Directed By Jeremy Saulnier
Starring – Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb
The Plot – An ex Marine (Pierre) on his way to bail out his cousin from jail finds himself pushed against the wall by a high handed and corrupt chief of police (Johnson). He then has no option but to confront the cop and despite strong resistance he fights his way out to complete his mission.
Rated TV-MA for adult language, violence and scenes of peril
Rebel Ridge | Official Trailer | Netflix
POSITIVES
Laws were made to often exploit the inferiorities between class and races, and in Saulnier’s newest and best film since his 2015 magnum opus, ‘Green Room’, he exploits those unsettling realities in the depths of a contemporary war between rivaling minorities and police that unfortunately holds as much relevance today as it ever has. This is a film sure to upset those who justify police brutality, but I found it unnervingly effective not only for the way its small town setting typically turns a blind eye to the constant of injustices, but also how those in power take advantage of any situation for financial gain, as a means of being made untouchable by those very same people who swear them in to do a job. Like all Saulnier films, the characters evade fitting into conventional types that would evidently divide the sides long before the exposition and interactions play out, instead appraising rich complexity to cultural and career significance, which leads to quite a few stirring surprises along the way that constantly reevaluate the movie’s overwhelming stakes and circumstances. Because so much time is spent within the 130-minute run time fleshing out a sense of purpose within people who aren’t exactly the primary focus of the narrative, it gives the setting a deeper sense of lived-in heritage and history that alludes to so many of the shady dealings that have allowed such to happen, all the while appraising a vulnerability factor for our protagonist, which is constantly maintained despite a ferocity and skill set that continuously makes him feel like he is in charge of any conflict. Like the police force and their darkly advantageous past, so too does Pierre’s marine have his own abundance of secrets that will ultimately come to define the situation, especially once the force catches on to certain details, and stops treating him like the minority that they initially define him as, and start coming to terms with the terrifying force to be reckoned with that Pierre plays so prominently. Anyone can play a bona fide badass in these vigilante kind of movies, but there’s a mystique in aura to Pierre’s undertaking that often makes him such a unpredictable agent of chaos to any room that he nonchalantly walks into, with both confidence and resiliency factors that allow him to impose his will justifiably to any circumstance, all the while enveloping a bodily rage that unleashes itself during the moments they can be felt the loudest. Don Johnson also hands in compelling work as a racist police chief who continuously makes the life of Pierre’s protagonist even more difficult, with manipulative psychologies and limitless shit-eating grins unloaded that effortlessly made his character so easy to detest throughout interactions where he always has an ace up his sleeve. While the scenes between them are few and far between, the longer the film persists, their banter inside of coldly calculating and ruthless interactions served as my favorites of the film, especially once Johnson realizes the kind of threat that Pierre is to his peaceful operation, with a compulsion for racist rhetoric that he can’t help but use as motivation for his treatment. The performances are certainly integral to what makes this such a gripping experience, but Saulnier’s direction towards perfectly articulating a tensely hostile environment, with sight and sound schemes are most vital, affording us urgency in the lack of miscommunication that simmers these interactions to such a boiling level. The sound mixing orchestrated here is breathtaking, with the stomach-churning score from Brooke and Will Blair initiated at a measured level that underlines the tension, instead of overtakes it, and the boldly blanketing intricacies of the in-scene set deposits ratchet to such deafening levels, inscribing such an inescapably immersive conscience to these orchestrations that paid off brilliantly during first and third act conflicts that kept me glued to the edge of my seat. The first thirty minutes, in particular, are sheer perfection for inviting audiences into the dangerousness and intensity of this established conflict, and while the second act withers the momentum a bit in the devil of the details, the third act climax restores the amplified pressure of the movie’s opening act in ways that not only satisfy exceptionally to audience entertainment, but also vividly summon a message of awareness and responsibility that we all share as justice-seeking citizens, alluding to the fact that nobody or nothing is above the law, even those in charge of enforcing such. The presentation for the movie is also highly effective at conjuring an atmospheric uneasiness, with the subtle color grades in David Gallego’s cinematography feeling like an airborne toxic that hangs over this town, as a means of spelling out that things aren’t crystal clear here. While Saulnier and the production evidently aren’t as pre-occupied with spellbinding style as much as they are script substance, the weathered canvas does play exceptionally well to the rough realities of the established setting, with calmly confident handheld schemes within the camera work emphatically influencing sequences involving physicality that push the vulnerabilities of its characters to eleven.
NEGATIVES
Despite a mostly flawless execution, especially for Netflix standards, ‘Rebel Ridge’ does slip into sedation during a stalling second act that not only stretches out these expositional reveals a bit longer than needed, but also abandons the action for scenes that are far more dialogue-driven, which inescapably feel inferior to such a perfect opening act that constantly elevated the stakes. I can certainly understand that a whole movie can’t keep up with that level of endearing intensity, as even something crafted so superbly would eventually feel plagued by redundancy, but this is the section of the film where the pacing of the movie slows down a bit dramatically, with more attention paid to the backstories of the supporting characters, and less time paid to the compelling drama in this mental chess game for power, and while I appreciate any movie that takes time to contextualize its characters towards eliciting a deeper significance towards the setting, it feels unavoidably weak in contrast to the sum of its parts, without moving the storytelling forward with the kind of committed urgency needed to reflect Pierre’s own dreaded disposition. Beyond a weak second act, my only other issues with the film came during some lapses in logic during scenes of physical conflict, which required a bit more suspension of disbelief than I would expect in a director so grounded with reality. One such scene involves Pierre’s character held at gunpoint by a surrounding police force. They become distracted by someone else introduced to the fold, and Pierre is not only able to retreat to hiding while carrying probably 200-250 pounds of dead weight in another body, but also able to allude being hit by any of their bullets, which is either a testament to his stealth-like agility, or an insult to defenders of the badge who can’t hit a target that is quite literally standing in front of them. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, as movies typically contain ridiculous feats of strength and gravity that don’t reflect real life, but there are quite a few examples of urgent situations involving escape or escalation that feel especially silly for Saulnier’s authentic touch, and I just wish that he found better and more believable means as a screenwriter of prolonging a conflict than momentary conveniences that add up quickly in often taking the easy way out.
OVERALL
‘Rebel Ridge’ is a taut action thriller that combines slow-burning drama with scintillating social commentary, in order to conjure one of the year’s most rivetingly thrilling engagements. Between sound technical merits conveying the urgency and danger of each environment, and an effortlessly cool and unflinching performance from Aaron Pierre asserting himself as the next big action star, the film proves that gut-wrenching action is best enjoyed with your mind turned on, and even despite an inferior second act to its remarkable book-ended counterparts, it’s packed with enough suspense to continuously get under your skin, with the only regret stemming from the incapability of seeing it on the biggest screen imaginable.
My Grade: 8/10 or B