--- title: "Rebel Ridge: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/rebel-ridge/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/rebel-ridge" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rebel Ridge (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 18 reviews: 14 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like Rebel Ridge, and fourteen of the eighteen reviews are positive. The praise gathers almost entirely around two things. The first is Aaron Pierre’s lead performance, which nearly every review describes as commanding, restrained or magnetic, and which even the harshest notices single out. The second is Jeremy Saulnier’s patient building of tension, particularly in the opening stretch, with several critics calling the film a welcome return to his earlier, tauter genre work. The reservations cluster in the second half. Several reviews find the film loses tension once the plot turns procedural, with legalistic dialogue and a predictable outcome blunting the action. The spread is wide. Slant finds the later stretch cold and short on catharsis, The New Yorker thinks the politics are reduced to genre spectacle, and The Hollywood Reporter and Variety both dismiss it as clichéd and formulaic. Even those two, though, have kind words for Pierre. ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating A-. 4 September 2024. Hassenger finds the film an elementally satisfying thriller that turns into a morally clear, Western-like story of resistance. He especially praises Aaron Pierre’s commanding performance and the humanity in the film’s small details. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/rebel-ridge-review) ## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. Lee praises the film as an electrifying, unusually entertaining thriller that balances action with social drama. He particularly singles out Aaron Pierre’s compelling performance and the film’s clear, tense storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/sep/04/rebel-ridge-review-netflix) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2024. Walsh finds the film a masterful, exhilarating action thriller that makes its critique of policing feel urgent. She especially praises Jeremy Saulnier’s control of pacing and visual movement, alongside Aaron Pierre’s commanding performance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-09-05/netflix-rebel-ridge-review-asset-forfeiture) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2024. Ebiri calls the film a tightly made, intelligent and visceral slow-burn action thriller. He especially praises Jeremy Saulnier’s tension-building and choreography, while noting that some legalistic dialogue bogs down the conspiracy plot. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-rebel-ridge-an-instant-slow-burn-action-classic.html) ## IndieWire — Daniel Joyaux Rating B+. 4 September 2024. The critic finds the film immensely satisfying and an explosively fun thriller, despite a minor lack of the sudden violence typical of Saulnier’s work. He praises Aaron Pierre’s magnetic, commanding performance and the film’s portrayal of police corruption. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/rebel-ridge-review-netflix-1235043517/) ## Little White Lies — Kambole Campbell Rating 4/5. 6 September 2024. Campbell finds the film a sharp, memorable, and satisfying thriller about police corruption and systemic injustice. He particularly praises Aaron Pierre’s magnetic performance and Saulnier’s patient build-up of tension. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/rebel-ridge) ## Empire — James Dyer Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2024. The critic finds it a satisfying, substantial genre thriller despite uneven pacing and a predictable outcome. He singles out Aaron Pierre’s controlled performance and the film’s artfully staged, tension-filled confrontations. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rebel-ridge/) ## Slant Magazine — Justin Clark Rating 2.5/4. 4 September 2024. Clark finds the film tense and effective for much of its runtime, but says its second half becomes cold and overly procedural. He praises the opening’s carefully modulated tension and the largely bloodless action, while faulting the film for withholding catharsis and avoiding directness about injustice. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/rebel-ridge-review-jeremy-saulnier/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2024. Brody finds the film a satisfyingly plotted but ultimately superficial thriller, with its political drama reduced to genre spectacle. He praises its restrained performances and slow, carefully stylized pacing, which give the film a distinctive aesthetic. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/rebel-ridge-is-a-police-drama-with-a-difference) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Caryn James Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. James finds the thriller clichéd, overlong, and only barely watchable. She praises Aaron Pierre’s striking screen presence, though she says his performance cannot overcome the predictable events. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/rebel-ridge-review-jeremy-saulnier-netflix-1235983259/) ## Variety — Todd Gilchrist Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2024. The critic finds the film muscular and effective but ultimately predictable, with its formula weakening the action. Aaron Pierre’s restrained, coiled performance is praised for making Terry consistently sympathetic. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/rebel-ridge-review-jeremy-saulnier-aaron-pierre-1236131279/) ## The Wrap — William Bibbiani Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. The critic calls the film an exceptional, thrilling drama that is both intelligent and satisfying. They single out Saulnier’s suspenseful plotting and Aaron Pierre’s compelling, restrained lead performance. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/rebel-ridge-review-netflix-movie/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2024. Nayman praises Rebel Ridge as an accomplished, crowd-pleasing return for Jeremy Saulnier. He especially singles out Aaron Pierre’s charismatic lead performance and Don Johnson’s entertainingly hateful villain. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2024/09/06/movies/rebel-ridge-movie-review-netflix) ## Paste — Dom Sinacola Rating 8.1/10. 5 September 2024. Sinacola praises the film as a thrilling, satisfying return to Saulnier’s taut genre filmmaking. He singles out Aaron Pierre’s restrained, compelling presence and the suspenseful staging for praise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jeremy-saulnier/rebel-ridge-review) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 8/10. 4 September 2024. The critic praises Rebel Ridge as a tense, engaging action thriller, though its payoff is less compelling than its buildup. Aaron Pierre’s magnetic, controlled performance is singled out as the film’s central strength. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1655990/rebel-ridge-review-netflix/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. The headline presents the film as an intense, fierce thriller. It singles out Aaron Pierre’s performance as a showcase, though the page block prevents confirming the full review’s verdict. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/rebel-ridge-review-jeremy-saulniers-fierce-acab-thriller-is-an-intense-showcase-for-aaron-pierre-20240904/) ## Film Stories — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2024. Lambie finds Rebel Ridge a memorable, highly effective thriller despite a less tense second half. He particularly praises Aaron Pierre’s nuanced, magnetic performance and Saulnier’s tension-building direction. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/rebel-ridge-review-the-director-of-green-room-draws-first-blood/) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Rating 7/10. 4 September 2024. Hutchinson calls the film a lean, entertaining action thriller, though not as strong as Saulnier’s earlier work. He praises Aaron Pierre’s charismatic, emotionally grounded performance and the film’s forceful action, while noting that exposition and a late reveal weaken it. [Read the review](https://collider.com/rebel-ridge-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/rebel-ridge.md