Netflix is having a pretty good month. First, the streamer gave us a wonderful rom-com with People We Meet On Vacation, and now they’ve produced an exciting action-thriller with The Rip. This genre is so overdone that it takes something special to stand out. The Rip does just that with an incredible cast and an engrossing script that generates impressive intrigue out of familiar elements.
Director Joe Carnahan also wrote the script, and he based The Rip on real Miami police and their investigations. A Tactical Narcotics Team on the Miami P.D. is dealing with the recent murder of their captain. The culprit has not been found but the FBI is considering whether it was a fellow cop. Then Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) gets a tip about a cartel stash house, and he takes the team, including Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne (Ben Affleck) and Detectives Ro (Steven Yeun), Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno), and Baptiste (Teyana Taylor) to check it out. This “rip” (police slang for confiscating criminals’ stuff) turns out to be an unforgettable moment in their careers.
Viewers are so used to cops, both good and dirty, on screen that The Rip may not seem to have anything new to offer. I think it does. The strong script manages a good balance between realism and cinematic theatricality, with the actors adding to the intensity throughout the story.
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“Are we the good guys?”
Let’s start with the structure of this story. One thing I enjoyed about the screenplay was the way it doled out information. Interesting and often important things pop up in dialogue, or sometimes in flashbacks, when they have the most impact. For example, the fact that J.D. was romantically involved with their Captain, Jackie (Lina Esco), before she was murdered. Or who Jackie texted in her final moments. The other thing that makes the script work so well is the way it unexpectedly combines tropes from both heist and whodunit stories. We wonder just as much about who will end up with all that money as we do about who killed Jackie, and both are satisfyingly resolved, in my opinion.
The concept of corrupt cops just stealing a lot of money from drug cartels is not interesting. That kind of plot has been done many times. This movie is much more layered and compelling than that. I suppose, to a small degree, all police procedurals have a hint of copaganda, but this film minimizes that quite well. The story does more than identify the good cops and bad cops. It at least attempts to acknowledge a grey area. “I hate being a cop,” Dane admits to J.D. early on. But does that make him a dirty one? The writing makes you invest in the answer. Though Carnahan could’ve explored this area more, he makes a good start here.
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“The truth is much more of a straight line.”
Another thing I would improve is the visuals. There are some excellent directorial choices from Carnahan, such as the lighting in one sequence set in the back of an armored vehicle and the measured use of tracking shots. I just wanted a bit more style in the film’s look. I wanted more of a feast for my eyes in the cinematography. However, a few frames are memorable, like the final shot of Dane and J.D. together, sitting on the beach and watching the sunrise. The setting is contained to one day and night and a few locations. That doesn’t give Carnahan a lot of opportunity for variety, but he works with what he’s got.
In fact, that’s the same situation this police squad is in. They are working from what they know as each moment happens. Dane lost his son to cancer, so is that grief enough to tilt his moral compass? The entire team has to work any overtime without pay because of budget cuts, and a $20 million seizure of money is a gigantic temptation, isn’t it? These kinds of morally murky questions make this film better than your typical action-thriller. Besides that, certain moments create gripping tension, and it can come from something as simple as watching one character walk away from another. More details would be a spoiler!
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“Just live to see another sunrise.”
One thing I can discuss in depth is Damon and Affleck. Their real-life friendship is as strong a part of their public personas as their work. The chemistry between two best friends is the kind of thing that’s hard to make feel lived-in, but these two have that history. It’s baked into their characters’ interactions. You can feel the trust and respect in every gesture and look, and the movie is better for it. Dane and J.D. especially feel like a team during one action sequence when they split up to pursue two guys without even needing to discuss who’s going after which one. They may have Oscars for writing together, but this film shows that it can be special when they act together, too.
Damon and Affleck’s awards are only some of the accolades spread among the talented cast of this film. If you add up Taylor’s recent Golden Globe win, Yeun and Moreno’s Oscar nominations, and Kyle Chandler’s Emmy win, that’s a lot of kudos backing up these performances. And wonderful Sasha Calle surely has a similar future in store for her as well. With acting like this, the characters in this film become just as memorable as the narrative. The Rip succeeds as an action-thriller, and it’s one I look forward to rewatching.
The Rip is streaming on Netflix.
