Netflix's new #1 movie is an action thriller with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix's new number 1 movie is Rebel Ridge, an action thriller from Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier. The movie debuted on the streamer this past Friday (September 6) and currently has a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Aaron Pierre, who's previously appeared in movies like M. Night Shyamalan Old, stars as Terry Richards, an ex-Marine who finds himself in a stand-off against the corrupt local police force after they unjustly seize the money he's set to use for his cousin's bail – and things soon take a turn for the violent. The cast also includes Miami Vice's Don Johnson, The Act's AnnaSophia Robb, and Succession's James Cromwell.

"John Boyega was originally cast as Terry, but Pierre makes the role so thoroughly his own that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else pulling it off. He commands the screen with a handsome authority," writes IndieWire.

According to IGN, "it’s what a modern crowd-pleaser should be: smart, gripping, and about something," while AP's review calls the movie "a triumph of small-budget, naturalistic filmmaking."

"A film like Rebel Ridge reminds us that you can lose yourself in exciting, engaging, stimulating entertainment while still keeping your brain completely on," The Wrap echoes.

The Hollywood Reporter was less of a fan, though, writing, "Rebel Ridge manages to hit the low bar of being competent and watchable. It does have a very appealing look... along with some beautiful wide views of the orange-tinged horizon. Unfortunately, the film itself is as flat at that horizon line."

Rebel Ridge is out now on Netflix. For more, fill out your watch list with our picks of the other best Netflix movies currently streaming.