Written by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno
Rating: [3.5/5]
Opportunity breeds corruption. One cannot possibly be corrupt without the chance of doing it placed right before them. We see this across various professions that have access to sensitive information or funds, and it comes as no surprise it occurs with these police officers tasked with seizing cash from criminals. Opportunity flows aplenty in The Rip as we get an extremely tense thriller where trust comes at a premium and the chance to forever change one’s fortune raises many concerns for all involved.
Following the death of an officer in the Tactical Narcotics Team, suspicions remain high of a crew of crooked cops robbing drug houses instead of seizing the cash running around. After a tip received via a text message, Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and his crew head to a drug house, and the cash they find raises red flags about their safety and fears of a potential setup.
There’s nothing quite like a solid pulse-pounding cop thriller that can drive home some entertainment, especially when assembling a stellar cast in the process. That’s what we receive here in yet another strong collaboration between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as they lead one of Joe Carnahan’s best productions to date. Everything hinges on the trust built between this unit and how quickly it can break with the level of cash they come face to face with during this raid.
One can understand the temptation set before these cops, where they work hard to receive their municipal employee salary and then must seize the cash from criminals only to do the noble thing of counting and delivering the sums to the proper authorities. Just a simple slight of hand could have these officers take enough cash that equals their yearly salary and probably no one would notice. This integrity remains in the balance as we traverse through this film as lines of trust begin to break down, especially when the officers at the house begin to receive threatening messages of their presence being known by unknown adversaries.
In this element, the film thrives as we see these officers begin to sow doubt in each other as they try to distinguish the level of danger they have before them and if any bad actors exist amongst them. Every element of this works exceptionally, especially as the danger of enemies closing in continues to raise the temperature and the uncertainty in this space. It becomes the perfect breeding ground for this fantastic cast to go to work and each bring a distinctive element to their characters that makes the viewing experience that much better.
Damon and Affleck work great together as always, but when you have supporting players, in Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, and Catalina Sandino Moreno making up the rest of the main cast, it adds some intrigue. If one were to play detective in trying to decipher the identity of the villain of this story, there’s plenty to choose from, given it’s likely any of these established actors would make sense in portraying such a character. They each do a great job in sowing the doubt that makes this film so enthralling.
Joe Carnahan has not developed the best reputation with his film output, but he deserves credit for what he crafts here. You could cut the tension he builds with a knife as the story progresses. Danger and paranoia loom large throughout the film, making it feel unpredictable until we get closer to the third act, and it does become somewhat predictable as things begin to play out. Very forgivable given just how well he builds out this story and begins to pit these characters against each other. Hopefully crafting a film such as this one leads him to a better run of projects as he proves he has the juice when needed.
Truly a nice surprise, The Rip brings together a star-studded cast and pits them all together in a night filled with high stakes and reasons for each of these individuals to betray each other. A strong collaboration for all involved as they left me on the edge of my seat taking in exactly how this story will transpire. It’s a better third act away from ranking higher within its genre, but it still delivers some strong entertainment.
Films with Josh 
