Directed by Joe Carnahan and released on Netflix just a few days ago (January 16, 2026), The Rip is a gritty, paranoia-fueled action thriller that reunites Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as two longtime Miami cops whose unbreakable bromance gets tested by the ultimate temptation: millions in cartel cash discovered in a derelict stash house.
The premise is classic potboiler territory — a narcotics team led by Damon’s pragmatic Lt. Dane Dumars and Affleck’s more impulsive Det. Sgt. J.D. executes a routine “rip” (seizing dirty money from criminals), only to find way more than they bargained for. What starts as a high-stakes discovery quickly spirals into suspicion, secret texts, shady phone calls, and the creeping realization that someone in the tight-knit squad might be willing to kill to keep the fortune. With Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Kyle Chandler rounding out the ensemble, the film leans hard into the “who can you trust?” tension that defined ’90s cop thrillers like Training Day or Cop Land, while adding a modern edge with Miami’s humid nightscapes and a throbbing synth score.
Carnahan (who also wrote the script, inspired by real events shared by a Miami detective) keeps the first two acts compulsively watchable. The slow-burn buildup of mistrust is sharp and effective — every glance between Damon and Affleck carries decades of real-life friendship baggage, making their characters’ fraying loyalty feel raw and believable. The supporting cast shines too: Yeun brings quiet menace, Taylor adds fire, and the whole group dynamic crackles with that lived-in “we’ve been through hell together” vibe.
The movie’s biggest strength? That Damon-Affleck chemistry. After all these years, they still make every shared scene feel effortless — trading barbs, sizing each other up, and delivering lines with the kind of casual authenticity that no amount of rehearsal can fake. It’s the kind of star power that elevates solid genre fare into something genuinely entertaining.
That said, The Rip doesn’t quite stick the landing. The third act shifts into more conventional action territory — car chases, shootouts, the works — and while competently staged, it feels a bit generic and rushed compared to the tighter, character-driven suspense that came before. Some plot twists are predictable (if you’ve seen enough of these movies, you’ll spot the red herrings early), and a few character decisions stretch logic in service of ramping up the chaos.
Critics have been mostly positive, with Rotten Tomatoes sitting around 83% fresh (based on dozens of reviews) and the consensus praising how Damon and Affleck’s chemistry “texturizes a friendship tested by greed” in this compulsively watchable potboiler. Metacritic lands in the mid-60s for “generally favorable” vibes, though some call out the clichés and overlong action sequences.
The Rip isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s a solid, adult-oriented Netflix thriller — gritty, tense, and elevated by its leads. If you like your crime stories with moral ambiguity, bro energy, and a side of old-school action, this is a perfect “turn off your brain and enjoy” weekend watch. Two old friends tearing into a familiar setup with enough confidence to make it feel fresh.
Stream it if you’re in the mood for Damon and Affleck doing what they do best.
