Terry Richmond In Netflix’s ‘Rebel Ridge’: Is Terry’s Cousin Dead?

The rugged, burly ex-marine, wandering nomad of a protagonist, Terry Richmond, played by Aaron Pierre in Netflix’s latest action thriller, Rebel Ridge, has turned out to be a unique take on action heroes. Turning a small southern town into a warzone as Terry Richmond collides with a full unit of corrupt cops, director Jeremy Saulnier has combined elements of the Reacher novel series and First Blood in crafting the narrative – which translates to the characterization of Terry as well. However, at the same time, the director has slyly subverted a number of genre tropes, making for a genuinely interesting portrayal of the character. These alterations compound to create a thematically nuanced narrative, providing ample scope for discussion. 

Spoilers Ahead

 Action Hero For a New Age

Right from the first scene of Rebel Ridge, protagonist Terry Richmond exudes the vibe of the archetypal action lead, a beefed up former marine martial arts trainer blaring a metal playlist while cycling down the highway of a Southern state, with a steely gaze and ice cold nerves, one would assume that the moment two bent cops start harassing him – things will get heated up pretty bad real soon. Terry differs from the existing batch of lone wolf protagonists by showing unreal restraint, going to crazy lengths to avoid conflict. Part of the reason is, being a person of color, Terry is aware of the kind of derogatory discrimination he can face, which could escalate a low stake situation in a very short span of time, a problem he can not afford to face while already having a primary objective of bailing out his cousin, Mike. We don’t get to know much about Terry’s past, a trope faithfully followed from old school action flicks, with his only major emotional connection shown through his relationship with his mentor, a Chinese war vet, Mr. Liu, and with his cousin, Mike – whose safety matters to Terry more than his own life. 

Terry’s unwillingness to respond to adversity with his fists is not merely a commentary on racial issues, the character himself is a pacifist to begin with. Aside from a very subtle mocking tone addressed to the racist, corrupt police officers of Shelby Spring, he is unreasonably reasonable while interacting with them. By his own admission, he has stayed away from fights throughout his life, and was never deployed throughout his career as a marine. A major departure from the good Samaritan killers with a long resume of missions spanning the globe. Terry is aware of his specialized skill set, limitations, and capabilities well enough to know which fights to pick – at least till the moment he has something to lose. He even decides to cut a deal with Sandy Burnne, in the misplaced hope that the unscrupulous police chief will honor his end of the bargain. The palpable tension, which grips viewers from the first scene, often stems from Terry’s response to crises, and our reaction to his reaction.  However, pacifism doesn’t imply he is a toothless all-for-show bloke, as shown by how easily he can command control of unsalvageable situations, expertly disarming and incapacitating his opponents, in a situation which demanded engaging without the option of backing off.  But his reliance on a broken, decayed system costs him dearly, as he ends up losing his cousin Mike, who gets killed in prison. 

What Motivates Terry to Bring Down Shelby Springs Police Force?

Despite having enough reasoning to unleash his inner rage upon the people whose negligence and greed resulted in the death of someone close to him, Terry is too dejected to continue the war against police crime he had waged along with Summer any longer – mostly because, marred by a realistic nihilism, he sees no higher purpose in saving a town which is beyond redemption. He has lost his cousin, the person he was meant to protect, and failing to do so, he finds no purpose in seeking revenge. The stark difference with established action icons is so on point in a contemporary context, it feels praiseworthy and diffident at the same time. However, keeping his head above the water could have been a practical strategy for only so long, as after returning to town when Summer’s life is threatened, Terry finds himself in the crosshair, and finally realizes that it’s a kill or be killed situation. Determined to bring down Shelby Springs PD, Terry still tries the methodical, stealthy approach at first –trying to expose the small town police department by stealing data backups.

The non-lethal, measured violence approach Terry decides to take to knock down the cops, is something not every viewer will expect to see, as given the context of the narrative, at least some of them didn’t deserve such mercy. Depending upon the expectations regarding the payoff, this might or might not work for viewers – who are more habituated to a kill-them-all approach.  But it was not a personal score to settle for Terry, and his approach remains pretty on brand for his character. Does the difference in approach make Terry a more honorable action hero? We are not sure about that, as we are not certain whether the decision to keep gun violence in check on the protagonist’s part is a commentary on existing troubles regarding gun laws or a conscious attempt by the makers to differentiate the protagonist from the trigger-happy abusers of power. Terry is no Batman, in our assessment, he is just too reliant on the modus operandi of de-escalation, as Chief Sunny Burnne had mentioned previously, as harsh it may sound, it seems to be the truth.