‘Rebel Ridge’ review: The rush (and comedown) of revenge

Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier returns with Rebel Ridge, a ferocious revenge thriller…for the most part.

On the onset, Netflix’s Rebel Ridge, the latest feature from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier, is suspiciously subdued. Compared to his previous films, including Blue Ruin and Green Room, this fraught, flinty film seems rigidly restrained. It would seem as though the filmmaker, who is known for grisly, gory affairs, is trying to test himself — to see if he can subvert not only the audience’s expectations, but what he is capable of as a storyteller to boot. 

But in telling this story of a man prone to anger (but quick to reason), pushed to the edge by scummy small-town cops and caught in a tangle of conspiracy, Rebel Ridge is actually following suit with the dependable director’s history of exploring the consequences, rather than the catharsis, of pursuing violence. As well as the lingering damage that comes when such down-on-their-luck characters are forced to indulge their worst or most innately barbaric, animalistic instincts. This streaming title is a taunt, thrilling exploration of what becomes of those who cannot fight against their better instincts. But it also shows him inquiring how he can tell such gory stories without being so quick (and so merciless) in portraying many particularly brutal, barbaric acts of on-screen cinematic carnage. 

Doing bad to do what’s right.

Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is a man running out of options. Biking to bail his cousin Mike (C.J. LeBlanc) out of jail for a drug misdeamor, having sold his truck in order to acquire the money, Terry is speeding through a small Southern town when he finds himself knocked to the ground by a police car. As a schism ensues, the cops are quick to racially profile Terry and assume that his money was received under ill-gain. Despite his protests otherwise, the money is seized, and Terry’s chances of getting his cousin out of the doghouse grows increasingly thin. 

Receiving the aid of sympathetic law clerk Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb), Terry tries to be a good Samaritan and do things the right, noble way. But Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), a crooked police chief, doesn’t play things by the rules. As Terry enters only deeper, mudder moral waters, he’ll have to use his military training to do bad in order to do what’s right. 

A stellar star showcase.

Filling in for John Boyega, who left the project during production under potentially controversial circumstances, Pierre does a hell of a job. He never once feels like a substitute; if anything, his general anonymity compared to the Star Wars actor lends graciously to this shadowy, vengeful character. The striking actor gives this tortured, physically demanding but emotionally congested character a great, understated sense of moral consciousness and tightly wound constraint. It’s a testament to his pent-up performance that Pierre can channel such anger, sorrow, and vigorous retribution into this enigma of a pulpy protagonist without it ever feeling like a cipher. Or, conversely, playing his hand too early. It’s intense, graceful, thoughtful work that you frequently do not see in such macho genre films, and it should justify his rise to movie stardom. 

While the British actor has impressed before, notably with his amusing portrayal as Mid-Sized Sudan in Old, Rebel Ridge demonstrates that he has what it takes to make it as a lead. More so, as an up-and-coming action actor and dramatic heavyweight. Saulnier was in a difficult spot when he unexpectedly lost Boyega, but this replacement worked for the best, and then some.

Locked and loaded … for a while.

It’s hard to deny how visceral and invigorating the first hour of Rebel Ridge is. The rising tension and incredibly mounted precision found in Saulnier’s sharp script and dutiful direction results in what is easily the filmmaker’s finest hour to date. Alas, once the Netflix movie reaches a certain crescendo, it starts to deflate a bit. It’s understandable (if no less disappointing) that it can’t quite reach its same heights for the remaining runtime, but it makes what’s otherwise a competent and compelling second half become too flightless for what should be a sturdy thriller. 

Comparions to First Blood are not only inevitable but invited. Part of the thrill of Rebel Ridge is seeing how Saulnier not only lean into those parallels but subverts them in tactful fashion. Terry isn’t Rambo, but much like the emotionally scarred version of the character in that first movie, he carries the weight of his regretful decisions. For every badass bit of action, there’s a cunning bit of morality that never lets you forget the character’s moral compass. This isn’t a man simply seeking vengeance; Terry is a man who is trying hard to do the noble thing, and to protect the ones he loves, and some guys simply can’t get out of their own way. Terry isn’t someone acting for his own best interests; he’s ultimately the end game for a long line of power abuse and government misdeeds bound to go bad. 

Both Pierre and Saulnier balance that arched ambiguity with aplomb. But a film like Rebel Ridge does tend to build to an expected sort of climax. Without giving too much away, the finale is not without its satisfaction, but there is a lingering sense that it doesn’t nearly match what viewers were expecting, or maybe even hoping for. For a film with a brain like this one, that’s ultimately in its best interest, perhaps, but that doesn’t necessarily make for the most investing conclusion. 

The bottom line.

Rebel Ridge isn’t quite Saulnier’s masterpiece, but at its very best, it’s some of his craftiest and most cunning storytelling. Particularly as a showcase for its stunning lead actor, Rebel Ridge will hopefully solidify itself as one of the most promising thrillers of the year — particularly promising in the sense that it announces the arrival of a major action star who will rise above all injustices.

Rebel Ridge is now streaming exclusively on Netflix. You can watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Netflix. You can read more reviews by Will Ashton here.