Interview: Discussing ‘Rebel Ridge’ with Director Jeremy Saulnier

The journey of making Rebel Ridge was a very long one, with numerous setbacks and casting changes facing production. However, on the other side of its release, the film garnered widespread critical acclaim and even won the Best Television Movie award at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards.

Reflecting on this incredible success, director Jeremy Saulnier tells Awards Radar on Zoom that it was a long production, and “the longer it took, the more concern built. But the fact that it was received as well, I think, for all of us, it overachieved our goals. We’re reveling in the fact that it was embraced and had a significant cultural impact. It was actually palpable, which was a first for me on that level.”

Saulnier only saw the comparisons between Aaron Pierre‘s Terry Richmond and Sylvester Stallone‘s John Rambo after establishing the story, as “the origins were more in line with Clint Eastwood and Jim Thompson. These are worlds that I love. I envisioned it as if Terry Richmond rolled into a Jim Thompson novel and disrupted that scenario in a way that I hadn’t seen before. With those ideas in mind, I let the research guide me and collect as much information as possible. 60-80 page documents of legalese and insane things that I’ve gleaned from the internet, going “How the fuck did that happen? Are you serious? I can’t believe that, in parts of the country, the Constitution doesn’t extend that far.” I get riled up, and I somehow channel that into a movie. It’s a very cathartic release for me. I don’t know how it all evolves, and I don’t want to know. I instead let it flow.”

However, he does welcome the First Blood comparisons, stating that both films are “easier to compare, as far as the situation with a veteran versus the law enforcement is concerned. I think First Blood is more of a craft reference for me. I love the motorbike sequence. They don’t use green screens. They had actual trucks, and these rad old school police sedans were having ugly thuds into a ravine. You feel like a real engine pulling in these vehicles. I remember when John Rambo was going up the hill on the motorcycle, and it failed, he let it go, and ran. It wasn’t some amazingly choreographed stunt sequence where he’s, all of a sudden, the best motorcyclist in the country. It’s real and sloppy. The way they made it – the craft, the grain, the under exposure –  I want to do films that were like that, and felt handmade.”

We also had a chance to discuss his collaboration with Aaron Pierre in developing Terry Richmond to the screen, his philosophy on directing unique, tactile action that many of us had not seen on screen prior, and his approach to editing the film, which he also did.

Listen to the full conversation below:

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]