Jeremy Saulnier’s latest project which he directed, edited, produced, and wrote, has officially landed on Netflix, and despite the 131-minute runtime, we’re intrigued! Saulnier’s previous work includes critically acclaimed movies like Green Room, Blue Ruin, Murder Party, and Hold the Dark, which have set the bar relatively high for Rebel Ridge.
Can Rebel Ridge live up to the standard set by its predecessors? You’ll find out more about that in our review, where we take you through some of the key moments of the movie, and also talk about the stand-out performances that appealed to us the most. So, if Saulnier’s latest movie has you intrigued, we recommend sticking around!
Aaron Pierre Delivers an Unforgettable Performance
The first 5 minutes of Rebel Ridge will have you convinced that you should stick around for the rest of the movie, and plenty of credit for that quick judgment goes to Aaron Pierre, who plays the role of Terry Richmond.
A black man gets pulled over by two white cops when he’s on his way to post bail for his cousin, carrying plenty of cash in a bag. The injustice towards Terry might make your blood boil, but keep in mind, this is only the beginning.
When Terry doesn’t get the help he needs to get his money back, he runs into Summer, who works at the Towk Hall and offers to help him. Now, Terry has time until Thursday to get his cousin out of jail before he gets moved to a different facility. Rebel Ridge moves at a steady pace as the narrative progresses from one part to another, and despite a few complexities, you will never find yourself looking away from the screen.
Somewhere after the 30-minute mark, when Terry realizes that the injustices against him and his cousin will continue to get a lot worse, he decides to take matters into his own hands, and that’s when the movie gets even more interesting than it previously was. The only thing we wished at this moment was to be able to watch this action unfold on a big screen in the movie theater.
Aaron Pierre was undoubtedly the best possible choice to play the role of Terry, and apart from the thrilling narrative, his performance deserves huge applause as he carries the plot on his shoulders, from one scene to another, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Apart from Pierre’s performance, AnnaSophia Robb, Don Johnson, and David Denman, also delivered exceptionally in every scene they were present.
There’s something so unique about Saulnier as he delivers brilliant movies, one after the other, and he has truly knocked it out of the park with Rebel Ridge. This might just be his best work so far, in terms of both directing and editing, which were done by him. We highly recommend watching this movie on Netflix, and if you aren’t subscribed to the streaming platform, this might be the right moment to do so.
Conclusion
Rebel Ridge is a serious movie, it tackles several issues we see in society every day, and it does it well. If you aren’t too familiar with Saulnier’s work, this movie on Netflix might be the perfect place to start.