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At one point, Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room,Blue Ruin) was one of the most exciting indie filmmakers in the scene. Once upon a time, such an auspicious start to a career would have lent itself to a bout in Hollywood, but Saulnier has instead chosen to take the route of straight-to-streaming action flicks. His latest outing,Rebel Ridge, certainly shows his personality, keeping it from descending to the level of some of the slop we see on streaming these days. Still, it doesn’t quite match the level of his earlier outings, settling for being merely entertaining.
Rebel RidgeReview
Rebel Ridgefollows a man who, after a seemingly routine traffic stop, has his money stolen by a group of dirty local police officers, sending him onto a violent standoff against the corrupt police chief. As one would expect, there’s more to the mysterious drifter than one would expect, as his background and incredible skills mean that even though he is outnumbered, he is anything but outmatched.
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This is the setup of a lean ninety-minute thriller stretched into a movie over two hours long. The first and last acts of the film are pretty compelling, but in the middle third, it drags to a halt. It’s clear that the intention here is to raise the stakes for the protagonist, but the stakes are already established enough by the first act that this is somewhat unnecessary.
Still, several scenes inRebel Ridgeare wonderfully constructed, showing the tense filmmaking that caused Saulnier to become such a fan favorite. The opening scene hits the ground running, immediately hooking viewers into the story. Unfortunately, Saulnier struggles to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. A strong break into second and an explosive finale are also fun, but most of the runtime does feel disappointingly uninspired.
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Although undercurrents of social commentary run through the film — and they aren’t exactly subtle — they also feel incredibly underdeveloped. It feels like this has the potential to be a fresh spin on the familiar tropes of the corrupt cop drama, with an eye for social commentary on modern-day police brutality. Yet, Saulnier seems comfortable with it being a mere throwback thriller, avoiding saying anything too provocative.
That being said, Saulnier successfully invests audiences inRebel Ridge’s story with compelling, albeit simple, character development. It’s hard not to root for the one-man army, especially when the motive is protecting one’s own as it is here. The supporting characters — especially AnnaSophia Robb’s role — are undercooked, but that only lends Aaron Pierre an even stronger starring vehicle.
But man, does Aaron Pierre have the juice. His performance in the lead role is incredible, offering every bit of swagger you could want from an action hero. Yet, compared to most action roles, Pierre doesn’t get a ton of action here. His character shies away from force, and Pierre somehow still radiates the bada**ery that a leading man needs. Get this man a franchise — and stat.
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In his supporting role as the corrupt sheriff at a crossroads with Pierre’s hero,Don Johnsonis chewing the scenery, but that’s precisely what the role calls for. It feels like he is channeling the type of villain you would see in a ‘70s thriller. He also complements Pierre incredibly well, matching the lead’s cool deliberateness with an equally calculated approach to his character.
IsRebel Ridgeworth watching?
As far as high-concept action-thrillers go, you could do much worse than Rebel Ridge. It’s overlong, but it has some absolutely stellar sequences and is made by excellent performances by Aaron Pierre and Don Johnson. It’s not quite a return to form for filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier, but it’s enjoyable enough for what it is.
Rebel Ridgehits Netflix on September 6.
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Sean Boelman
Managing Editor for Film and TV
Articles Published :441
Sean is the Managing Editor for Film and Television, working to determine editorial strategy for the critics team. He has been on the FandomWire team since 2022.In addition to writing reviews himself, Sean helps match writers on the FandomWire team with assignments that best fit their interests and expertise.
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Aaron PierreActionNetflix
