Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Netflix's Rebel Ridge! It also contains the author's opinion - Reader's discretion is advised.
Jeremy Saulnier's latest action-thriller Rebel Ridge proved that a film can gather all the attention without savage violence and intense bloodshed. It revolves around Aaron Pierre as the titular former marine Terry Richmond, who after entering Shelby Springs finds himself battling injustice.
The story begins with Terry Richmond hoping for his cousin Mike's bail in the fictional town Shelby Springs with almost $30,000 in cash. However, he is wrongfully stopped by a police vehicle, and officers use the situation as a great opportunity to seize Terry's money in the name of civil asset forfeiture.
The police go beyond confiscating Terry's money by treating him like a criminal and mocking his previous job. Throughout the film, the ex-marine comes face-to-face with the dark side of law enforcement, while giving it all for his brother's bail.
The constant battle against injustice and corrupt police officers in the town finally ends during the final scenes of the film. Terry Richmond is at peace, and the ending barely leaves a possibility for a sequel.
However, Netflix could very much greenlight a sequel later, but this movie pretty much acts as a standalone movie with all loose ends tied. Hence, the ending does not set up a sequel.
What happened at the end of Rebel Ridge?
Netflix's Rebel Ridge is the new fan-favorite action movie, extensively unraveling the controversial misuse of civil asset forfeiture. It also highlights town prejudices, as Terry Richmond is targeted by the Shelby Springs police for absolutely no valid reason.
Despite being a former marine, Terry kept his calm until the end, but his cousin Mike's death forces him to fight back against the corrupt institution. Terry is helped by Summer McBride, a court assistant who's studying to be a lawyer. Through her, he discovers that Chief Sandy Burnne has been misusing the money seized from civilians to support the police department.
Following Mike's death in prison and Summer's life seemingly in danger, Terry decides to take down these officers who misuse people's money, and frame victims as criminals.
While the Chief and his officers are in their pursuit, they continue their quest. The duo also discover that Judge Logston was working with Burnne in increasing bail amounts and using the money to cover the town's funding shortages.
The two then start searching in the catacombs for the dash cam files which had the records of wrongful arrests and subsequent behavior, but the police almost burn down the place. Luckily, Terry grabs a few SD cards which could expose the officers, but before he can do that, Summer is captured.
Terry and the corrupt officers agree to negotiate and meet at Rebel Ridge, but instead of going there, Terry heads back to the police station. A showdown takes place at the police station parking lot.
He manages to record the chaotic situation, rescues Summer, and drives away after some unavoidable hand-to-hand combat sequences. Terry also received unexpected help from Officer Marston during his fight, who turned out to be an informant.
After successfully gathering evidence against the corrupt officers, Terry takes Summer and Officer Martson to the hospital and is finally able to rest. He came to Shelby Springs for Mike but ended up exposing the wrongdoings of the law enforcement.
What can we expect from a potential Rebel Ridge sequel?
Even though the story ended with Terry exposing the corruption in Shelby Springs, a sequel could still be explored by the streaming giants. These are often a combination of creative and commercial decisions. As corruption never ends, a potential sequel could focus on Terry Richmond in a new town or city, discovering more illegal practices.
Additionally, a second installment can bring new characters and foes into the story, likely a figure more corrupt than Chief Sandy Burnne and Judge Logston.
Director Jeremy Saulnier talks about his inspiration behind Rebel Ridge
While the Rebel Ridge sequel isn't confirmed, director Jeremy Saulnier spoke about his inspiration behind making the film, and how it differs from his other action-thrillers.
While speaking to Vulture about his motivation, Saulnier reflected on his anger after learning about the misuse of civil asset forfeiture. To date, this legal practice remains as controversial as ever.
The director found this topic as the perfect theme for Rebel Ridge, with the film receiving praise for highlighting the issues. Saulnier said:
"I don’t like to inject big, broad themes forcefully into my films, but I felt passionately about this. I wrote it in 2018, and perhaps a little unification was in order."
His films(Hold the Dark, Green Room, Blue Ruin, and Murder Party) are generally known for intense violence, but while making Rebel Ridge, Jeremy Saulnier also kept his daughters in mind. He aimed to craft a film his teenage kids could also watch.
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Rebel Ridge is streaming on Netflix.
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