Thinking about Jeremy Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge” (2024), a fantastic action/thriller filmed in and around Southeast Louisiana, I keep coming back to “First Blood” (1982). Ted Kotcheff’s sad, gritty story of Vietnam veteran John Rambo wrenched back to violence by the prejudice of the police establishment is often remembered as more jingoistic and less human than it actually is. Stallone is incredible in what could be considered the best performance of his pre-juiced-up ’80s. He does not play Rambo as some chiseled god of imperialistic vengeance. He doesn’t look “cool” in any discernible way. He is a melancholy creature, forced to ply his unnatural trade of blood and bullets simply because one small-town sheriff found his presence distasteful. It’s easy to imagine how many other dozens of veterans, hippies, folks in need of a kind word, who that sheriff kicked to the curb or locked away for the crime of existing. Rambo is no avenging angel but an avatar for those crushed beneath the bootheel of society. So too, I can’t help but feel, is the hero of “Rebel Ridge,” Terry Richmond.
The film opens with a similar altercation to the inciting incident of “First Blood” when Aaron Pierre’s Terry is knocked from his bike by a police vehicle. The officers emerge, guns trained, egregiously accusing Terry of a simple traffic violation and intent to flee pursuit. On a bike? Sure. Unfortunately, Terry is also carrying with him a stack of cash, cash meant to help bail his cousin out of jail before he can be murdered in gen pop. This money changes things. Seeing as Terry has no record and a military background, the officers choose to let him off with a warning. But they do take the money, citing police and judicial procedure with the cold assurance of powerful people utilizing the state to their indiscriminate will. Terry is left bleeding on the road, with only his bike and a warning, as $30,000 that could save his cousin’s life drives away. But if those officers believed they just made a painless payday, they are sorely mistaken.
Aaron Pierre (“Old”) plays Terry with a calm precision that is the surest sign of an actor’s movie star bonafides. Movie posters will be featuring his name over the title for a long, long time; and with good reason. Pierre’s Terry is still, ever thinking, strategizing the most direct way to avoid conflict at all times. A role originally meant for, and largely filmed with, Jon Boyega (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”); Pierre emerges as a seismic force in the film, exuding a gravitational pull that feels inherent, intoxicating, and magnetic. The audience cares for him from the first time we see him. His cause is righteous and human, while his pursuers are vindictive and selfish. We read tomes of history in his eyes and feel the tension of what Terry might be capable of as everyone, including Chief Sandy Burnne played by Don Johnson (“Knives Out”), continue poking him as if the military veteran won’t eventually explode. But we know the explosion is coming. Still, waters run deep. And sometimes, when pressed, they go nuclear.
Jeremy Saulnier is a filmmaker that has not fully broken into the mainstream but is well known in film circles as one of the most exciting writer/directors of recent years. From his first film, the hilariously DIY Halloween gore fest “Murder Party,” Saulnier quickly developed his patented brand of melancholic thrillers; with “Blue Ruin” and the incredible “Green Room” delivering violent, personal films that leave a lingering pit in the base of your stomach. His movies feel more human than their premises would belie. His writing is not flashy but effective, cutting to the core of each character and making us fear for the blood that will ultimately spill. “Rebel Ridge” was a film that most feared would never be completed, as many of my friends and colleagues in the Louisiana film industry can attest. Production issues and casting switcheroos left the movie in limbo. Even when filming resumed, it was unknown if the project would warrant so much trouble and effort. This writer is pleased to report that “Rebel Ridge” is not just worth the effort but a testament to the dogged perseverance of Saulnier, Pierre, and every member of the filmmaking team. The film is the kind that, in a perfect world, would have been shown on big screens across the country. Alas, “Rebel Ridge” was ever bound for Netflix, a sad state of affairs for cinema at large but a benefit for folks like me to share the good word of one of the best movies of the year and one that, following recent world events, feels as poignant as ever.
The tragedy of someone like Terry or John Rambo is that no matter how many corrupt police they take down or how many rotten systems they uncover, power will always step on those it can. There is no point in cheering at the end of “Rebel Ridge,” as there is no joy to be had at the conclusion of “First Blood.” The world remains the same. It’s just the people who are broken. A tale as old as time and one too often forgotten.
If you’re looking for a fantastic action/thriller that has more on its mind than you might imagine, and feel like supporting your local film community, check out “Rebel Ridge” on Netflix.
You’ll be glad you did.
