Rebel Ridge stars Don Johnson and Aaron Pierre in a small-town thriller about a corrupt police force. Photo: Netflix.
Readers who have scanned even a handful of my reviews over the past year may have picked up on an opinion or two I have regarding Netflix original movies.
Those opinions being, I think they’re lazy, contract-fulfilling cash grabs. So imagine my surprise when one of the streaming giant’s newest films, Rebel Ridge, proves to be one of the most entertaining films of the last few months.
The film stars up-and-coming actor and soon-to-be Green Lantern lead Aaron Pierre as a former Marine, Terry, who is visiting a small town in Louisiana to post bail for his cousin.
Upon doing so, Terry is held up by a couple of corrupt police who seize $36,000 in cash. Unable to post bail for his cousin Mike, Terry is forced to uncover the dark and deep-rooted history of a corrupt police force.
There was little hype about this film, which I’m confused about because unlike some of the services’ ‘premier’ titles with similar names, *cough* Rebel Moon *cough*, Rebel Ridge is something other Netflix titles haven’t been able to be – fun.
There’s no doubt that Netflix has some quality programming in its TV space. I’ve just finished binging on the new Menendez Brothers drama series, but for one reason or another, Netflix has been unable to capitalise on its films.
I believe it’s because they aren’t producing the appropriate kind of content that a streaming service is fit for. Looking back at Netflix’s most critically successful films of the last couple of years – The Irishman, Power of the Dog, All Quiet on the Western Front, Hitman, Hustle, Marriage Story and even Enola Holmes just to name a few – one constant is that they aren’t blockbusters. They’re meant to be consumed on the couch at home.
They’re not high-budget epics like Avatar, Star Wars or Marvel movies. They’re low to medium-budget flicks that directors put their time and effort into. Now contrast this with Netflix’s big-budget movies like Damsel, Rebel Moon, Atlas and Red Notice, and it’s clear which are the superior films.
So why does Rebel Ridge work?
Well, it’s a simple yet well-written thriller with likable characters and fantastic acting. That’s it. Nothing flashy, nothing over the top, nothing groundbreaking. Just a solid, put on after a long day at work, enjoy the mystery, thriller.
Will Rebel Ridge win any big awards? Probably not, but it’s such an easy slam dunk for Netflix. The film cost around $40 million to make, way down from the $200 million for the awful Red Notice and the $160 million for Rebel Moon.
Rebel Ridge amassed 70 million views in its first 10 days. So wouldn’t it make sense for Netflix to make five Rebel Ridge-esque films and draw in over 300 million views instead of one Red Notice, which drew just less than 80 million in its first month of streaming? It’s stats like this that cause subscription prices to increase and force Netflix further and further into debt, which currently sits at around $14 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
So, with all that, give Rebel Ridge a watch. It’s a solid film and a very enjoyable one. It’s a win that Netflix needed but doesn’t necessarily deserve, but if this is the direction the streaming service chooses to take its original films, I’d be more than happy to pay my subscription each month.
Rebel Ridge is now streaming on Netflix.
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