with too broad a brush. Allowing an interesting story to exist within the gray areas of legality rather than clearly defining police or protagonist as simply good or evil, elevates the film from revenge based throwaway to social commentary thinkpiece. Creating plausible character motivation is no easy task and thankfully Rebel Ridge doesn’t shy away presenting a revenge story worthy of thought.
Target Score 7/10 Rebel Ridge overcomes its overly ambitious runtime on the back of a wonderful performance from Aaron Pierre and the unifying thematic power of injustice. Expect to see a great deal more from Pierre and from writer and director Jeremy Saulnier.