Rebel RidgeEnding Explained: Does Terry Get Justice?

Mar. 15, 2025

Zsane Jhe as Officer Jessica Sims and Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge.Photo:Allyson Riggs/Netflix

Allyson Riggs/Netflix

Warning:Rebel Ridgespoilers ahead!

Small-town corruption meets a former marine with a deadly skillset in Netflix’sRebel Ridge.

Deputies Steve Lann (Emory Cohen) and Evan Marston (David Denman) seize the cash not knowing that they’ve just made enemies with a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program graduate who specializes in non-lethal combat.

While Saulnier toldTudumthat there is “some catharsis” duringRebel Ridge’s two-hour runtime, the ending still left some viewers with questions.

Here’s everything to know about theRebel Ridgeending.

How didRebel Ridgeend?

AnnaSophia Robb as Summer McBride and Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge.Allyson Riggs/Netflix

After Marston jumps to Terry’s defense, Burnne shoots him in the leg. Terry, using his Marine training, manages to get Marston and Summer out of the shootout alive and due to quick thinking on Marston’s part, his dashcam footage captures it all.

The police chase after the trio whose car has a flat tire. Speed is not on their side and Terry, Summer and Marston come to terms with the fact that the corrupt team of officers will take lethal action to get their hands on the dashcam footage.

Why did Marston and Sims start helping Terry?

Rebel Ridge. Zsane Jhe as Officer Jessica Sims in Rebel Ridge.Allyson Riggs/Netflix

During the shootout at the police station, it’s clear that some of the officers are uncertain about where their loyalties should lie after watching Burnne shoot their fellow officer, Marston.

“Not sure who to shoot at,” one officer says to Sims, who responds, “Then maybe don’t shoot.”

When Sims runs Burnne off the road, the police force seemingly feels morally compelled to follow her lead, escorting Marston and Summer to the hospital where they receive life-saving medical attention.

IsRebel Ridgebased on a true story?

Rebel Ridge. AnnaSophia Robb as Summer McBride in Rebel Ridge.Patti Perret/Netflix

Patti Perret/Netflix

No, but Saulnier’s movie is certainly not outside of the scope of reality.

“This film is not based on a particular incident, but elements of it could certainly happen,” the director told Tudum. “I’m interested in examining corrupt systems — not so much how they’re built, but how they persist.”

He added, “For this movie, I wanted to tap into how the rest of us react to said [corrupt] systems, from corrupt politicians down to the endless loop of a customer service call gone wrong."

Is civil asset forfeiture real?

Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond and AnnaSophia Robb as Summer McBride in Rebel Ridge.Allyson Riggs/Netflix

Yes. Saulnier built the movie around civil asset forfeiture to expose the “insane loophole in anti-drug regulation that allows law enforcement to seize property from ordinary citizens without any proof of criminal activity.”

According toCornell Law School, civil forfeiture comes from English law and was popular both in the days of Prohibition, when law enforcement would seize the property of bootleggers in order to slow the production and sale of alcohol, and during the War on Drugs in the 1980s.

Did Aaron Pierre perform his own stunts inRebel Ridge?

Rebel Ridge. Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge.Allyson Riggs/Netflix

Pierre, who has experience with boxing and marital arts, performed most of the stunts seen in the film.

“I did not do everything, and I have to champion and celebrate our fantastic stunt team who helped bring this piece to life,” he told PEOPLE. “But I certainly didn’t go one day during filmingwithout having at least a bruiseor a bump or a scratch or a graze or a cut.”

While talking to Netflix, Saulnier recalled the scene where Terry drags Marston behind a parked car after he’s been shot.

“We had a wire on [David] just so Aaron wouldn’t burn himself out after four or five takes because David is a big guy, 6-foot-4,” he said. “After we got a few in the can, Aaron asked us if he could drag David on his own for real, without any wires, and everyone agreed to give it a shot. That showcases Aaron’s dedication. And that, of course, is the take that made it into the movie.”

source: people.com