REVIEW: Joe Carnahan Delivers a Mixed Bag With ‘The Rip’

Alex Tran
7 minutes ago
3 min read

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Reunite in The Rip © Netflix — Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Reunite in *The Rip* © Netflix

There is an undeniable gravitational pull when titans of the industry reunite. With Joe Carnahan’s latest Netflix thriller, The Rip, the promise of a Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reunion set expectations sky-high. On paper, it’s a winning formula: a gritty crime thriller, high stakes, and two of Hollywood’s most storied collaborators sharing the screen again. Yet, despite the star power, The Rip ultimately feels like watching Michelin-star chefs make a ham sandwich.

The premise is familiar territory for the genre: cops down on their luck stumble upon a massive hoard of cash, leading to a spiral of moral questioning and paranoia. The moral calculus is immediate: take the money and fix their broken lives or book it and stay clean. To Carnahan's credit, the tension is palpable, and the pacing is well-executed, keeping us engaged as the stakes rise. However, the film suffers from a "plug-and-play" quality. The script feels so generic that you could swap Damon and Affleck for any other duo and the result would be identical. The film leans heavily on their dialogue, often leaving the impressive supporting cast – including Kyle Chandler, Teyana Taylor, and Steven Yeun – feeling wasted largely relegated to the background. Watching an actor of Steven Yeun's caliber be given little to do but look concerned in a stash house and used mainly as a plot device was kind of a rip-off for me.

Steven Yuen, Teyana Taylor, and Sasha Calle in The Rip from Netflix — Steven Yuen, Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle co-star in *The Rip* © Netflix

Ideally, a film with this much wattage would elevate the material, but The Rip largely plays out as a mid-tier entry that we have all seen before. The tropes are standard fare: the discovery of the money, the questioning of morality, and the inevitable questioning of loyalty between partners.

However, amidst the sea of A-list testosterone, there is a distinct beacon of light: Sasha Calle. Despite limited screen time compared to her heavyweight co-stars, Calle shines the brightest. She brings a fresh honesty that the rest of the film lacks, proving she has a massive future ahead of her. It is a genuine shame that the narrative didn't carve out more space for her performance.

The film’s conclusion also leaves much to be desired. After a tense buildup, the ending feels rushed and underwhelming, devolving into a corny, early-2000s buddy cop resolution that undermines the grit established earlier. Perhaps the biggest letdown, however, comes after the credits roll. For those like me who enjoy diving into the "true events", especially with what was touted to be a crime thriller worthy of the screen, The Rip offered me a sting of disappointment. The story is not a recounting of history, but merely loosely based on events involving a friend of the director and very, VERY, loosely based off the Miami River Cops scandal in the mid 80s – a realization that makes the two-hour runtime feel even more hollow.

If you are looking to kill two hours and can't get over the fact you are watching Damon and Affleck question their morality over a pile of cash, The Rip might suffice. But by the time the credits roll, you might find yourself questioning your decision to stay till the credits roll.