Movie Review: The Rip (2026)

Synopsis: Shortly after their captain is murdered, a team of Miami police officers act on a tip and investigate a suspected drug cartel stash house. Expecting to find a few hundred thousand dollars, they are instead surprised to discover more than $20 million. They soon receive a phone call telling them they have 30 minutes to leave or die. On top of it, their lieutenant, Dane, is acting strange and not following procedure, raising suspicions he may be dirty.

Who's in it? The movie stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor and Kyle Chandler.

Review: My taste in movies tends to differ from most people and, because of that, I rarely select a film based on other people's recommendations. However, several people have mentioned The Rip and, when I came across it on Netflix tonight, I figured I'd give it a try.

I was not disappointed.

The thing I liked best about this movie is the way it has a variety of mysteries that collide at once. There is the mystery of the murdered captain (Lina Esco). It was unclear who called in the tip (or if one was even called in). Later, there was mystery about who was trying to kill them (spoiler: it isn't the cartel) and, throughout all of it, the question about who, if any of them, was dirty.

Adding to all of this was the way Dane (Damon) handled the discovery, taking away his team's phones, refusing to report the discovery and seeming to be in a near panic, not to mention how he was already behaving a bit suspiciously before the money was even discovered. On one hand, it made him look dirty. On the other, some of the steps he was taking made some sense when taking the captain's murder into consideration and realizing he couldn't necessarily trust his superiors.

His sergeant, J. D. (Affleck) was a nice contrast to Dane, offering someone who was both a bit more by the book and quick to recognize something was off about his superior. As they clashed, it only made their situation seem more dire. 

In addition to the mysteries and the justified suspicions, this film has quite a bit of action and suspense. I especially loved how the film did a gradual build-up to the violence, setting the mood and creating anticipation. This made the various shootouts much more impactful.

The various twists at the end were also interesting, keeping the movie from getting predictable even as various truths were revealed. It might have gotten a bit over the top toward the end, but it was the kind of movie that could get away with that, and I don't say that about many films.

Final Opinion: This is an entertaining and exciting movie with plenty of action and a plot that makes it hard to trust anyone. It's worth taking the time to watch.

My Grade: A

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Here are some reviews of other action movies:

Movie Review: Tombstone (1993)

Movie Review: Freelance (2023)

Movie Review: Skiptrace (2016)

Movie Review: Bad Boys for Life (2020)