Rebel Ridge review – Aaron Pierre impresses in small-town US action thriller

The much-delayed latest picture from acclaimed US director Jeremy Saulnier ( Blue Ruin ; Green Room ) finally launches on Netflix, with the charismatic British actor Aaron Pierre a creditable replacement for John Boyega, who abruptly exited the project in 2021 due to “ family reasons ”. And for the first third at least, Rebel Ridge works bracingly well, following Pierre’s formidable ex-marine Terry Richmond as he faces off against the corrupt police department of a small town in Louisiana.

But despite Pierre’s impressive physical presence (seriously, give this man an action franchise asap), sparky support from AnnaSophia Robb as a sympathetic junior court official, and a lavishly obnoxious turn from Don Johnson as a ruthless, bullying police chief, the film runs out of momentum, finding itself ensnared in a needlessly complicated web of intrigue and administrative shenanigans.

• On Netflix