A retired marine travels to the small town of Shelby Springs to bail his nephew out of police custody on a minor drugs infringement. When police officers confiscate his bail money upon entering the town, he finds himself up against a corrupt local justice system and is forced to fight for more than his cash.

There is a lot in new Netflix thriller Rebel Ridge that is going to feel like a warm blanket to its target audience. This is smartly made, efficient delivered entertainment for anybody seeking one man against an army, or cool military types running rings around incompetent villains. It does not bother to reinvent the wheel. In fact, it barely repaints it. It could easily be described as a First Blood remake without ruffling too many feathers.

Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier, who previously made the excellent revenge film Blue Ruin, is working in very comfortable territory here. He seems to specialize in small-town crime, and he undertakes such films with great talent. In this case he works with a particularly smart protagonist in Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), a former marine martial arts instructor who thinks ahead, adopts a tactical approach, and constantly surprises the Shelby Springs police force.

It is a smart character in what is honestly a pretty smart film. Viewers expecting wall-to-wall bloody violence and aggressive death counts may surprised as just how restrained Rebel Ridge can be. It is a better film for that restraint, and a more satisfying experience. Saulnier’s screenplay shows the difference between delivering an audience what they expect and delivering what they actually need. He knows what to include and what to leave out – and most importantly when to enter the action and when to leave. It begins with a cyclist being violently run off the road: it is immediate, visceral, and intense. How it ends is up to the viewer to find out.

It is then a slight shame that the film’s narrative wobbles with uncertainty at the precise point where its plot must expand from one man’s misfortune to a broader and more political story. Saulnier pulls everything together by the end, but it is this second art instability that robs the film of classic status, and reduces it to merely really very good. It has an old-fashioned feel, like a well-preserved 1990s crime film that has been pulled from obscurity by a boutique blu-ray distributor.

Star Aaron Pierre, best known for streaming series The Underground Railroad, gives a measured and appealing lead performance, and it would not be a surprise to see his screen career advance in leaps and bounds from here. AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries) also demonstrates some serious star potential as local court clerk Summer McBride. As local police chief Sandy Burnne, Don Johnson is a weary and down-to-earth delight.

When 2024 wraps up, and the hits and misses of the movie year are tossed around, debated, and filed into lists, it is unlikely much notice will be paid to Rebel Ridge. It is not that kind of film. Instead it is well-constructed, enjoyable to watch, and sits dependably within its remit: to tell a good story.