Rebel Ridge
In “Rebel Ridge,” former soldier Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) actually only wants to pay the bail for his cousin Mike (C.J. LeBlanc). But corrupt cops take the money from him and thwart his further attempts to save Mike from a life-threatening transfer to a large prison. While Terry initially seems to be able to talk to the local police chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), he soon realizes that he is leading him by the nose. Every attempt at de-escalation comes to nothing, so that Terry finally sees no other option than to declare war on the police apparatus…
“Rebel Ridge” is fictional, the background is real
The story of “Rebel Ridge” itself is not based on a true story. “Elements of it could definitely happen,” explained director Jeremy Saulnier in an interview with Netflix magazine TUDUM. For his film, he was interested in “investigating corrupt systems – not so much how they are built, but how they persist.”
The reason a similar story could play out is because one crucial element is real: Shelby Springs cops seize Terry’s money without him having any legal recourse to get his $30,000 back. The law that allows them to do this is real, as Saulnier, who has done extensive research, explains:
“It’s a crazy loophole in anti-drug laws that allows law enforcement to seize property from ordinary citizens without any evidence of criminal activity. I thought it would be a great basis for a film because it brings us together – it just makes everyone angry,” Saulnier told TUDUM.
And what about MCMAP?
One particular scene in “Rebel Ridge” occurs when the cops research their adversary’s background and are initially relieved. Terry has never been to the front, has apparently never left his base, and does not seem to be the one-man fighting machine that usually takes on everyone in such films. He was with MCMAP, they find out, and joke, because of the word “map” in it, whether he was responsible for finding the way and drawing maps.
But when office worker Jessica Sims (Zsané Jhé) finally manages to google MCMAP, her expression changes when she sees the Wikipedia article. Because they find out how much the US military loves acronyms and what MCMAP stands for: the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program! So Terry trained the Marines, the toughest soldiers and lone fighters. This MCMAP really does exist, and there is also the detailed English Wikipedia page that is shown in the film – with one difference. There are lots of pictures of soldiers and practice fights there, but of course none of Terry Richmond.
Rebel Ridge
