"Rebel Ridge" MOVIE REVIEW, A STORY OF CORRUPTION AND REDEMPTION.

 "Rebel Ridge"

MOVIE REVIEW

Rebel Ridge is a 2024 American crime action thriller film written, produced, directed and edited by Jeremy Saulnier. The film stars Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond, a former Marine who has the funds needed to post bail for his cousin unjustly seized via civil forfeiture by a small town's corrupt police force. Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Steve Zissis, Zsané Jhé, Dana Lee, and James Cromwell also appear in the film.

Rebel Ridge was released by Netflix on September 6, 2024 to positive critical reviews.

**Terry Richmond’s Quest for Justice in Shelby Springs: A Story of Corruption and Redemption**

In the small town of Shelby Springs, Louisiana, Terry Richmond, a Marine Corps veteran, arrives on a mission to help his cousin, Mike Simmons. Terry’s goal is simple but urgent: bail Mike out of jail and buy a pickup truck to start a new life. But from the moment he steps into Shelby Springs, he’s pulled into a battle against corrupt officials determined to keep him and Mike locked in a cycle of exploitation.

As Terry rolls into town on his bicycle, he's met with hostility from two police officers, Evan Marston and Steve Lann, who quickly target him. They detain him, seize his $36,000 through civil forfeiture, and claim it as ill-gotten gains despite its legitimacy. Now, with his bail money and livelihood on the line, Terry’s fight is just beginning.

Seeking justice, Terry heads to the local courthouse, only to be stonewalled by Elliot, a clerk unwilling to help. But a glimmer of hope appears in Summer McBride, another courthouse employee who recognizes his desperation. She agrees to help file bail paperwork if he can manage to raise $10,000 before Mike’s transfer to state prison. Mike’s informant status puts him in extreme danger, as moving to state custody would make him vulnerable to retribution from the criminals he informed on.

Determined to get the bail money back, Terry heads to the police station to file a report with Officer Jessica Sims, hoping to reclaim his confiscated cash. Instead, he finds himself face-to-face with Lann and Police Chief Sandy Burnne. Terry attempts to negotiate, offering to forget the rest if they return at least $10,000 for his cousin’s bail. Chief Burnne, however, dodges the request and tells him to come back on Monday, as if to mock his urgency.

When Monday arrives, Terry learns that the prison transfer bus carrying Mike has already departed. Racing to catch up, Terry manages to reach Mike and encourage him to stay strong, promising to find a way to get him out. With his options dwindling, Terry reaches out to an old business partner, Liu, only to discover that Liu’s restaurant had also been raided by the police, cutting off any financial help. Once again, Terry returns to the station, repeating his proposal. Instead of assistance, Burnne rejects his plea. Pushed to his limits, Terry, who has extensive combat experience, disarms Lann and Burnne, taking just enough money to cover the bail. With Summer’s assistance, he posts bail for Mike, but his freedom is short-lived as he is detained immediately afterward.

Detained and taken to the hospital under the custody of Marston and Burnne, Terry faces an ultimatum from the chief: in exchange for leaving town quietly, he would receive the remaining $26,000, the truck he’d planned to buy, and no charges against him. Heartbroken, Terry accepts the offer, only to receive devastating news—Mike has been fatally stabbed after being processed in the state facility. Mike’s death, coupled with the town’s corruption, becomes the turning point for Terry.

Later that night, Summer picks Terry up and shares disturbing information about people being detained for 90 days over minor charges, seemingly a strategy to exploit the system. Yet, he initially chooses not to get involved, prioritizing his exit. But when Summer calls him that evening, panicked after being forcibly injected with drugs by the police, Terry changes course. He rescues her, and together they work to uncover the depths of Shelby Springs' corruption.

In the days that follow, Terry and Summer confront Elliot and a local judge, uncovering a shocking scheme: the town intentionally keeps individuals jailed for 90 days on minor offenses, obstructing their ability to access evidence like dashcam footage. This method traps defendants who can’t afford a lawyer, ultimately profiting the town at their expense. Terry and Summer manage to retrieve critical SD cards from the courthouse’s basement before the police arrive and set the building on fire to cover their tracks. Though Terry escapes with the evidence, Summer is detained while attempting to destroy her forced drug test results, a tactic used to threaten her custody over her child.

The climax builds as Terry orchestrates a dangerous swap, offering the SD cards in exchange for Summer’s release at Rebel Ridge. While Lann and an armed police squad await him at the exchange point, Terry executes a bold maneuver, storming the police station with his pickup truck. Inside, he overpowers Chief Burnne and encounters Officer Sims, whom he mistakenly believes to be “Serpico,” an anonymous informant within the force. She detains him instead, seemingly turning against him. Meanwhile, Lann destroys the evidence cards and reveals that Summer’s life is at risk of an overdose. Amid the chaos, Marston reveals himself as the true “Serpico,” opposing the plot and finally aligning with Terry.

When Burnne attempts to frame Terry by ordering his officers to kill him, Marston suffers a severe gunshot wound. In a last effort, Marston instructs Terry to activate the siren of a police cruiser, automatically saving the recent dashcam footage, which could serve as crucial evidence. With Marston’s guidance, Terry also administers Narcan to save Summer, stabilizing her just in time.

The chase is on as Terry, Marston, and Summer flee in a police cruiser with an entire fleet of officers on their tail. Officer Sims, now recognizing the gravity of Burnne’s corruption, makes a stand. Ordered to use a PIT maneuver on the cruiser, she instead turns on Burnne, taking him out of the pursuit. With Burnne detained, the remaining officers follow Sims’ lead, escorting the trio to the hospital where Marston and Summer receive necessary treatment.

Terry, now equipped with critical evidence from the dashcam footage, finds himself finally one step ahead of the corrupt system that tried to break him. Sitting in the hospital hallway, he’s left to reflect on the harrowing journey through Shelby Springs—a town where justice was long forgotten, but where, thanks to his resilience, the truth will finally come to light. 

Through Terry’s story, the film dives into the lengths to which individuals must go when faced with corruption, illustrating the power of perseverance, integrity, and ultimately, the pursuit of justice.