The much-anticipated reunion of Hollywood icons Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Netflix's new crime thriller 'The Rip' has landed with a resounding thud, leaving critics and audiences questioning what the celebrated duo were thinking. The film, directed by Joe Carnahan and released on the streaming platform, squanders its star power and a talented supporting cast in what is being described as a charmless, poorly executed dud.
A Promising Partnership Goes Astray
The allure of a 'Mattfleck' project is well-established. The childhood friends, who won an Oscar together for Good Will Hunting in 1998, represent a rare Hollywood fairytale of enduring partnership. Their recent collaborations, like Air in 2023, and their shared production company, Artists Equity, have reinforced their brand of rumpled, Bostonian charm. Their latest venture, 'The Rip', aspires to the tense, character-driven confrontation of Michael Mann's classic 'Heat' but falls catastrophically short of that mark.
In the film, Damon and Affleck play Miami police officers, Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Detective Sergeant JD Byrne, part of a tactical narcotics team specialising in high-stakes seizures, or 'rips'. The plot hinges on a fateful discovery: during a routine operation, they uncover a cash stash exceeding $20 million. Faced with personal struggles—Dane's fractured marriage and grief for a dead son, JD's stunted career and a secret relationship with a murdered captain—the temptation to pocket the money threatens to destroy their bond and the entire team.
Wasted Potential and The 'Netflix Curse'
Despite the promising setup, the film fails to generate any real suspense or meaningful conflict between its leads. Critics have pointed to a script afflicted by what some call the 'Netflix curse': dialogue seemingly written for an audience that is busy scrolling on their phones. The character work is shallow, leaving motivations unclear and betrayals feeling unearned. A poignant example cited involves a clumsily expositional moment where Damon's character is asked about a photo of his son on his phone, leading to a bafflingly obvious exchange.
The waste of talent extends far beyond the two headliners. The supporting cast, which includes Academy Award nominees Steven Yeun and Catalina Sandino Moreno, along with breakout star Teyana Taylor, is given next to nothing to do. Their characters are poorly defined, and in the film's major action sequence, the female members of the team are conspicuously left behind. The actors' efforts to inject humanity into their roles are ultimately defeated by the thin material.
A Troubling Narrative and Final Verdict
Beyond its cinematic failures, 'The Rip' has drawn criticism for its underlying perspective. The film heavily leans into the officers' grievances about being underpaid and underappreciated, with one ranting about a post-tax salary of $80,000 (approximately £60,000). The narrative framing appears to suggest that audiences should be surprised and grateful when police officers are not corrupt. This aligns it with other recent Netflix releases, like 2024's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, that seem to defend the absolute power of American police, a stance that strips away any remaining charm from the project.
Directed by Joe Carnahan, the 112-minute film is now streaming on Netflix. For fans of Affleck and Damon, 'The Rip' represents a significant missed opportunity, a would-be gritty thriller that lacks both genuine thrills and the compelling, character-driven depth that has defined the pair's most successful collaborations. Instead, it stands as a forgettable entry in their filmographies and a cautionary tale for streaming-centric productions.
