Netflix has had an unusual track record of producing and releasing original films that seemingly manage to take the ratings world by storm for the course of a few weeks, yet never linger within the larger consciousness of film fans any longer than that. Netflix’s 2024 genre films Damsel, Trigger Warning, The Union, and I Am Mother did not provoke any significant levels of discourse, even if the streamer’s own internal metrics pointed to record-breaking viewership. That being said, Netflix may have an actual modern classic on its hands with Rebel Ridge, the latest revenge thriller from the acclaimed genre filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier. Rebel Ridge is a masterful genre exercise that delves into real issues regarding race relations and police brutality.
The fact that the craftsmanship of Rebel Ridge is among the year’s best certainly shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched Saulnier’s previous work up until this point. While he’s always managed to pull off brilliant moments of suspense and intrigue, there’s an aura of social commentary that permeates all of Saulnier’s work; Blue Ruin explores the fundamentally broken cycle of revenge, Green Room explores the modern evil of white supremacy, and Hold The Dark served as a Bush-era analysis of toxic masculinity. In keeping with these traditions, Rebel Ridge examines the real predatory tactics taken by corrupt law enforcement, and displays them in a way reminiscent of the classic conspiracy thriller of the 1970s.
‘Rebel Ridge’ Tackles Real-Life Issues
Rebel Ridge is loosely based on real issues, even if the story itself is a fictitious one. Due to a loophole in the justice system, police officers are able to seize the cash assets that they suspect could be involved in a deeper conspiracy, with no obligation to return them without an extended judiciary process. This has obviously made it easy for the system to be abused, which is exactly what happens at the beginning of Rebel Ridge. The former Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is in the middle of transporting $36,000 to the town of Shelby Springs to post bail for his cousin, Mike Simmons, so that he can turn his life around and find a proper profession. However, Terry is harassed and targeted by the police officers Evan Marston (David Denman) and Steve Lann (Emory Cohen), who seize his money, forcing him to desperately look for another way to get Mike out. Although Terry is successful in forming an alliance with the courthouse employee Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb), he ends up being too late to save his cousin, as Mike is murdered by gangsters in prison for informing on them.
The best conspiracy thrillers of all-time are effective because they bring to life real anxieties that a sizable portion of the population have regarding unforeseen forces at play. In classic “New Hollywood” conspiracy thrillers like The Conversation or Three Days of the Condor, an understanding bystander is burdened by the knowledge that a secretive governmental organization is orchestrating a series of murders aimed at governmental targets. The protagonists of these films are torn between their desire to speak out and raise awareness of these issues, or to keep their lips closed and have their safety intact. This concept felt particularly chilling in the 1970s, in which paranoia about surveillance was at an all-time high in the aftermath of scandals involving the Vietnam War and the Watergate situation.
Rebel Ridge modernizes this concept by addressing issues that are prominent today; it’s clear that Terry is targeted by his race, and it’s evident that he has been struggling financially, despite being a decorated marine with extensive training under his belt. Once it becomes clear that the police Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) will not turn over the cash, as it is needed to pay off some debt accrued by the department, Terry is inspired to take a mission of revenge that would finally expose the conspiracy.
‘Rebel Ridge’ Is Atmospheric and Suspenseful
A key aspect of any great conspiracy thriller is the knowledge that the powerful party controls every level of infrastructure; in The Parallax View for example, Warren Beatty’s journalist character fears collecting information from any of his traditional sources out of fear that they may have been compromised by the secret conspiracy that is involved in a number of high stage political assassinations. A similar issue comes across in Rebel Ridge; although Summer is attacked and drugged by the cops, she tells Terry that she is unwilling to admit herself to a hospital, as she knows that the cops could use a negative result on a drug test to separate her from her children. The heroes of the film are put under greater pressure when the conspiracy that surrounds them deprives them of resources.
There is no doubt that Rebel Ridge is also a great action thriller, as the thrilling hand-to-hand combat that Pierre pulls off is enough to give Keanu Reeves’ John Wick or Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt a run for their money. That being said, the climax of Rebel Ridge revolves around the protection and release of information that Terry wants to use to take down the cops’ conspiracy, and hopefully protect others from having their assets improperly seized. Terry recognizes that being a one-man army isn’t enough; he has to serve as an example of what would happen if the conspiracy was unleashed on the wrong person.
‘Rebel Ridge’ Has an Ambiguous Ending
Rebel Ridge reflects the cynical nature of many classic ’70s thrillers, many of which do not suggest that the issues they are depicting will be easily solved. An incompetent politician is elected in The Candidate, the aliens take over in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and the code of silence isn’t broken at the end of The Parallax View. Although Terry is able to collect the SD cards with evidence about the cops, there’s no suggestion that this will result in any serious policy changes. It’s through this somewhat ambiguous ending that Saulnier’s tribute to conspiracy thrillers comes full circle.
Rebel Ridge is currently available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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