REBEL RIDGE

(director/writer: Jeremy Saulnier; cinematographer: David Gallego; editor: Jeremy Saulnier; music: Brooke Blair, Will Blair; cast: Aaron Pierre (Terry Richmond), David Denman (Officer Evan Marston), Emory Cohen (Officer Steve Lann), Don Johnson (Chief Sandy Burnne), Annasophia Robb (Summer McBride), Steve Zissis (Elliot), Dana Lee (Mr. Liu), Zsane Jhe (Officer Jessica Sims), C.J. LeBlanc (Mike Simmons), James Cromwell (Judge); Runtime: 131; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Jeremy Saulnier, Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani; Netflix; 2024)

“An entertaining crime thriller.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

An entertaining crime thriller about racism in America. It’s directed by Jeremy Saulnier (“Hold the Dark”/”Green Room”) and stars Brit actor Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond.

On a deserted highway in Louisiana, Terry, a Black man, a martial arts expert, and a former Marine, is cycling down the road with $30,000 in his backpack to pay the bail for his incarcerated cousin and buy a truck in Sharon Springs, when two white cops (David Denman and Emory Cohen) slam into him and steal the money under the pretense it’s suspicious drug money.

Terry acts to retrieve his stolen money, as he goes into town to confront the slimy, bullying police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson).

Terry is befriended by a sympathetic worker for the county clerk, Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb). The town leaders unfairly took away her child and she’s in the process of trying to regain custody of them.

In its climax, Rebel Ridge is the field where Terry confronts the crooked cops.

If you’ve seen “Billy Jack” (1971), this is the same racial themed type of action pic.

REVIEWED ON 10/19/2024  GRADE: B-
dennisschwartzreviews.com