Rebel Ridge Review: Action with a Soul is Thoroughly Engaging

In this Netflix action thriller film, Terry Richmond comes to Shelby Springs in the hopes of bailing his cousin out of prison but on the way he is unjustly apprehended by a couple of officers who seize his life savings. Realising that there is a huge conspiracy at play, Terry gets ready to fight against these unjust practices and get the bail money by any means necessary.

The film has a runtime of 131 minutes.

Rebel Ridge Review

The thing that will suck you right into this wildly entertaining Netflix action film is its social drama aspect. The moment two blonde-hair-blued-eyed men bump a cycle-riding Black man off the road, you know this is going to get extremely problematic. But no – this isn’t just a story of a Black man getting the short end of the stick by the very white police force of Shelby Springs. Because Aaron Pierre’s Terry isn’t a man who loses his cool and composure and neither is he a man who gets walked over by corrupt cops.

Although Rebel Ridge might feel like any other action film, there’s a sense of claustrophobia in every scene that is hard to ignore. The power trip that these cops go on will make you feel uncomfortable and you see the desperation on Pierre’s face as he tries to bail his cousin out as soon as possible. It’s this claustrophobia and desperation that ultimately translates into a gripping watch as Terry takes matters into his own hands in order to fight the good fight.

The thing with this movie is that it gets its beats extremely right. The film is tight, emotional and very watchable. It flows from one horrible thing to another until we get a revenge story that will make you root for Terry and his cause. The action, a key part of this movie, is realistic and done with restraint. Terry is an expert in hand-to-hand combat but it isn’t like Liam Neeson or Keanu Reeves. Here it’s more constrained and Pierre gives off the notion that he can do much more than he is showing off but is choosing to hold himself back, considering the situation.

However, the subtlety goes out the window soon enough, as the slowly building tension and the many bad things come together and get on Terry’s last nerve and then there’s an all-out brawl. The path to it sometimes gets a little slow and there are moments when one might find themselves impatient but these moments are emotional and sometimes humorous and are really important for the overall storyline to make sense. Thankfully, that also means this isn’t just a movie that goes boom – there are reasons and logic behind them that are not only interesting but also put forth an important discourse.

However, it’s the performances that make this a worthy watch. As mentioned previously, Pierre is the perfect protagonist for the role. He is menacing, and capable but restrained and doesn’t let the anger, disappointment, hurt or action get out of hand. He is very believable in his role and does a fantastic job of making us root for him. With him is AnnaSophia Robb’s Summer McBride who is vulnerable but resolute and their teamwork is commendable. The human stories between the two of them add to the emotion of the story and make us want to see the end of their journey.

Final Thoughts

Rebel Ridge movie is surprisingly really good. Netflix has, in recent times, been pushing out some real bummers when it comes to action-thrillers but there’s soul in this one that gets to you. Whether it be the atmosphere, the sincerity of the cast or the claustrophobia of the small-town setting, the movie is relatable and that’s what’s so very disturbing about it.

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