Aaron Pierre explains how “Rebel Ridge ”exposes the real process that allows police to seize property without charges

Pierre breaks down how the Netflix action film exposes "the injustice of civil asset forfeiture."

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Rebel Ridge.

Not everyone can kick ass like Aaron Pierre in Netflix's new action thriller Rebel Ridge, but the unjust incident that pits him against an entire police department is one that any American can encounter.

The story begins when U.S. Marine Terry Richmond (Pierre) rides his bike into Shelby Springs to bail his cousin out of jail. On his way, local police seize the cash he's carrying for bail, falsely accusing him of obtaining the money illegally. This is where most people would call an attorney if they can afford one, but unfortunately for the corrupt local cops, Terry isn't most people. The good old boys with badges soon learn that they're dealing with a veteran of MCMAP, the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program — in other words, a one-man army. With help from a sympathetic court clerk, Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb), Terry wages war on the dirty cops led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson). While the ensuing showdown is the stuff of action movie fantasy, civil asset forfeiture is very real and can happen to anyone.

"Terry Richmond is a Black man experiencing the intensity and severity, and in this particular case, the injustice of civil asset forfeiture," Pierre tells Entertainment Weekly. In most states, law enforcement agencies can seize private property they claim was involved in a crime. Under the law, they can keep that property even if the owner is never criminally charged. Not only do the police not need to prove guilt, but the burden is actually on the owner to prove their innocence — which can be expensive since they have no right to counsel. This controversial practice is a major source of funding for police who engage in it. In Georgia alone, law enforcement officials forfeited over $51 million and spent $37 million from forfeiture funds between 2015 and 2018, according to a 2022 study.

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In Rebel Ridge, Terry's quest to retrieve his money unravels an even larger corruption scheme in the department, leading him to take matters into his own capable hands. Still, he can't do it without his sidekick, Robb's court clerk, McBride. A former addict, McBride has turned her life around and is working towards a law degree while fighting for custody of her child. But, outraged by Terry's situation and the police corruption, she risks everything to help a relative stranger.

“She says in the film she wants to have a backbone, to do the right thing,” Robb tells EW. “[Summer] uses her own integrity and her complicity in a system to fix what is wrong with it.”

Both stars are proud of how Rebel Ridge explores the injustice their characters combat. “It highlights our abilities as individuals to make a change," says Pierre. "It highlights our ability as individuals to actively not be complicit and to make a choice."

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Robb echoes the sentiment: “It speaks to the power of an individual and how one small person can influence real impact."

She adds, “It takes place in a small town, but it really speaks to a larger audience. When you’re taking care of yourself, trying to put one foot in front of the other, and there’s a situation that comes along and you’re able to alter your course to do the right thing, that action will have a domino effect. Being an ally to someone and making that impossible choice ultimately changes society at large."

Rebel Ridge, written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, is streaming now on Netflix.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.