The Rip (2026) * * *

 

Directed by:  Joe Carnahan

Starring:  Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, Sasha Calle, Lina Esco

The Rip is a quickly paced suspense thriller with enough tricks and twists up its sleeve to cover two movies.  It relies on the star power and chemistry of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Miami cops faced with a $20 million haul in drug money stashed in a Hialeah, Florida suburban home.  When Damon's Dane Dumars receives a tip of the stash, he assembles his team including Sgt. JD Byrne (Affleck) to search the home belonging to Desi (Calle) and finds much more cash than they bargained for.  Desi claims ignorance, but we know she may be lying.  

But let's backtrack.  The Rip begins with the murder of Miami police captain Jackie Velez (Esco), who is speaking to an unknown person on her phone promising to get the person out.  Velez' team is interrogated, including Dane and JD, who was in a relationship with Jackie.  Tensions are already running high when Dane receives the anonymous tip about the money, but soon as the crew is counting the stash and each undergoes temptations to steal some of the dough, more harrowing developments occur (none of which I'll recap here).  One of the joys of The Rip is watching its suspenseful reveals unfold.  

The Rip concludes as you would expect with chases and gunfire.  That's to be expected of the genre.  Damon and Affleck naturally have an unforced repartee, and they completely immerse themselves in their characters, making seemingly stock characters into something more.  The movie itself teems with energy and we care about the outcome.  Questions pop up.  Who can be trusted?  The cops here wouldn't be human if they weren't at least tempted to pocket some of the cash.  One of two packs could put their kids through college.  Then, we need to find out who murdered Jackie and why.  Was it a cartel or was it cops?  I don't know how much I buy the cartel telling Dane and JD that they want no parts of the $20 million nor their explanation as to why they don't.

With those minor quibbles aside, The Rip is more absorbing than you'd expect from a crime thriller.  It's not just a mindless starring vehicle for Damon and Affleck to reunite on screen, it works because it creates suspense and even a sense of dread especially when you notice the cul-de-sac where the house is located is eerily vacant.  But I won't bring up any more surprises.