The boundary between officer and outlaw becomes unclear in Joe Carnahan’s work.“The Rip,”a suspenseful crime drama taking place on a misty Miami evening, featuringMatt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Damon and Affleck, naturally, are strongly linked to Boston — particularly in their recent work on the 2024 heist film“The Instigators”there – that a detour to South Florida places them, somewhat awkwardly, in a completely different cinematic setting. This is “Miami Vice” territory or Elmore Leonard’s world, not Southie or “The Town.”
In “The Rip,” they portray Miami narcotics officers who discover a cartel stash house, with Lt. Dane Dumars (Damon) suggesting there could be $150,000 hidden in the walls. It ends up being over $20 million, and their mission quickly shifts from a Friday afternoon heist into a sudden siege where no one is reliable.
“The Rip,” launching on Netflix this Friday, is a concise and powerful neo-noir film in which nearly all the characters are law enforcement personnel, yet it remains unclear who the genuine heroes are. It presents an engaging and relevant concept, despite “The Rip” explicitly marking its theme on its surface.
When Dane meets the young woman (Sasha Calle) at the hidden residence, who appears genuinely innocent, she notices the tattoos on his hands and inquires about their significance. One of them reads: “AWTGG”: “Are we the good guys?”
Despite the apparent certainty of the outcome in a film featuring Damon and Affleck, who also serve as producers, “The Rip” experiments with and challenges its genre, offering enough to maintain your interest. (The ensemble also features Teyana Taylor, Steven Yeun, and Kyle Chandler.) Nevertheless, the exposition in “The Rip” is minimal and rushed, leaving little else for the film to explore. We gain virtually no insight into the characters beyond what’s shown on screen, causing any potential betrayals to feel empty and unconvincing.
Carnahan starts the film with a series of intense internal questions. The Miami police force is filled with blame-shifting following the deadly shooting, depicted in the movie’s opening scenes, of a detective (Lina Esco). Rapidly switching between heated accusations and equally intense defenses, it becomes clear that no one within the department knows who is honest and who is corrupt.
I despise it, buddy,” Dane says to Byrne. “I loathe being a police officer.
Different departments mix together, such as DEA agent Mateo “Matty” Nix (Chandler) and FBI agent Del Byrne (Scott Adkins). The constant presence of drug cartels and the disorganization within the department have turned the police force into a group of crooks, in its own way. When we see Dane’s team again, they don’t seem very professional. On a Friday afternoon, they’re sitting outside drinking, with armored vehicles nearby. When Dane mentions he has a CrimeStopper tip to investigate, they head out in regular cars.
With him are four other detectives: JD Byrne (Affleck), Mike Ro (Yeun), Numa Baptiste (an underused Taylor, which, following “One Battle After Another,” should be against the law) and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno). Dane and JD, naturally, have a strong bond. However, after they discover the money, the atmosphere changes. Dane doesn’t report the find to their superiors and instead asks his team to hand over their phones to him. Everyone starts to question: What’s happening? Is Dane involved in something illegal? A mysterious phone call arrives: Take $150,000 and leave, or everyone will die. It isn’t the cartel making the call.
Carnahan, who also penned “The Rip,” has mentioned that the film is based on real incidents shared with him by a Miami detective. However, much of the movie’s storyline may not seem very believable to many viewers. Nevertheless, Carnahan, similar to the thick atmosphere he created in his Liam Neeson action film “The Grey,” manages to give “The Rip” a complex mix of good cop and bad cop elements, making the film feel meaningful.
Affleck and Damon have starred in over a dozen films together, yet their partnerships appear to be happening more often. They’ve frequently discovered intriguing approaches — such as in Ridley Scott’s“The Last Duel”— to mold and twist their own expectations while on screen. Typically, this involves roles that are not particularly heroic, and often part of a group cast. (Their production company, Artists Equity, functions with an unconventional profit sharing arrangement for the cast and crew.)
As a B-grade film featuring a few top-tier actors, “The Rip” is likely to be remembered as a minor and imperfect example of its genre. However, even in their less impressive work, the genuine chemistry between Damon and Affleck’s friendship continues to be appealing. Even in Miami.
“The Rip,” a film available on Netflix, has an R rating from the Motion Picture Association due to its violent content and frequent use of strong language. Duration: 133 minutes. Score: Two stars out of four.
Jake Coyle, Associated Press