Film Pick of the Week: Rebel Ridge - review by Yvette Huddleston
Rebel Ridge Netflix, review by Yvette Huddleston
This taut revenge thriller from acclaimed US writer-director Jeremy Saulnier hits the ground running and barely allows the viewer to take breath throughout its pacy narrative. In many ways it plays out like an old-fashioned Western, of the kind where one good man of integrity stands up to a whole raft of corrupt and greedy bullies.
Aaron Pierre plays Terry Richmond, an army veteran turned catering manager who is cycling along a rural road towards the small town of Shelby Springs, Louisiana when he is roughly pulled over by a couple of sneering cops who deliberately bump him off his bike. Their entire interaction with Richmond is aggressive, racist and threatening. They search his belongings and he explains that they will find $36,000 in his bag, which is bail money for his cousin and that he is on a tight deadline to deliver the cash to the county hall. They clearly don’t believe that explanation and anyway they intend to confiscate the money on spurious grounds, telling him he can file a complaint to get it back – which they imply won’t be anytime soon. Richmond needs the money promptly because if his cousin – previously a witness in a gangland murder trial – is transferred to state prison, he will be in danger.
Richmond them becomes embroiled in a complex system that is seemingly working against the ordinary citizen and in favour of those who wield power. Arriving at the courthouse he explains his predicament and is assisted by helpful clerk Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) who says she will prepare the paperwork so that it’s all ready to go if he can get the money to them before his cousin’s transfer to the state prison. He contacts his former business partner who agrees to loan him the money and promises to transfer it to him.
Richmond then goes to the local police station to report his money stolen – describing the arresting officer and giving his badge number. Needless to say, that doesn’t go down well with the arrogant, self-satisfied police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson). He and his thugs employ classic bullying techniques to try and intimidate Richmond who stands his ground and quietly sets about putting things right using skills he learnt as a marine and with the help of Summer who suspects corruption in the court system. Saulnier’s intelligent script very effectively combines propulsive action sequences with a powerful exploration of social injustice.