Rebel Ridge

Aaron Pierre is Terry Richmond, who is cycling into small town Louisiana to bail out his brother and start a new life. The local police have different ideas though and they ram him off the road, nick his money and send him on his way. This ignites a sense of injustice and a burning rage, as a deeper conspiracy is uncovered and a destructive game of cat and mouse begins 

Director and writer Jeremy Saulnier has created a tense action thriller that plays out like a mixture of First Blood and a western. It is a slow burner that builds up a nice head of steam, with some effective, impactful action. The tension and antagonism between Terry and local sheriff Sandy Burne (Don Johnson) and cop Steve Lann (Emery Cohen) is palpable, and it bubbles over to a frantic showdown. 

This is a nice combination of brutal action and an intricate plot. It is not two hours of showboating spectacle and gun fights, there is a good drama underpinning the fights and chases. Aaron Pierre is a natural as the lead star, a man of few words that is very handy in a fight – with a similar screen presence to Ryan Gosling in Drive. Don Johnson plays the love to hate local sheriff Sandy with just the right amount of smarm – and he is the perfect sparring partner to Terry. It is reminiscent of the mutual hatred between Rambo and Brian Dennehy‘s determined sheriff. 

A gritty slow burner that rises to a very satisfying ending, Rebel Ridge is an engaging thriller meets Western made with great attention to detail. 

8/10.