In the realm of film, where the movie star is considered to be a dying breed, it’s rare to see a pairing of actors that is as well-known as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The Rip marks their fifth film collaboration and Affleck’s second with director Joe Carnahan. The Rip never offers anything that hasn’t been executed elsewhere, but its biggest success is doing a more than sturdy job at delivering the thrills and tight action you’d come to expect from a crime thriller. At times, the film can waver into predictability with its twists and turns, and the repetitive arguments between characters leave room for trimming. Still, on the whole, The Rip offers a rip-roaring good time for anyone looking for compact thrills and action in equal measure.
After the tragic murder of their fellow officer and close friend, Jackie Velez (Lina Esco), Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Damon) and Sergeant JD Byrne (Affleck) are on high alert, learning that the killer might be someone within the Miami police department. Soon after the event, Dumars gets a tip for a $150 thousand cash rip inside a derelict stash house and decides to take Byrne and Detective Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), Detective Ro (Steven Yeun), and Detective Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) to the scene to check it out.
After discovering over $20 million embedded in the home’s walls, with the current occupant, Desi (Sasha Calle), unsure of how it got there, tensions are high amongst the officers, with trust consciously wavering and accusations of stealing the money flying around. Affleck and Damon are great, as usual, but it’s really the whole cast that provides a firm foundation for the thrills and the mystery of trust fraying between people who seemed so well acquainted.
It’s somewhat funny that director Carnahan co-wrote the screenplay for a different set of Miami cops with Bad Boys For Life (2020), except this time, as sole writer, he’s fraying in the complete opposite direction tone-wise. The Rip is a complete tension piece through and through for most of its second act, largely remaining in one location with unease remaining high between the key cast. It’s hard to keep things engaging from this framework while still maintaining a good dose of action, but Carnahan’s tight screenplay balances both with ease, keeping you second-guessing about previous character motivations.
This is, of course, bolstered further by the solid performances from every cast member. It’s easy to see Damon and Affleck as the key standouts, being a cop duo with a clear respect for one another even in the midst of their inner turmoil, but the supporting players are equally strong, never making it easy to pin down who’s behind all the stitching throughout the film. Granted, the movie isn’t always able to keep its grip on the pressure, and its repeating elements eventually lead to a somewhat predictable conclusion when the final cards are eventually revealed, but things remain fairly tactile throughout the runtime.
Then there’s what the film excels at, the exhilarating action sequences. Carnahan has been no stranger to solid action flicks, with films like Smokin’ Aces (2006) and Copshop (2021) being large favorites amongst his filmography, but I really like the large contrast look he gave to this film. I love how much harsh shadows are used within scenes that involve heavy confrontations or huge reveals within the narrative, and it lends itself greatly to the steady flow of the action in the third act, and of course, practical car flips and crashes are always appreciated.
Even if The Rip isn’t exactly breaking barriers with its screenplay or character writing, it’s a great example of providing a solid foundation of tension-filled mystery and stakes while also delivering slick action that is sold to appease audiences across the board. A flawed but solid genre work from a competent director and two of our most charismatic movie stars left in the industry.
Review Courtesy of Joshua Mbonu
Feature Image Credit to Netflix