Few moments in Rebel Ridge will fail to hold your attention, if any at all. What starts as a would-be classic revenge tale rooted in small-town prejudice and racist cops twists into a compelling story of legal corruption and conspiracy that thickens the crust of the plot by inches at a time.
Terry Richmond, played by Aaron Pierre, is an ex-marine and a drifter of sorts who is attempting to post bail for his cousin Mike, who was recently arrested on a minor drug possession charge. As it goes, Terry is stopped by the police on his way to the courthouse, and the money he was supposed to use for his cousin’s bail is confiscated. While attempting to retrieve his wrongfully seized money, Terry solicits the help of an aspiring attorney named Summer, played by AnnaSophia Robb, and a town-wide conspiracy cover-up is unintentionally unearthed. This leads to a chain of confrontations between the local police department and the two main characters as they battle for their survival and their desire for justice.
Writer and Director Jeremy Saulnier––who is known for his upscaled intense violence in movies such as 2013’s Blue Ruin and 2015’s Green Room––is able to keep the same amount of heart-racing tension from those films at half the cost of the viewer’s stomach strength in Rebel Ridge. This isn’t to say that the movie holds back on its violence, as there is plenty to go around, but it feels a little more thoughtful and meticulous––if there is such a thing when speaking of violence. The action, compounded with the choreography of the fight scenes, is well thought out and executed with precision, much like the non-lethal but extremely effective combat skills of Terry Richmond.
There is a scene in Rebel Ridge where Terry is furiously riding his bike to catch up with the bus that is transporting his cousin (Mike), along with the other inmates, from the town jail to their new permanent location at the state penitentiary. After successfully catching the bus and keeping up alongside it long enough to talk to his cousin about his plan, a failed fist bump ensues between the two characters as Terry is saying goodbye. This isn’t surprising, seeing how they are on a highway, and one of them is riding a bicycle while the other is riding a bus. Mike seems to shrug it off and say no worries, as he knows that the situation and setting are not ideal to execute a proper fist bump. But this simply will not suffice for Terry. He proceeds to pedal even harder and faster until he is at the front of the bus. The bus driver is now looking at him like he is a complete maniac (which he kind of is), but Terry is undaunted; he is completely jacked for this moment. Terry then coasts the bike inches away from the bus while holding his fist up in the air so that he doesn’t leave Mike hanging. The bus pulls ahead, Mike extends his arm, and the fist bump is completed. The passengers (prisoners) on the bus erupt in cheers and excitement after witnessing such a miraculous interaction. It is an absurd moment, but it is also a very touching moment. It’s a moment that makes you say, “Okay, that was a little much,” while you simultaneously try to conceal the lump protruding from your throat. It’s a moment that would make Dom Toretto proud because nothing is more important than family. It’s a moment that tells you more about the character of Terry Richmond than any scene of exposition could ever. It’s a moment that makes you want to continue on the journey of watching Rebel Ridge because now you are invested.
To say that Rebel Ridge is well worth the price of admission is easy, seeing how the admission fee is your Netflix subscription. What would’ve been a really fun theater experience ended up bypassing the big tour and becoming a more accessible albeit slightly less fun couch viewing experience––though this is no fault of the movie itself.
The Hollow Muse 