Set to hit streaming giant Netflix later this week, action-thriller Rebel Ridge promises to have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. An intense, heart-pounding crime drama, the movie peels back the layers of police corruption, small-town politics, and one man’s desperate fight for justice in the American town of Shelby Springs. Almost five years in the making, Rebel Ridge was officially announced back in 2019, with John Boyega reportedly taking on the lead role. However, filming was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Boyega later departed the project – thus beginning the movie’s long, stop-and-start journey from script to screen. Earlier this summer, though, a long-awaited release date was finally scheduled, with Aaron Pierre replacing Boyega in the lead role of Terry Richmond, a skilled ex-Marine seeking justice. Here at Collider, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about Rebel Ridge in the helpful guide below.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Rebel Ridge.
6 Does ‘Rebel Ridge’ Have a Release Date?
Rebel Ridge will have a digital worldwide release on September 6, 2024.
Other movies releasing on the same day include the family-friendly comedy-horror Beetlejuice Beetlejuice starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Jenna Ortega, the horror-thriller The Front Room starring Brandy Norwood, and the crime-drama The Thicket starring Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis.
5 Where Can You Watch ‘Rebel Ridge’?
The only place you can catch Rebel Ridge right now is on Netflix – great news for those who prefer to get cozy and stream from the comfort of their own living room.
Netflix is home to an incredible variety of movies with monthly plans starting at $6.99. You can check out our extensive movie guide right here, updated weekly with the best of the best.
4 Watch the Official Trailer for ‘Rebel Ridge’
Netflix posted the official trailer for Rebel Ridge on its YouTube channel in August 2024. A testament to the level of anticipation surrounding the movie during its five years in development, the two-minute-long preview currently sits at almost two million views. Beginning with a sneak peek of a violent robbery, we see Terry knocked off his bike by a police cruiser before two officers, with dollar signs practically flashing in their eyes, find any excuse to search his backpack and take the stack of cash intended for his brother. As Terry heads to the police station and goes on record to report the crime, all seems well – until he reveals, with Chief of Police Sandy Burnne lurking close by, who the perpetrators are. Met with a frosty reception, Terry is all but kicked out of the station, and the trailer reveals his first port of call is to take the legal route. However, court clerk Summer McBride tells Terry the legal costs alone will amount to twice what was stolen from him. Thus, Terry hatches a plan to take matters into his own hands. Weapons are drawn, violent shootouts and car chases abound, and an all-out war begins against the sketchy Shelby Springs police force as Terry stops at nothing to get justice.
3 What Is ‘Rebel Ridge’ About?
Described as an action thriller and a crime drama, Rebel Ridge centers on Terry Richmond, an ex-Marine living in the small town of Shelby Springs. Providing high-stakes action from the very beginning, the movie kicks off with a violent incident in which Terry is deliberately knocked off his bike while hurrying to post bail for his brother. However, the perpetrators are no regular troublemakers – they’re officers of the law. After interrogating Terry on the side of the road, Officers Marston and Lann seize Terry’s bail money. Terry quickly realizes nothing will be done when he reports this to Chief Sandy Burnne – so, using his finely-honed skills from his time as a Marine, Terry takes matters into his own hands. An intense stand-off with the corrupt law enforcement of Shelby Springs gets underway, and it soon becomes clear that Terry is determined to get his money back by any means necessary.
The official synopsis for Rebel Ridge from Netflix reads:
Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) enters the town of Shelby Springs on a simple but urgent mission– post bail for his cousin and save him from imminent danger. But when Terry’s life’s savings is unjustly seized by law-enforcement, he’s forced to go head to head with local police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) and his combat-ready officers. Terry finds an unlikely ally in court clerk Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) and the two become ensnared in a deep-rooted conspiracy within the remote township. As the stakes turn deadly, Terry must call upon his mysterious background to break the department’s hold on the community, bring justice to his own family– and protect Summer in the process.
2 Who Stars in ‘Rebel Ridge’?
British actor Aaron Pierre stars as Terry Richmond, an ex-Marine facing off with corrupt law enforcement. Pierre’s previous work includes M. Night Shyamalan’sOld and Clement Virgo’sBrother, and the television series Krypton, The Underground Railroad, and Genius. Pierre will next be heard as the voice of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins‘ “live-action” prequel Mufasa: The Lion King.
Joining him is AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia) as helpful court clerk Summer McBride, Don Johnson (Miami Vice) as Chief of Police Sandy Burnne, David Denman (The Office) as Officer Evan Marston, and Emory Cohen (The OA) as Officer Steve Lann. Also in the cast are Steve Zissis (Happy Death Day 2U) as Elliot, Zsané Jhé (David Makes Man) as Officer Jessica Sims, Daniel H. Chung (Law & Order: Organized Crime) as Ken, Dana Lee (Dr. Ken) as Mr. Liu, C.J. LeBlanc (Just Mercy) as Mike, and Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (Succession) as the Judge.
1 Who Made ‘Rebel Ridge’?
Rebel Ridge is directed, written, edited, and produced by filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier. Saulnier is best known for his 2015 horror-thriller Green Room starring Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, in which a punk rock band must fight for survival after witnessing a brutal murder. Saulnier’s other movies include his 2007 feature film debut Murder Party, 2013’s Blue Ruin, and 2018’s Hold the Dark. In 2019, Saulnier directed two episodes in Season 3 of True Detective, “The Great War and Modern Memory,” and “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” Like many filmmakers in the industry, his work often involves a tight-knit group of people, with the team behind Rebel Ridge, including producers and cinematographers, long-time collaborators on Saulnier’s previous projects.
Joining Saulnier as Rebel Ridge’s producers are Macon Blair (Green Room), Tamara Gagarin (Eye in the Sky), Daniel J. Heffner (Saw), Ketura Kestin (Saw X), Neil Kopp (Paranoid Park), Matt Levin (Europa Report), Louise Lovegrove (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), Jeff Rowles (Showing Up), Vincent Savino (Blue Ruin), and Anish Savjani (Hold the Dark).
David Gallego (Embrace of the Serpent) serves as Rebel Ridge’s cinematographer, with music by Brooke Blair and Will Blair (Green Room).
