“I had known about the practice of civil asset forfeiture, which is an odd loophole in anti-drug legislation that allows law enforcement to seize property from citizens without it being tied to any criminal charges,” says filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier (Green Mile, Blue Ruin) about his film Rebel Ridge starring Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb.
Saulnier states that he doesn’t often use other film references when pitching his own movie ideas. However, in Rebel Ridge he used First Blood and Michael Clayton because “that’s the easiest thing for people to latch onto.” His film references relate more to the texture and cadence than the plot of these films.
The filmmaker wanted to make a “throwback action movie that had real cars, real dust, real impact, and smaller scale violence with a much higher charge of energy and action.” That description captures the spirit of Rebel Ridge.
Jeremy Saulnier on the set of Rebel Ridge. Photo by Allyson Riggs/ Netflix
Rebel Ridge, is a fictitious place in Shelby Springs, Alabama where the film is set. Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is ferrying a large amount of cash to post bail for his cousin. He’s intercepted by local police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) who confiscates Terry’s life savings with impunity under the pretext of it being illicit.
That scene was Saulnier’s visual impetus for Rebel Ridge. “I’m going to pit my protagonist, who’s a victim of this practice against small town police force.”
Jeremy Saulnier always has several writing pots on the fire. “I had this coiled tension in me. I was stressed out.” He initially tried to write another film idea he was working on, but “it wasn’t flowing.”
“So I explored this other idea I had about a guy who rides in the town and is wronged. He faces off with the local police. It just came gushing out. I knew that was the energy that I needed to expel.”
A Sketchy Court System With Little Oversight
Southern small town stories typically cover themes of poverty, racism, and corruption. Interestingly, Saulnier didn’t specifically set out to address these themes because he considers himself a “narrative- leaning writer.” They are however, incidental in getting Terry Richmond “over the finish line. Or not.”
The writer/ director utilized his extensive research into how certain small town courts operate to bounce Terry “back and forth.” Saulnier had military and legal consultants sign off to ensure these plots were true in his story.
Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb) Photo courtesy of Netflix
Then Jeremy gave Terry an ally in the form of Summer McBride, who’s an insider in the unjust court system.
Although Terry Richmond is a man of color, Jeremy Saulnier ideally wants to make a universal film about the “plight of the every man. I wasn’t tapping into the great injustices,” he adds.
I know when I should listen and pull themes by observation and letting them live organically in a movie
Saulnier is originally from Virginia, so naturally he infused aspects of his speech into the dialogue in Rebel Ridge.
The Morality Of Corruption
Chief Sandy Burnne isn’t necessarily driven by greed and power. He’s in a bind. His primary motivation for using the civil asset forfeiture laws is to fund basic services in Shelby Springs rather than personal gain.
Jeremy Saulnier doesn’t want to categorize the characters in Rebel Ridge as heroes or villains. “I need to hear both sides. I want to humanize everybody involved. I find that more compelling and more dramatic.” He aims to represent a cross section of humanity.
In order to raise the stakes for Burnne, he had to be demoted from a Sheriff to a Chief because sheriffs hold too much power. “A chief can get squeezed. A chief can have a predicament. A chief can get removed from office.”
Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson) & Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) Photo by Allyson Riggs/ Netflix
“It doesn’t matter if you’re rooting for them or not. I have to really invest in the characters and create a back and forth that’s not just one side preaching, winning and dominating. It is humans caught in these systems trying to survive.” This tactic creates empathy for every character rather than passing judgment on them.
You can still have a cathartic release, but it has to be earned
Creating Tension In Rebel Ridge
The film plays out as an action thriller. A notable tenet of the genre is the shifting of the balance of power between the main characters. In one scene, Terry Richmond has the edge and Sandy Burnne has it in the next.
Saulnier also puts unrelenting pressure on them, regardless of who holds the power at any given point.
Curiously, he uses dialogue more than action as a weapon at times. “There are some dialogue scenes with mounting tension that are starting to cook off and are as exhilarating, or at least satisfying, as big set pieces.”
“This is just me finding my way. If I don’t know my way from the beginning, I have to write myself into a corner, write myself out, and I don’t know where the map is going to lead me,” he states.
“The tension comes from the fact that I am flailing through this, batting this guy around, and feeling that excitement when I’ve clicked into gear and find I know where I’m going to go now.”
Jeremy points to a scene, just before the midpoint, where Terry Richmond first arrives at the Shelby Springs police station and first confronts Chief Sandy Burnne. “It wasn’t just the confrontation itself, it was the buildup.” The tension mounted in subsequent dialogue scenes where staff were doing background checks on Terry.
Then Terry drives up outside. Chief Burnne responds confronts him.
