The Rip Review
In the landscape of modern thrillers, there is a certain comfort in seeing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck share a screen. Their shorthand, developed over decades, provides a sturdy foundation for The Rip, a police drama that attempts to navigate the murky waters of institutional corruption. However, while the lead duo puts in the work, the film ultimately lands as a not-so-slick action flick that often feels at odds with its own ambitions.
If The Rip succeeds in keeping you in your seat, it is first and foremost due to the acting, which does the heavy lifting throughout the two-hour runtime. Affleck and Damon are clearly out to elevate the film with their performances, injecting gravitas into a script that often feels patchy and underdeveloped. They both play weary veterans, with Damon providing a more volatile character, seemingly embodying the internal struggle of being the good guy versus giving in to other money-driven urges. Trust is something that has to be earned in this story and, even then, can be questioned at any time.
The narrative deals heavily with the moral complexities of police work. It poses the age-old question: are the police the good guys? The Rip argues that they can be, but it takes gruelling, often violent work to weed out the bad ones. This thematic core is wrapped up in a plot full of twists and turns, some of which land with a punch, but others feel like desperate attempts to distract from the thin dialogue.
The standout moment of the film, however, is a sequence between Steven Yeun and Damon. This specific encounter is a masterclass in pacing, doing a phenomenal job of ramping up the tension and establishing real stakes. It is a sweat-inducing, nerve-wracking highlight that serves as a reminder of what the film could have been had the writing remained that sharp throughout. Recent Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor and Catalina Sandino Moreno complete the team, serving as fellow officers who find their loyalties tested by the windfall of cash.
Meanwhile, the pulsing score serves as the film’s heartbeat. It is particularly effective during the more atmospheric scenes, filling the silence with a vibrating tension that makes these nerve jangling moments feel even more claustrophobic. While the sometimes patchy sound mixing occasionally forces the score to compete with the dialogue, which is often swallowed by ambient noise, there is no denying that the music does the heavy lifting in establishing the film’s gritty, high-octane tone.
The Rip is a film caught between two identities. On the one hand, it wants to be a gritty, philosophical character study about the soul of law enforcement. On the other, it tries to satisfy the requirements of an action blockbuster. Because the script doesn’t quite bridge that gap, the action beats often feel clunky and unpolished.
Ultimately, fans of the Damon-Affleck partnership will find enough here to justify a watch. Their chemistry is undeniable, and they manage to wring genuine emotion out of a mixed bag of a movie. It’s a tense, occasionally frustrating experience that proves even the best actors can only do so much when the foundation is uneven.
★★ 1/2
On Netflix from January 16th / Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Scott Adkins, Kyle Chandler, Steven Yeun, Catalina Sandino Moreno / Dir: Joe Carnahan / Netflix / 15
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