Rebel Ridge

If your digital experience is anything like mine, you know the experience of scrolling through Facebook or another social media site only to be inundated by short clips of new Netflix shows, specials, and movies at a disturbing pace. Much of it is irrelevant and outside of my interest yet there’s always a few that catch my eye, ultimately making them successful. Rebel Ridge is one of those films that found a place on my Facebook feed without permission.

Often times, Netflix’s mission through their digital media outreach is to connect a user with a brief snippet of media entertainment that will attract them to the full experience. This includes featuring a portion of the film that is quite late in the narrative, forcing the user to invest a chunk of time to find the true experience.

Through these actions, Netflix concocts a devastating experience when viewing their shows or movies. This devastation is caused by the fact that the best part of the movie is spoiled by the snippet you’ve been served on social media. That you’ve always taken witness to what makes the film special and there isn’t a lot beyond that to keep you entertained. In the case of Rebel Ridge, the snippet featured Aaron Pierre and Don Johnson facing off, revealing key narrative details throughout.

The intensity and intrigue is all there. What else can be summoned upon the basis of this narrative experience? Evidently, not a lot. In a mere 2:17, the entire narrative is exposed and with much of it, the most thrilling acts of the film.

The audience’s experience then transitions into this state of waiting. Waiting for when that pivotal moment will be exposed, played out for all to see instead of actually enjoying and digesting what’s in front of you. All stories have certain moments of the plot that move characters forward in what should be an interesting or unique way. The climax of the entire story has already been exposed for what it is.

This is no fault of Aaron, as he is incredibly convincing in the role. And few would be silly not to say that those eyes alone tell a story that you might want to hear. The realism of his character and situation erode before our eyes as we witness his character camping in the forest, night after night. While the fact that Aaron’s character sold everything to be here to bail his brother out, many questions are surfaced. How would they leave town? On his bicycle?

Aaron’s character remains cool and collective for a good portion of the movie, allowing things to unfold. The usual “bad cop” turns into an entire police department being corrupt only for one of them to make a major impact on the plot later on. Almost as though Netflix just needed a few more minutes out of that character to pad the runtime. Netflix could have found a way to make things more interesting by incorporating the fact that Aaron’s character does not discharge a single live lethal round the entire show.

There might be something interesting here for you to see if you haven’t had the plot already spoiled for you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be prioritizing Rebel Ridge over your regularly scheduled content.