Terry (Aaron Pierre) arrives in a small town to bail out his cousin. When the local police, led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) rough him up and steal the bail money.
When the local coppers block every legal route he has to get his money back, Terry is forced to draw on the skills from his last career - as a Marine instructor in unarmed combat…
I hate it when movies like this come out on Netflix. Having that ease of access makes it easy to let it slide. And watching it on a device means I will probably be distracted by something else.
I would love to have seen this in a theatre.
An ultra-slowburn action thriller, Rebel Ridge feels like a spiritual successor to First Blood, in its focus on a single protagonist using their combat skills, and in the conflict our hero enters with local authorities, after they push him too far.
Largely unspoken, race is a constant theme, and the potential violence is constant.
Pierre’s Terry makes for a smart, formidable action hero. What is great about the film is that it never forgets that he is one man fighting multiple adversaries, who are in turn upheld by a system designed to take advantage of any mistakes he makes.
The film recognises forward momentum and escalating tension as just as important as traditional setpieces.
Taking its time between the fireworks, Rebel Ridge is tinged with an existential edge. Even though the villains are in the wrong, Terry’s avenues for defeating them are believably limited.
The performances are excellent - Pierre is an instant movie star. He is so charismatic, like a planetary giant around whom the supporting cast orbit.
While it is never stated, the film also seems to be aware of how attractive he is. There is an ease to the way in which he gets onside with local woman Summer McBride (AnnSophia Robb) that is helped by Pierre looking like a god.
The film does not build to a romance, choosing to focus on a slowly building friendship that is forged by mutual need.
From fighting white supremacists in Dead Bang to playing one, Don Johnson does not go for caricature - instead, he plays Burnne with deceptive good manners and a sense of righteousness. Johnson’s Burnne is a fundamentally weak, arrogant man who is purely coasting on the power of entrenched systems.
AnnaSophia Robb always seemed a little underrated to me. She was always solid as a child actress, and she did not seem to have trouble with the transition to adult roles - she also did not get the kind of break-out role to become a bigger name.
She is really good here, and has great chemistry with Pierre. She never comes across as a damsel in distress, nor an action heroine. She feels recognisably human - which brings me back to what I love about the film.
It does not build to a larger scheme, or bigger setpeices, but higher stakes.
A low-key, smart thriller that is sadly relevant to the America of 2025.
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