‘Rebel Ridge’ Review
When Jeremy Saulnier released Blue Ruin in 2013, he had instantly garnered a following thanks to the intelligent screenplay and gripping performance at its core that fueled a powder keg of violence. By 2015, he was at the height of his powers with the confidently directed and tense Green Room which was an emotionally charged barnburner that leaned into its punk rock aesthetic. The more formally interesting follow-up, Hold the Dark, took a detour into a more moody and atmospheric tale that continued Saulnier’s gaze into the face of evil. Saulnier’s films have often confronted the relative effectiveness of organizations when antagonized, from neo-Nazis in Green Room to the police unable to find missing children in Hold the Dark. With his latest taut thriller, Saulnier plays with the power structure of its characters to create Rebel Ridge: a politically-charged and muscular neo-Western that challenges its characters to fight corruption and ineffectiveness with individual freedom.
Beginning with an infuriating scene that places all cards on the table immediately, Rebel Ridge starts stronger than any of Saulnier’s previous films and doesn’t let up for a significant portion of its runtime. When Terry (Aaron Pierre) finds himself pulled over by the police in Shelby Springs, he’s got very few belongings in his possession. On his way to post bail for his cousin with a grocery bag filled with cash, the cops confiscate all of it under suspicion and leave him with nothing but his music player and bicycle. His visible agitation doesn’t get the better of him, though, as he calmly bikes down to the station and confronts the chief of police, Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), with the dilemma. As tensions rise due to Terry’s persistence and Chief Sandy’s resistance, the town of Shelby Springs becomes host to a showdown between an ex-marine and a corrupt police force.
While every element of Rebel Ridge is working together to craft a propulsive, nerve-wracking experience, it’s Aaron Pierre’s performance as the ex-marine with a singular pursuit that takes the film to new heights. Evoking more than just the physical presence of Alan Ritchson’s stellar Jack Reacher performance in the Amazon Prime Video series, Pierre also harnesses that calm intensity to stellar effect as he tries to navigate a web of corruption and injustices taking place in Shelby Springs. There are a lot of easy comparisons to be made with Lee Child’s popular series of Jack Reacher novels, but Rebel Ridge also feels reminiscent of Saulnier’s Green Room screenplay and the idea of the outsider being thrust into a place that has been exposed too long to its corruption that the only way out is through violence. The difference between those is that we’re not waiting to see how the outsider will escape danger, but instead how the outsider will enact justice.
Those familiar with Saulnier’s previous work will undoubtedly expect a violent affair with Rebel Ridge. Given its hostile atmosphere right from the jump, that violence is a much-desired release from the tension. However, Saulnier treats the dialogue similarly to his action and so violence does not exclusively mean blood has to be spilled or bones need to be broken. Rest assured, that is all coming, but Rebel Ridge is a smart thriller that understands that words and inaction can cut just as severely. Terry’s journey to get his cousin out of jail ropes in Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) - a court clerk who digs deeper into Terry’s predicament and agrees to help him in the ways she can. Her involvement is what turns Rebel Ridge from feeling like a modern First Blood to instead becoming the neo-Western that it is.
Despite its extremely strong beginning that just seems like it’ll never stop being tense and exciting, Saulnier’s script finds less of a sturdy foundation when it cares more about the town’s problems than it does Terry’s plight. The shift from revenge plot to conspiracy thriller causes the film to rely more heavily on Terry and Summer’s relationship which is often strained by her desire to not ruffle any feathers and keep her job. It’s understandable, and often where the film’s most insightful commentary lies is in its acknowledgement that good people do bad things without knowing it, but also that it becomes extremely difficult to get out from under the thumb of an oppressive regime when you’re alone. Saulnier digs further into the idea that organizations are not necessarily ineffective because of their leaders, but by the complicit nature of those under them that do not have the safety net that allows for resistance. Their integrity erodes over time through inaction.
Largely, the problem is that the film is only at its most electrifying when it is leveraging the formidable presence of its star and antagonizing the corrupt forces at play. Whenever it shifts to Summer, it feels like it wants to unload the rest of its social commentary on a single character. She ends up having more going on as a character than Terry does, but it is far less interesting on its surface and not interrogated enough to make it significant to the narrative. At a runtime that exceeds 120 minutes, it is surprising how long Saulnier maintains a steady tension, but also that the film’s only downtime is whenever it tries to be more ambitious narratively. What should be giving the film more stakes ends up crippling it a bit.
However, as much as Rebel Ridge might suffer from its conspiracy plot, it really is only hindered momentarily. There are still excellent beats within those moments and dialogue that crackles with the exhaustion of a system designed to exhaust its users. The violence expected from a Saulnier film? It’s here and provides some of the most memorable moments in the film alongside those infuriating verbal confrontations. The action is sturdy, muscular filmmaking at its finest. Elevated by a pulse-pounding score from frequent Saulnier composers, Brooke and Will Blair, and confident, steady camerawork from David Gallego (Embrace of the Serpent), Saulnier’s craft continues to somehow improve upon the perfection of Green Room. It may not have the same nervous, frantic energy as the 2015 film, but Rebel Ridge is just as confident in its execution of action.
There’s no denying that Jeremy Saulnier’s still one of the best American filmmakers working today. Rebel Ridge contains a similar rage to many of his previous films, while channeling it in a much more calm and confident thriller. Mirroring the demeanor of its protagonist, Saulnier’s screenplay is sly when it needs to be and volatile when absolutely necessary, but never muddles its intent through flashes of ambition. That ambition can lead to a bit too much on its mind, but Rebel Ridge keeps even its undercooked elements on a steady tilt forward. It’s why even the film’s conclusion feels like the result of exhaustion and highlights Saulnier’s undeniable prowess at building to a much-needed respite for both its characters and the audience.
