Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Rebel Ridge’ follows the story of a man named Terry Richmond, who gets caught up in the corruption in the eponymous town. A complete stranger to the locale, he comes there to bail out his cousin. However, he is stopped by the cops on the way, and they take the money under false pretenses. Desperate to have his cousin, Mike, freed as soon as possible, Terry tries to find other ways, but the system proves to be more unfriendly than expected. The more he tries to find a way to work with the system, the more he finds himself fighting the corrupt cops. Despite his “one-man army” exterior, he comes across as a highly relatable person, and there is a good reason for that. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Fictional Terry Richmond’s is Inspired by Real Cases of Civil Asset Forfeiture
‘Rebel Ridge’ is a fictional story written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, who came up with the idea of making the film after reading about the murky waters of the civil asset forfeiture law. The filmmaker told Polygon that while researching the subject, he discovered that the legal practice is used frequently by law enforcement. Even in places where it is not legal, he found that there are ways for the authorities to bypass it and “seize citizens’ property without tying it to a criminal charge.” He found several cases where innocent people fell victim to this practice.
He gave the example of Texas ranchers whose entire property and farm equipment were seized due to a couple of marijuana plants on the property and poker players whose money was taken away on the suspicion of being drug dealers because they crossed state lines with their winning amount. This idea sparked the context for Saulnier, but when he sat down to write the story, he didn’t have any particular case in mind. Terry’s situation has similarities to what many people have experienced in real life, but that is the extent of it. The character, played by Aaron Pierre, remains deeply rooted in fiction.
While the situation was clear, Saulnier needed to create a character who could waltz into a town and fight its corruption. He subconsciously drew from ‘First Blood,’ and it wasn’t until he actually began shooting the film that he realized the references to the Sylvester Stallone movie. Leaning into the inspiration, he decided to give a Western feel to the character while also looking at Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name, who rides into town on a horse. In Terry’s case, his bike was his horse.
In the same vein, Saulnier wanted to keep the mystery surrounding Terry’s past. We don’t know much about him; whatever is revealed is through other characters. The writer-director also made a point of not having Terry speak unnecessarily. Unlike John Rambo, he wanted Terry to be non-confrontational and prefer non-lethal ways while fighting. He was also interested in exploring “the dynamic of a military veteran whose first combat experience was within the United States of America.” Further, he grounded the character and made him just like everyone else by having him struggle with bureaucracy and trying to figure out the system to know how to get what he wants without stirring much trouble.
Aaron Pierre Brought More Depth to the Role
While Saulnier had Terry all figured out on paper, it was when actor Aaron Pierre came on board that a new dimension was brought to the character. The director revealed that Pierre fully dedicated himself to the role. He was highly loyal to the script but did not hesitate to bring his own experience into the mix and advise on how certain things about the character and his situation could be portrayed better.
Saulnier gave the example of the vernacular that he had initially used while writing the script and the changes that Pierre brought into it. He perfected the accent while constantly trying to find out more about the character, his motivations, and his origins, even if they are not explicitly shown in the movie. He also prepared for the physicality his role demanded, benefiting from his already-established relationship with the stunt coordinator Keith Woulard. The director, the actor, and the crew collaborated extremely well to present Terry in a way that bring him as close to reality as possible, even though he is entirely fictional.
Read More: Rebel Ridge: Is the Netflix Movie Inspired by a True Story?
