Almost 6 years after the last Rambo movie, there is only one action film on Netflix that seems to perfectly fill the void Sylvester Stallone’s film series left behind.
Even to this day, it is unfortunate that First Blood is often dismissed as a regular action flick that puts a War veteran against a small town’s law enforcement. While the movie’s action sequences and Stallone’s one-liners will always remain iconic, it seems unfair that First Blood still gets a shallow reading. Beyond all its adrenaline-pumping thrills, the film is a deeply moving portrayal of PTSD and a veteran’s struggles with reintegrating into society.
Owing to this, even though many films have attempted to copy the Sylvester Stallone movie, almost none have become worthy replacements. One Netflix action movie, however, comes close.
Rebel Ridge Is The Closest We’ve Gotten To A Compelling First Blood Reboot
Like Stallone’s John Rambo, Aaron Pierre’s Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge is portrayed as a former military man. He is not a war veteran but has lived a disciplined life as a Marine / MCMAP instructor. Like Rambo, Richmond is harassed and mistreated by the local law enforcement of a small town when he means no harm. He only wishes to bail his brother out of prison, but his money is extorted to fund the local police.
Similar to Rambo, Richmond holds himself back for a long time before he finally snaps and goes down a war path against local law enforcers.
Putting his exceptional tactical skills, martial arts background, and expertise in de-escalation, he single-handedly fractures the entire law enforcement in the central town. Apart from walking through a similar one-man-army narrative, Rebel Ridge also features a vulnerable moment that reminds one of Rambo’s final speech.
Like Stallone’s character, Rebel Ridge’s Richmond does not shy away from putting his vulnerabilities on display when things take an ugly turn between him and the local police.
Aaron Pierre also puts up an incredible performance and perfectly carries himself with a quiet intensity that makes him appear both intimidating and calm. Although Rebel Ridge takes a longer to build up to its key action sequences, its narrative structure makes it very similar to First Blood.
Rebel Ridge Has The Perfect Story Formula To Become A Full-Fledged Franchise Like Rambo
While there are a few connective threads between all Rambo movies, they mostly work well as standalone films. Almost each film unfolds in a new location where Stallone’s character is pulled into a new gritty conflict against a different face of institutional brutality. Rebel Ridge could borrow the same formula and grow into a full-fledged action franchise like Rambo.
Or, similar to Prime Video’s Reacher, Rebel Ridge could transition to the TV format and follow Terry Richmond’s crime-solving endeavors in a town every season. The wide success of shows like Reacher, Jack Ryan, and Cross on Prime Video proves there is a massive market for such action thrillers.
Unfortunately, despite earning acclaim and showing the potential to become a worthy Rambo replacement, Rebel Ridge has not been greenlit for more installments. If Netflix does not expand it into a franchise, it will be leaving a lot of money on the table.