THE RIP
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Steven Yeun, Kyle Chandler, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Lina Esco, and Scott Adkins
Director: Joe Carnahan
PAIGE
While Joe Carnahan’s The Rip is a somewhat generic crime thriller, its twisty cop mystery keeps you on your toes throughout. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s stellar chemistry is what keeps the film grounded, though the rest of the supporting cast isn’t given much to do. That said, it’s still a tight-knit movie with limited locations, well shot shootouts, and a third act that rips. It honestly felt like a throwback to 90s and early 2000s cop movies with its shady characters and lingering suspicions. Overall, this enthralling thriller is a solid Netflix original.
ROBERT
Miami, cop conspiracy, too much cash…you don’t need much more for an entertaining action thriller. Director Joe Carnahan knows how to ratchet up the intensity with bullets and bravado, and The Rip is no exception. The mystery at the heart of the story isn’t as compelling on its own, but how it is sold through deception and the strain on the relationships, particularly with Matt Damon’s Dane and Ben Affleck’s J.D., is where the movie is on its most solid footing. The ensemble cast around our two friends is mostly additive, some third act letdowns notwithstanding. Netflix continues a solid run of B-movie shoot-em-ups.
AMARÚ
The Rip drops you right into the chaotic pre-storm calm, so be prepared to not know what the hell is going on for most of the film. That had me fully engaged, thrilled, and puckered during this surprisingly not-so-action-packed action thrill ride. Writer/director Joe Carnahan, Matt Affleck & Ben Damon (since they are truly one entity), and the plethora of “oh shit, they’re in this too?” cast members make the character dynamics and unraveling mysteries the priority amongst the cop-killing, back-stabbing, chess-playing corruption, right up until the not-as-intriguing, but still entertaining, actually action-packed finale. A solid January watch by my standards.
BODE
If anything could’ve gotten me to watch a new Joe Carnahan movie sent straight to Netflix, it’s Boston royalty Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. And with the aid of an almost overqualified supporting cast (future Oscar-nominee Teyana Taylor! Oscar-nominee Steven Yeun! Emmy-winner Kyle Chandler! Vulture Stunt Award-winner Scott Adkins!), they manage to bring some verve to The Rip’s macho stylings. Though it doesn’t reach the heights of similar dirtbag cinema favourites like Den of Thieves or Sabotage, it has enough solid shootouts and twisty tension to pass the time decently. A perfectly okay January watch.
KATIE
The Rip is a middling crime-thriller. The performances are solid, with Steven Yeun as a stand-out, but the rest of the cast, particularly the heavily underutilised female characters, may as well have not existed. Ultimately, this is the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck show, and their chemistry is the only unique thing about it. The reveals aren't surprising, and the plot is never clever; but oh, don’t worry, because its convolution overexplains every contrivance, double-crossing, and bluff with helpful flashbacks. It’s only nearly two hours because of how long it spends explaining itself to the viewer.
NICK
It's always good to see Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on screen together, but The Rip doesn't live up to some of their other films. It's fine, but never really surpasses that. Director Joe Carnahan presents a more muted crime-thriller than you'd expect, as much of the runtime is spent learning the different characters’ motivations while investigating each other. Once the finale hits, you get the shoot 'em up action you expect, but it takes too long to get there. If there was anyone else in the lead roles I’d rate this lower, but Matt & Ben do enough to elevate this above average.
