Does “The Rip” Rip?
Ben and Matt, Matt and Ben. For decades now, there has been a charismatic pull between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on the big screen. The two last appeared together in Ridley Scott’s 2021 film, The Last Duel, but the boys are back in town with The Rip. Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, The Rip is an old-fashioned cop drama, the likes of which can be found throughout the filmographies of both Affleck and Damon. At the risk of being too cheeky, it’s time to answer the question on everyone’s mind: Does The Rip rip?
The Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) that oversees Miami is reeling after the death of a captain, Jackie (Lina Esco). Her final moments, the film’s opening scene, see her on the phone with a frightened woman. When Jackie parks, she’s ambushed and killed, but not before sending one final text message. In her place is Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Damon), a man who is struggling to keep the TNT’s morale high despite the loss of Jackie and the higher-ups’ belief that a cop was responsible for Jackie’s death. Dane receives word of a stash house in Hialeah with an immense amount of money, so he gathers his team: JD (Affleck), Mike (Steven Yeun), Nima (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo (Catalina Sandino Moreno). When they arrive at the deserted house, it’s immediately clear that this rip (slang for a job like this) is about to go sideways.
Cr. Warrick Page/Netflix © 2025.
While Damon and Affleck have been celebrated for their on- and off-screen chemistry for years, none of that is on display in The Rip. A feeling of ennui exists in their performances, as if they aren’t interested in being there. The same can be said of the supporting cast too, all competent actors in their own right but surprisingly dull when put together here. Part of the reason for these stilted performances and the lack of cohesion in this tight-knit team stems from the dialogue. It’s clunky to have Affleck use the word “shook.” It doesn’t come out of his mouth in a way that makes the audience believe it’s in his usual lexicon. Other slang, like “salty” or “miss me with that” and “let’s go get cranked” are disingenuous to who these characters are. It comes across as an attempt to be contemporary or plugged into how Miamians might speak, but it’s clear that a word like “shook,” used in the way that it is, is categorically wrong for Affleck’s character.
Cr. Claire Folger/Netflix © 2025.
When it comes to the action of this action movie, there’s a lot left to be desired. Much of the film takes place at the house where Dane is told he’ll find a ton of money. That tip was correct, and the haul is far larger than anything anyone on the team has ever seen. Dane is overwhelmed, or pretending to be, since everyone in TNT is worried that one of them is a rat and a bust like this could quickly go sideways. The Rip had the potential to be a bottle, paranoia-filled thriller with a ticking time bomb, the best sort of set-up for a (mostly) single-location film. However, our characters in The Rip spend a lot of time standing around yelling at each other. Even though the audience is told that things could go south with this rip, the movie struggles to build enough tension to make the viewer care about the wellbeing of any of the caricatured members of the team. The Rip opens by stating that it’s based on a true story, but none of the characters feel real. Even the potential threat of a rat on the team never comes across as that serious.
On Dane’s hand are two abbreviations. A.W.T.G.G. and W.A.A.A.W.B. He explains that, together, it means, “Are we the good guys? We are and always will be.” The concept of a dirty cop has been fodder for stories since the beginning of time. It’s compelling when someone who is supposed to represent truth actually finds themselves on the other end of the scales of justice. The problem with The Rip is that there’s never a real question of whether Dane and JD are the good guys because the movie struggles to hide the identity of the rat from the beginning. Without an escalation of tension, The Rip has no energy to ignite its story of betrayal, so it ends up not as a rip, but as a mere tear.
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