5 amazing movies to watch after Netflix's Rebel Ridge

Rebel Ridge is the streaming movie hit of the season. It’s Netflix’s most successful original of the movie this year apart from Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. And it certainly picked up better reviews than that entertaining throwback.

But if you’re here, you likely know all that.

Want more? Rebel Ridge has a bunch of key strengths. There’s the sheer competency of the filmmaking, the powerful action, the consistent growing tension, and the way its social commentary can’t half get your blood boiling.

We’ve tracked down a bunch of films that feature at least one, and generally a lot more, of these factors.

Here are five films to check out after you’ve watched Rebel Ridge.

1. Blue Ruin

Rebel Ridge director Jeremy Saulnier proved his chops long before that movie came out, with previous low-budget classics Blue Ruin and Green Room. This 2013 film is the tale of a man living as a drifter, played by Macon Blair, who returns to his childhood neighbourhood. He’s out for revenge against the man who killed his parents. And, just like Rebel Ridge, a terrifying escalation is fuel for the movie’s tension.

2. Nobody

Playing out like a grittier, leaner John Wick movie, Nobody casts Bob Odenkirk as what appears to be an everyday dad. But he has a violent past that comes to the surface when his family is under threat. Nobody features some impressively choreographed and brutal action, and is over and done in just over 90 minutes. It’s a must-watch if you’ve not seen it yet.

3. Jack Reacher

You probably think of Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt (from Mission Impossible) more than you do Jack Reacher. But he starred in two Jack Reacher films a decade ago, helmed by Mission Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie. The original is a highly entertaining film where the villain is played by no less than cinema auteur Werner Herzog. It doesn’t quite nail the Jack Reacher of the books like the more recent TV series, but is a fun watch.

4. First Blood

Most often cited as the probable inspiration for Rebel Ridge, First Blood was the very first Rambo film. Before the name itself was stuck into the title, released in 1982. Sylvester Stallone is John Rambo, a former Green Beret who wages a war against the corrupt police force of Kentucky. Yep, the First Blood and Rebel Ridge storylines are pretty similar. Saulnier reportedly used the reference when pitching the movie. Watch First Blood again, though, and you’ll see this action classic is far more happy to let the bodies hit the floor.

5. Triple Frontier

This Netflix movie sees a AAA cast of Hollywood icons plan a heist to take down a drug lord in South America. That troupe includes Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Garrett Hedlund and Charlie Hunnam. Triple Frontier doesn’t quite have as effective characterisation as Rebel Ridge, but it does feature plenty of gripping action and a strain of social commentary regarding patriotism.

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