The director of Green Room gets his cinematic groove back with Rebel Ridge

In the early 2010s, the Gareth Edwards Godzilla remake, in exchange for U.S. military cooperation, removed a reference to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This egregious action crystallizes mainstream Hollywood’s attitude towards challenging authority, colonialism, racism, or other atrocities. You’re more likely to see “cartel” boogeymen as villains in average action movies than, say, Klansman or GOP devotees. Typical American cinema, from Long Shot to the Transformers movies, is made to soothe the nerves of the privileged. As American cinema has become more and more consolidated in recent years, opportunities to subvert that norm have dwindled.

This reality does, at least, make writer/director Jeremy Saulnier’s searingly modern works stand out as extra impressive. In 2016, Saulnier delivered the outstanding thriller Green Room. That title merged terrific cinematography and editing with an unblinking depiction of modern neo-Nazis as villains. There was no period-era setting to make white folks more comfortable. Green Room proclaimed that skinheads and white supremacy still flourished in modern America with its whole chest. These white supremacist goons draped their walls in horrific items like Confederate Flags that Saulnier used to reinforce their evil. Saulnier’s newest film, Rebel Ridge, reinforces Office Steve Lann's (Emory Cohen) wickedness through a Blue Lives Matter patch sitting on this guy's chest.

Few modern movies even acknowledge the existence of this racist co-opting of Black Lives Matter rhetoric. The focus instead remains on "heroic" cop protagonists. Not Saulnier. It's a microcosm of his fierce creative instincts that fuel this terrifically crafted thriller.

Saulnier begins Rebel Ridge in media res. Protagonist Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is biking frantically to somewhere while listening to an Iron Maiden tune. In this masterful opening scene, Saulnier just plunges us into Richmond's life. No narration or flickers of flashbacks gives us immediate insight into who he is. More information gradually emerges after a pair of cops, Lann and Officer Evan Marston (David Denman) knock Richmond to the ground. Piece by piece, audiences learn who Richmond is. He’s got $30,000 in cash on him. He’s using that moolah at a local courthouse in tiny town Shelby Springs to get his cousin, Mike, out on bail.

The two officers confiscate the cash, claiming it to be "suspected drug money". It's part of a technically legal "civil asset forfeiture" procedure. This leaves Richmond with few options to get his cousin out of prison. His choices narrow further once local Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) explicitly takes an interest in making Richmond's life miserable. This Shelby Springs authority figure likes to throw his weight around and take whatever money comes his department’s way. Little do these cops know, though, that Richmond isn't a guy who just walks away from a tough situation. When the going gets rough, he gets rougher.

Jeremy Saulnier's script is great on many fronts. However, it's especially solid in a key department for an action thriller: it's just deeply entertaining to watch. This filmmaker has a keen eye for both creating and executing vividly alive sequences rife with tension. One set piece involves Richmond biking like Eddy Merckx to catch up to Mike on a prison bus. Depicting the pair talking while Richmond pedals furiously lends such immediate energy to the scene. It's also a great demonstration of both this man's bond with his cousin and his immense strength. So much gets accomplished in just a few minutes of screentime without sacrificing Rebel Ridge’s watchability.

A later especially memorable set piece sees Saulnier also excelling as Rebel Ridge’s editor. This particular scene cuts between Richmond and Burnne talking tensely out in front of the Shely Springs police station and Office Jessica Sims (Zsana Jhe) trying to retrieve vital information on Richmond's background in the face of spotty Wi-Fi. The cuts between these two locations are impeccably timed and nicely create a slowly simmering air of tension. The inevitable moment when Sims finally uncovers what element of Richmond’s past makes him so dangerous is especially deftly executed. Rebel Ridge has craftsmanship to spare in its filmmaking and it’s put in the service of a deeply suspenseful thriller.

Granted, we are still technically in the realm of Netflix Original Movies despite Saulnier steering the Rebel Ridge ship. Recurring issues with this domain’s genre fare still crop up here, like mosquitos munching on your neck during an otherwise pleasant picnic. The pacing problems plaguing severely lesser Netflix features like Triple Frontier and Army of the Dead still hinder Rebel Ridge's second act. That irritating light blue color grading permeating so many Netflix films (and, to be fair, countless theatrical features) dominates several nighttime scenes. The third act, meanwhile, features dialogue-heavy sequences employing the kind of cramped cinematography you’d expect from a company priding itself on folks watching its movies on phones.

Such claustrophobic framing stands out all the more thanks to Saulnier and cinematographer David Gallego's initial insistence on layered wider shots. Such images often feature backgrounds peppered with potentially ominous details. These elements keep viewers on their toes. We're always checking out the corner of a frame for any potential cops or traitors looking to undermine Richmond. Hand-to-hand combat sequences show a similar level of visual proficiency. Crisp framing and no disorienting editing allow one to truly appreciate exciting crowdpleaser moments like Richmond unloading several rounds out of a shotgun without even blinking.

Speaking of Richmond, Aaron Pierre makes a tremendous splash as a leading man here. Previously, Pierre stole the show as Mid-Sized Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan's Old while getting as underserved as every other cast member in last year's dreadful Foe. With Rebel Ridge, Pierre is the main attraction, and he excels in this mold. Physically, Pierre alone commands your attention. Rebel Ridge starts with Richmond as an intentionally sparsely defined figure. Pierre’s transfixing aura keeps you glued to the screen wanting to know more about this man. This lead actor is also a breath of fresh air in how he can sell ordinariness so well. Other modern leading men like Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth have a difficult time selling themselves as ordinary guys while looking like buff dreamboats. Their physical forms betray them. They always look like action figures, not dads or lawyers.

Pierre, meanwhile, is a towering muscular figure, no question. However, he still effortlessly conjures up a believable working-class persona. He never looks like he exists just for action sequences. Pierre lends such conviction to Richmond’s quieter scenes (not to mention the character’s emotional urgency related to Mike) that you can buy him as an ordinary guy. At times, Pierre’s performance even echoes Spencer Tracy's work in Bad Day at Black Rock. That 1995 John Sturges directorial effort also chronicled a deeply capable guy navigating and investigating a small town defined by nonchalant corruption. Like Tracy, Pierre finds tiny ways to reinforce the humanity in a man crusading for the right things.

Of course, unlike Tracy, Pierre can make for a great John Wick/Chan Ka-Kui when the occasion calls for it. Combining such a gripping lead performance with some great Saulnier suspense sequences (not to mention always welcome vilifying of the Blue Lives Matter movement) makes for a terrific time. For fellow Green Room/Blue Ruin aficionados who were mildly disappointed in Saulnier’s 2018 movie Hold the Dark, our day has come. This filmmaker has bounced back with Rebel Ridge and its deluge of tension mixed with an exciting contempt for authority.