A New Thriller, "The Rip"

Netflix recently released a new crime thriller titled The Rip (Joe Carnahan, 2026). The film stars two famous actors, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, along with a story inspired by true events. Personally, I love movies based on things that have happened in someone's life. It makes it feel a lot more realistic and personal, in a way. Now, seeing as this movie is about crime and potential corruption, it does a good job at keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. There are many things I really enjoyed about the thriller and a few minor criticisms I have as well.

The opening of this film is about the potential corruption of a police team after one of the members, Lopez Molina (Sasha Calle), is murdered. Two FBI agents are interviewing the entire team, helping viewers understand the characters' relationships. We are first introduced to Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon), who is in conversation with his boss as his team is being interviewed. We are then introduced to his four other teammembers: J.D. Byrne (Ben Affleck), Detective Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), Detective Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), and Captain Jackie Velez (Lina Esco). After J.D. gets in a fight with his FBI brother, we notice the close relationship he has with Dane as they confide in one another. We are then thrown into a crime involving potentially embezzled money from the cartel. Tensions begin to rise between all of the characters after realizing how much money they are dealing with. However, instead of the intense story, let's focus on the production.

The acting throughout this entire piece is extremely well done. I found the connection each actor had with their characters was not only beautiful, but quite believable. Ben Affleck's accent caught me off guard at first, but I got used to it once I saw him in character. When characters got hurt throughout the movie, I found the reactions quite realistic. However, I found that the fake blood used did not look like blood at all, but rather red paint water. Given the film's high quality, I expected better, more realistic-looking fake blood.

Speaking of the quality, the cinematography and coloring throughout this film are extremely artistic. There was beautiful framing and camera quality as well. One thing I wish had been added is more personal relationships among the entire team. There was a great buildup to many potential friendships, yet we saw only the one between Dane and J.D. – including how their relationship had been built over time. The film's genre is thriller/crime, but it seems to me that the thrill aspect is missing in parts. It may be a personal thing, since I've seen many thrillers and crime shows; however, I just didn't find it particularly shocking or mind-bending. I wish there were even more moments of suspense; more times we are led to suspect people as potential snitches. In a movie like this, I like the idea of everyone on screen being a suspect.

The Rip is definitely a film I would recommend everyone see at least once. It is a wonderfully made crime film, especially in our modern era. There are some aspects where they definitely could have done more, but overall it has a satisfying ending. I wish we knew what happened in the overall story, but we do get a nice ending between J.D. and Dane. It is a very well-made production that deserves recognition beyond its impactful cast. I had never seen a crime film focused on money before; normally, I see ones about drugs, murder, or theft, other than the classic bank films. This movie definitely stands out amongst the other crime thrillers out there, paving the way for a potentially new way to write a crime film.