Rebel Ridge Movie Review: A tight-knit slowburn that prioritises tension over action

The writing is clean, and the performances are measured. There is a sense of uneasiness throughout the film that is gripping

Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge might be one of the bravest films this year. Not just because of its content, but by how, for the most part, it is devoid of the pleasures one might typically expect from this genre. We’re in the Stallone-meets-Western zone, and with the protagonist (Aaron Pierre’s Terry Richmond) being an ex-Marine well-versed in combat, there is immense potential for a Rambo-like one-versus-many actioner.

To his credit, Saulnier, except for brief moments, keeps Terry as the victim and not the saviour. Terry might be way stronger and smarter than the people who are ill-treating him, but he is still a common man, a black man in a predominantly white village. Even the extras in a courthouse scene are White, showing the sheer claustrophobia someone in Terry’s place could feel. Terry’s outrage is, for the most part, simmering rather than bursting. He is unbelievably patient and restrained, and his stand-off scenes with the corrupt police chief (Don Johnson), who keeps increasingly triggering him, are outraging to watch (I kept thinking of the Black Lives Matter movement while watching Rebel Ridge). And Pierre is excellent. It is a well-realised performance that brings out the exasperation of getting stuck in a hopeless system.

Hopelessness is a constant undertone here, and the theme of ‘unfair treatment’ is reverberated throughout the plot. It is not just Terry who is a victim of corruption and loopholes in the legal system. AnnaSophia Robb’s Summer, a struggling court employee who takes pity on Terry, is undergoing her own systemic issues. Zsané Jhé plays a black police officer, and her character gets several great moments where she seems to sympathise with Terry but is also on the other side of the proceedings. Jhé’s performance, like the rest of the cast’s, is perfectly measured.

The only gripe in this otherwise meticulous film is the half-baked handling of Terry’s relationship with his cousin. The relationship is how the plot kicks off, and we barely get to know what these two mean to each other. This creates a sense of distance to Terry’s plight, making some of the emotional scenes rather distant. The idea might have been to create an overall cold atmosphere, but had there been a few scenes where we understand the love Terry has for his cousin, it would have made things more impactful.

There is a constant sense of uneasiness, a sense of worry about Terry getting into more troubling situations. We keep feeling “Just kill them, and leave this place!” David Gallego’s cinematography plays a big role in creating suspense, with slowly moving and carefully revealing camera movements. 

Rebel Ridge feels refreshing during a time where films are becoming more and more focussed toward creating high points. Even the big action scenes are understated - why linger on violence when there are greater horrors happening? The writing is clean and calculated, and the film demands your attention. Apart from a few one-liners, the treatment is dead serious. And the ending makes us think. The day might be saved, but what of the country?  

Originally Published for The New Indian Express