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Netflix’s latest action thrillerRebel Ridgehas received positive reviews all around. The Aaron Pierre and Don Johnson starrer has been appreciated for its sensitive subject matter and visceral action sequences. The film received a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been getting rave reviews.
Filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier recently detailed how he conceived the innovative action sequences in the film. Preferring to keep the action real instead of over-the-top choreography, Saulnier reportedly pushed against polished sequences to capture the awkwardness of real-life fighting.
Why DoRebel Ridge’s Action Sequences Feel So Real?
The action thrillerRebel Ridgeis not director Jeremy Saulnier’s first action rodeo. The filmmaker is possibly best known for the slasher filmGreen Roomand the revenge thrillerBlue Ruin. He is known for his gory action set-pieces which lean towards the horror genre than adrenaline-pumping action.
Rebel Ridge Review — Aaron Pierre Brings the Juice to Fine but Overlong Action-Thriller
While his previous films have had polished action sequences, the filmmaker reportedly decided to keep it real inRebel Ridge. Talking toPolygon, Saulnier mentioned that he constantly pushed against cool and over-the-top choreography from the stunt team. He reportedly researched a lot of real fights and pushed them to keep it sloppy.
The result was a visceral experience like no other, going against the popular action archetype that is prevalent now after the success of films likeJohn WickandExtraction. Saulnier said,
It comes down to mostly sloppy grappling and just brute force. Certainly, there’s an amount of technique and knowledge, but a lot of it is about leverage and position, and not so much fancy moves. Wire work never came into play, except for a couple of things to help take weight off people. I leaned into my strength, which is awkward reality, and through that, a more real battle space, and more real hand-to-hand combat.
As the film dealt with topics like racism and police brutality, keeping things in a more grounded reality ultimately gave it a more emotional payoff.
Rebel RidgeDirector Cut Out A Well-Made Sequence Because It Wasn’t Real Enough
Action sequences in films have evolved from duels and Mexican standoffs to uncut long-takes with ‘Gun-fu’ and martial arts. While films like theJason Bourneseries introduced the rapid-cut style of action, recent actioners likeJohn WickandAtomic Blondehave taken to long, uncut styles, stressing the skills of the fighters on screen.
“I can’t even imagine John Boyega playing him”: Netflix Couldn’t Have Found a Better Replacement For Star Wars Actor Who Abruptly Quit Rebel Ridge
However, director Jeremy Saulnier reportedly wanted none of it and constantly chose to keep the action sloppy. He reportedly even cut out a well-made action sequence that had come out perfectly because it did not fit into the milieu of the film. He said to Polygon,
There was one instance where we had some choreography that was pretty awesome, and I was in the edit room looking at it. And I felt very proud of the work we did, as a fan of MMA, and a person who’s researched way more combat than I’d like to admit. But it didn’t feel real. So some of the coolest choreography ended up getting cut because if it didn’t feel fully true, based on Aaron’s physicality and whoever he’s against, it had to go.
The filmmaker reportedly also went against type and gave a more hopeful ending than his usual works.
Rebel Ridgeis currently available to stream on Netflix.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Aaron PierreNetflix
