September 8, 2024
"Rebel Ridge," the latest thriller from Netflix, stars Aaron Pierre (Krypton, The Underground Railroad) as Terry Richmond, a former Marine who grapples with 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 film debuted on September 6, 2024, to rave reviews for its acting, stellar performances, riveting storyline, and action sequences.
Produced by Filmscience and Bonneville Pictures, the film is written, directed, and edited by Jeremy Saulnier, who is best known for his previous films "Blue Ruin" (2013) and "Green Room" (2015). Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Steve Zissis, Zsané Jhé, Dana Lee, and James Cromwell round out the talented list of performers.
Courtesy: Netflix
Set in the small town of Shelby Springs, the opening sequences set the tone immediately as Richmond is biking towards the local courthouse to post bail for his cousin. He is rear-ended and detained by two police officers, Evan Marston and Steve Lann, who, after being racially profiled, seize the $30,000 he had in his possession by civil forfeiture, claiming it's drug money. That money was the bail money he needed to bail his cousin, who is a key witness to a crime and is headed to state prison. With no time to spare, he goes to the police station and report the missing money but is confronted by the two police officers Marston (David Denman) and Lann (Emory Cohen) and the corrupt Chief Sandy Burnne, played by Johnson, who is utterly fantastic in the role. Richmond offers to drop the case if he gets the $10,000 back needed to bail his cousin. What happens next is a race against time as Richmond finds out that his cousin has been transferred, faces off against the corrupt officers, and uncovers a mass conspiracy starting from the top with the help of Summer, the court clerk played by AnnaSophia Robb.
Courtesy: Netflix
While "Rebel Ridge" has drawn comparisons to action classics such as Sylvester Stallone's "First Blood" and "Jack Reacher," its similar plot elements set it apart with Saulnier's direction.
The plot quietly simmers and reaches a boiling point with Richmond's desperation as he is faced with the uphill battle of police corruption eliciting the right amount of steely outrage from Pierre needed for the interpersonal moments to work. Pierre is excellent in the movie. Superbly cast with the right amount of lethal charm and physical imposition that works in a plot such as this. He has the necessary star presence to become a big name in Hollywood, with his star on the rise.
The film highlights the controversial process of civil asset forfeiture in which law enforcement officers can legally confiscate assets from civilians suspected of illegal activity without charging them for a crime. If you did not know that such a thing exists, by the end of this movie, you definitely will. Here, it's the driving plot of the movie that works to perfection as the police take advantage of a broken legal system through systemic racism. It's a movie we've seen too many times to count, but here in "Rebel Ridge," it does not make it any less impactful. It's a movie worth watching.
_____________________
Rebel Ridge is currently streaming on Netflix.
_____________________
Comments