The Rip film review: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck power muscular thriller

There is a particular joy in seeing two veterans riff off each other, which The Riptaps into with efficiency. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck clearly had a lot of fun making this lean action movie, and it shows.

The movie, based on true events, begins with a bang per Netflix instructions. Captain Jackie Velez (Lina Esco) of the Miami-Dade Police Department is on the phone and being chased by masked gunmen. She fires back, and, gravely wounded, manages to send a text before she is fatally shot.

The investigation into her death is clouded by suspicion of her Tactical Narcotics Team. As the authorities question the team, including Dane Dumars (Damon), JD Byrne (Affleck),  Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor) and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno), we begin to learn more about the detectives.

Dumars lost his 10-year-old son to leukaemia, his marriage imploded and he is deep in debt. Byrne, Dumars’ partner, is a good detective but a bit of a cowboy. Byrne was in a relationship with Jackie, so his boss Major Thom Vallejo (Néstor Carbonell) wonders how detached Byrne can be.

Byrne’s brother, FBI agent Del (Scott Adkins), who is investigating the case, is another complication. Dumars’ recent promotion has also upset the balance in the team.  

With suspicion of crooked cops robbing drug houses mounting, when Dumars gets a tip about a house in Hialeah with stacks of money, no one knows who to trust. Agent Matty (Kyle Chandler) from the DEA warns Byrne as much. Dumars leads his team, and Wilbur the money dog, to the house where Desi (Sasha Calle) is reluctant to let them in.

When $20 million is discovered and need to be counted on site, suspicions and tensions sky-rocket, with blackouts, threatening phone calls, hostile local cops and shoot-outs providing the background score.

Dumars does not seem to be following standard protocol, and is not willing to share the exact amount of money mentioned in the tip. Dumars confiscates phones but still information seems to be leaking out. The money is definitely cartel money and some very violent people are coming for it. As the sun comes up, all is made somewhat clear with Dumars’ Cormac McCarthy-inspired The Road tattoos making sense.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan The Rip (Miami police slang seizing bad people’s things) is the kind of jolly pulp fiction that moves smoothly along expected lines. Juan Miguel Azpiroz’ cinematography is glorious noir with rain and neon. That framing in the rest room with the mirrors and reflections echoing the themes of trust and betrayal was smart.

Affleck and Damon invest a high level of believability in their characters. Having worked together on 13 films, they bring a lived-in vibe to Dumars and Byrne. And best of all is the care the team takes to make sure the absolutely adorable Wilbur is safe, insisting on putting a vest on him, suggesting while they might betray their peers, no one wants to put a hard-working beagle at risk.

The Rip is currently streaming on Netflix