‘Rebel Ridge’ ending explained: is justice brought to the town of Shelby Springs?
**Warning: spoilers ahead**
The pulsating action thriller Rebel Ridge is streaming on Netflix now, but is Aaron Pierre’s former Marine able to bring justice to the town of Shelby Springs? Read on for all the info.
The film stars Pierre, a rising British actor who has appeared in Old, The Underground Railroad and The A Word, as Terry Richmond, a highly skilled martial artist who is seeking to post bail for his cousin, but has the money seized unjustly by the local police. In trying to retrieve the money, Richmond uncovers a complex web of constitutional corruption that threatens his life and that of those who try to help him.
Rebel Ridge is written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin), and also stars Don Johnson as the local police chief, James Cromwell as the judge, and AnnaSophia Robb as Summer McBride, a legal clerk that sides with Richmond.
In 2021, it was reported that John Boyega had walked away from the film mid-shoot due to “family reasons”, although the actor’s representatives later said claims he had simply walked away without telling producers were untrue.
Rebel Ridge ending explained: is justice brought to the town of Shelby Springs?
When Terry Richmond (Pierre) has his cousin’s bail money seized by the corrupt local police force, he challenges their authority, ultimately confronting the Chief Sandy Burnne (Johnson). With the help of court clerk Summer McBride (Robb), Terry learns that the local force have been habitually detaining suspects for 90 days and seizing their money and arms, without justification.
Terry secures the bail for his cousin’s release at the expense of the force, but the cousin is attacked by his fellow inmates at the moment of his release and later dies. Terry is offered a deal by police to leave town with the money they had taken from him, which he initially accepts. However, when police discover Summer’s investigation of their corruption, they drug her and she realises her own life is in jeopardy.
Terry returns to the town to help Summer and they decide to work together to bring justice against the local force. They confront the local judge (Cromwell), who confirms the force and the judge have been conspiring to hold low-level suspects on misdemeanour charges and seizing their money as a way for Burnne to “modernise” the force, which he was forced to do after he was implicated in a wrongful death.
Terry and Summer seize evidence from the police station archives that proves officers have been framing suspects in order to detain them and take their cash, but Summer is apprehended. Terry pursues and offers the evidence in exchange for Summer at Rebel Ridge, but instead heads to the police station.
At a showdown, it is revealed that Officer Marston (David Denman), who initially arrested Terry, had been working undercover with Summer in trying to expose the corruption. Marston is shot in the leg by Burnne and the scene descends into a shootout. Terry and Marston escape, with a drugged Summer starting to come around.
The police car they escape in has dashcam footage of Burnne shooting Marston, but has a flat tyre and is caught by the other police cars. While in pursuit, Officer Jessica Sims (Zsané Jhé), sympathetic to Terry and Summer’s cause, rams Burnne’s car off the road and places him under arrest. Terry arrives at the hospital where Summer and Marston can be attended to, while he takes the dashcam from the car and sits with it in the waiting area, closing his eyes, finally finding some apparent justice for his cousin and the town’s other victims.
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Max Pilley
NME
