Movies

Peter Suderman | 9.13.2024 8:13 AM

Jeremy Saulnier's Rebel Ridge is the rarest of things: a taut, tense thriller packed with rip-roaring action that is also a detailed and believably accurate story about public policy.

Specifically, it's about civil asset forfeiture and small-town municipal budget corruption.

Yes, this is a civil asset forfeiture revenge film. Rebel Ridge follows an ex-Marine with a very special set of skills, who gets knocked over by a pair of local cops and effectively robbed of the large bag of cash he's carrying to bail out his cousin and set himself up with a new life. But because the cops say they suspect it's drug money, the robbery is perfectly, infuriatingly legal.

Rebel Ridge, which debuted on Netflix last week, is both smart and immaculately crafted, with a series of methodical buildups that come together for some of the most satisfying, electrifying action beats of the year. It's part Taken, part Jack Reacher, and a whole lot of Rambo in First Blood, though it never feels derivative.

The film starts when Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) gets unceremoniously knocked off his bicycle by a small-town squad car. The cops say he........

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