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When the first trailer for Jeremy Saulnier’s new film Rebel Ridge dropped, it went viral on social media due to its comparison to Rambo, with many movie fans on X, formerly Twitter, simply retitling the film “Black Rambo.”
Having your film compared to First Blood, one of the most iconic American action thrillers ever made, through just a trailer alone is a feat in and of itself as it successfully conveys what Rebel Ridge ultimately is: and that’s an old-school, bada–, one-man-against-the-world film.
While director Jeremy Saulnier is certainly no stranger to making adored films, particularly his first two releases, Blue Ruin and Green Room, it’s undeniable that Rebel Ridge represents his biggest step yet into mainstream filmmaking, with his previous works being far more thriller than action.
Rebel Ridge, however, is both the opposite and what we’ve come to expect from Saulnier: it’s a tense, tautly written, slow boiling thriller — sure — but it’s also undeniably not only an action film but an action film with a potential movie-star making performance at the center of it from Aaron Pierre.
Speaking to BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast ahead of the release of Rebel Ridge on Netflix on Friday, September 6, Saulnier detailed the film being compared to “Black Rambo,” starting your movie with a bang, creating an action hero with stunts and one-liners, the performance of Aaron Pierre, and more.
Alongside Pierre, who is voicing Mufasa in the upcoming Lion King prequel, Rebel Ridge stars Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, David Denman, and Zsane Jhe.
Boasting a 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, Rebel Ridge is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the official trailer for the film below.