UPDATED: Here’s one reaction from last night’s test screening of Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge.” This one happened in the West Coast. I’m looking forward to this one:
It was good. Had a similar tone and style to “Blue Ruim” with a relatively simply situation spiraling out of control, but this time it involves a small town conspiracy and a very subdued and mysterious stranger akin to Gosling in “Drive” and Phoenix in “You Were Never Really Here”. The action here is considerably smaller than “Blue Ruin” but it’s tightly wound in it’s drama, with all the twists and revelations, that it’s just as thrilling. Pierre and Robb are really good and fit perfectly into the feeling of likable characters. You feel immediately terrified and hoping Sauliner doesn’t inflict the worst on them; something he does a lot here and it’s tense every scene. Gorgeous compositions of middle America and awesomely choreographed sequences of action, better than “Hold the Dark” and reminiscent of something like “The Standoff at Sparrow Creek” and “Cold in July.”
EARLIER: If you haven’t seen any of filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier’s films, then you’re missing out. He’s one of the very best up-and-coming directors around.
His 2014 film, “Blue Ruin,” is a crime-thriller masterpiece and 2016’s “Green Room,” a dark and nasty neo-Nazi revenge thriller, almost came off like an avant-garde horror movie. Saulnier’s knack for detailed visceral violence makes you feel every gunshot, every stabbing of the knife, every punch.
His first film in over five years, “Rebel Ridge,” seems to finally be in the can. It’s going to be test screening this week on the West Coast with a possible fall festival appearance in the works. Maybe Venice? I’d definitely bet on TIFF.
“Rebel Ridge” is being described as a being about About an ex-marine who takes on a group of dirty cops in a high-velocity thriller exploring systemic injustices through bone-breaking action sequences, suspense, and dark humor.
This is the infamous film that, original lead actor, John Boyega walked out of in 2021, under controversial circumstances, potentially due to diva-like behavior. After Boyega left, Aaron Pierre replaced him and filming resumed in early 2022.
Netflix is producing this one. The director of photography is Magnus Nordenhof Jonck (“Borgen”). The cast includes Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, James Badge Dale, James Cromwell, AnnaSophia, and Robb Emory Cohen.
Last we saw Saulnier, he premiered 2018’s “Hold the Dark” on Netflix. Even though this was possibly his least impressive work to date, a little too on-the-nose for my tastes, the film was still a nastily-rendered genre hybrid from him, with surprises that shock at every turn.
Here’s hoping “Rebel Ridge” delivers on its promising potential.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.