Movie Review: Rebel Ridge (2024)

Genre: Drama Thriller  

Director: Jeremy Saulnier  

Starring: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, James Cromwell  

Running Time: 131 minutes  

Synopsis: While biking to the small town of Shelby Springs to pay the bail money for his jailed cousin Mike, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) tangles with local police officers who wrongly confiscate his money as proceeds of crime. He appeals with no success at City Hall, but finds an ally in junior clerk Summer (AnnaSophia Robb), who hints at a culture of judicial corruption involving the local judge (James Cromwell). Terry confronts police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), and when Mike's fate is compromised and Summer is targeted, Terry's feud with Sandy intensifies.

What Works Well: This is a slow-burning yet sustained drama, always hinting at the potential for violence but impressively seeking cerebral off-ramps. The protagonist Terry is forced to innovate in the face of hostility, and Aaron Pierre's physical dominance is an intriguing contrast with his character's preference for words and negotiations. He is matched by Don Johnson as a police chief leading a local force tinged by racism and tainted by hide-in-plain-sight fraud within a middle-of-nowhere setting. The action scenes, when they arrive, focus on the clumsiness of aggression rather than stylized violence.

What Does Not Work As Well: The running time is 20 minutes too long, and some sloppy scripting leaves behind plenty of questions. Terry's connections to a Chinese restaurant remain murky, the police corruption details get tied up in an incomprehensible knot, and a key covert character is lost in the shuffle. The climactic showdown unleashes sudden interventions and is more confused than effective.

Key Quote:

Summer: Was that your plan?

Terry: I ran out of plan.

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