‘You could offer me eternal life or a catfish sandwich and the answer would still be the same…’
It’s rare that you see an action movie that feels genuinely unique. Rebel Ridge is a million miles away from that ’80s action movie world of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. The action movie world that I am comfortable with. The protagonist is mostly quiet and thoughtful – still, even. The score is mainly ambient sounds that replicate a heartbeat or a ticking clock. There are no explosions. And while Rebel Ridge runs out of steam in the third act somewhat, it’s still an intriguing picture…
After a routine traffic stop, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is essentially robbed of 36 grand by a corrupt small-town Sheriff (Don Johnson). Rather than taking it lying down, he formulates a plan to take the whole police force down. Along the way, he recruits courthouse employee Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) who has legal problems of her own.
Director Jeremy Saulnier first came to my attention due to the minor masterpiece Green Room – a nasty and visceral movie beloved by everyone who saw it. While I haven’t seen any of his other work (this film is his fifth feature), Rebel Ridge is innovative enough and singular enough to make me want to go and seek out some of his other work. Indeed, the first 40 minutes or so are genuinely excellent with Pierre and Johnson dancing around each other like a pair of rutting stags. Robb is also excellent, bringing a gritty realism to Summer and her custody battle. It’s compelling stuff. Beautifully paced. Saulnier slowly cranks up the tension until everything is ready for a bombastic finale… which kind of never happens. The third act isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but it also doesn’t really deliver on the promise demonstrated in the opening third.
Rebel Ridge has received plenty of plaudits and it isn’t easy to imagine anyone watching this movie and not being at least somewhat entertained. Action movies have struggled in recent years to move away from their forebearers but Rebel Ridge is closer to something like the Bourne franchise than anything released in the ’80s – and it’s all the better for it.
