Maxance Vincent
If you haven’t seen Rebel Ridge, it is one of the best Netflix movies you can see right now. Part of the reason why the film works so well is writer/director Jeremy Saulnier‘s strong vision, right down from his writing to how his approach to action differs from other, bigger movies.
In representing Terry Richmond’s (Aaron Pierre) fighting style, stunt coordinator Cory Demeyers, who spoke to Awards Radar on Zoom, explains that it all starts with the director’s vision:
“Jeremy has a very strong vision, and I think that comes through in every single one of his films. Our character in this film was a former Marine who taught MCMAP, which is the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Jeremy wanted to make sure that the action in the film stayed very grounded and was a little more true to life than some of the other films that Keith and I get to work on, where it’s very martial arts inspired, but it’s not realistic.”
That process occurs right at the top of production, during the first conversations Saulnier had with the stunt team. As Demeyers explains, “he was very much involved in the first few rehearsals and choreography sessions that we had, stopping in to tell us what sorts of MMA or wrestling moves he liked, and what he thought our lead character would be doing.
We took those notes from Jeremy to heart because when he has an idea, he works hard to see that specific idea come to completion. I think that’s what makes Jeremy so good at what he does. He has a strong vision, and it works.. He’s a great dude and a brilliant filmmaker. He stayed in touch with us since we wrapped the film, and every time anything pops up, he makes a check-in, which is awesome. We don’t get that from the directors you work with all the time, so it’s really nice to be able to have that relationship.”
This sentiment was also echoed by stunt coordinator Keith Woulard, who says of Jeremy Saulnier, “He would walk in the room, give us his vision, and he would go, ‘Cory, Keith, take this and roll with it. And then once you roll with it, show me.’ When me and Cory would put it all together, and he would come in there afterwards and always go, ‘Oh shit, that’s great. This is what I want.’
Working with him was an absolute pleasure, and it’s still a pleasure. He’s become a good friend of ours. Most directors, once you finish the film, they’re happy, and we’re happy, but then you say, c’est la vie. You may see him down the line here and there, but that’s it. However, Jeremy picks up the phone once in a while to call both Cory and me. So it’s pretty cool.”
There was so much more to talk about this amazing movie, especially regarding their collaboration with Aaron Pierre to ensure he could perform most of his stunts on screen and how they approached action that highlighted the ‘less lethal’ force of MCMAP, as most action movies are not grounded in the reality Rebel Ridge is set in.
You can listen to the full conversation below:
[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]
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