Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are back together for director Joe Carnahan in the new Netflix action thriller, The Rip.
Inspired by actual events, Damon plays Dane Dumars, and Affleck plays JD Byrne, both members of the elite Tactical Narcotics Team in Miami. When their captain, Jackie Velez (Lina Esco), is murdered, suspicion falls on the TNT team, as there have been reports of crooked cops robbing cartel stash houses. Following up on the last tip from Jackie, Dane leads the team to Hialeah and finds a stash house with over $20 million in cash. All that cash not only causes uneasiness between the team, but draws outside forces who want to take it for themselves. The movie does a solid job of keeping the tension and wondering where the characters’ loyalties and motivations lie, and possibly shift, throughout. The movie is a little dense and confusing in its opening as it drops you into the ongoing corruption investigation mid-stream, but once things get to the stash house, it becomes clearer, and there’s some solid twists and reveals that pay off earlier actions from certain characters, especially toward the end.
The cast of The Rip is absolutely stacked with not only Affleck and Damon but also Steven Yuen, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Scott Adkins. Damon is the most interesting character in the movie as the conflicted Lt. Dumars, who is growing worn out as a cop and may see an easy way out if they steal some of the stash house cash. Everyone else isn’t that fleshed out, but the actors give them enough personality to keep them interesting. One quibble: you have Scott Adkins in your movie, and you don’t give him at least one awesome action sequence?
The Rip is not quite as action-packed as you might expect, but when things pop off, it’s loud and exciting. When the first major shootout occurs, it’s a cacophony of chaos after the tension has been building to a powder keg, and the finale also features some solid action, including a close-quarters fight in the back of an armored vehicle. Joe Carnahan has delivered over-the-top action movies like Smokin’ Aces and The A-Team, but The Rip feels closer to something like Narc from his filmography.
The Rip is a solid action thriller with a killer cast, and Damon and Affleck remain a fun, extremely watchable duo. There’s some great tension, explosive action, and fun twists that keep things interesting, and it’s a good start for Netflix original movies in 2026.
