Matt Damon (left) and Ben Affleck in 'The Rip.' Claire Folger/Netflix Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Writer-director Joe Carnahan bows at the altar of Michael Mann in The Rip, from the foreboding Miami nightscapes to a pulsing synth score by Clinton Shorter that echoes the tense atmosphere of classics like Thief and Heat. That's not to say this gripping Netflix cop thriller is derivative, especially given that Carnahan has his own foundations in the genre, starting with his neo-noir breakthrough, Narc. While his new film doesn't reshape the mold, an ace cast led by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck - who produced under their Artists Equity banner - and twisty plotting that bristles with paranoia and mistrust make it an entertaining watch. Related Stories TV Teyana Taylor Walks Back Claim That Leonardo DiCaprio Was Speaking to Her in Viral Golden Globes Clip: "I Had to Call Leo" TV Why Real Palm Beachers Are Up in Arms Over Netflix's 'Members Only' Inspired by true events, the film kicks off with a prologue in which Miami-Dade narcotics division captain Jackie Velez (Lina Esco) speeds through a rainy night while trying to keep a woman on the other end of the phone calm. She promises to protect her and get her out of a dangerous situation, but before she can reach the distressed woman, Jackie is shot and killed by two men in ski masks. She manages to send one quick text before disposing of her burner phone. The Rip The Bottom Line Brawny and efficient. Release date: Friday, Jan. 16Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, Kyle Chandler, Néstor Carbonell, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Lina EscoDirector-screenwriter: Joe Carnahan Rated R, 1 hour 52 minutes The action shifts to police headquarters, where a series of interrogations is underway. Lt. Dane Dumars (Damon), who has been promoted to fill Jackie's spot, urges his chief, Major Thom Vallejo (Nestor Carbonell), to let his team take charge of the case. But Vallejo, struggling with budget cuts and allegations of corruption in the force, defers to the Feds. Dane is suspicious that a cop killing has yielded such a low-key internal investigation, with no task force. This comes as the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team has been shut down, with further job cuts threatened. Dane's old friend and second in command, Det. Sgt. J.D. Byrne (Affleck), shares his suspicions, snarling defensively at insinuations from the Feds that a dirty cop might have been behind Jackie's murder. J.D.'s involvement is complicated by the badly kept secret of his relationship with Jackie and by heightened friction with one especially aggressive FBI agent, Del (Scott Adkins), who turns out to be his brother. Carnahan and editor Kevin Hale keep the audience on its toes piecing together fragments of background information as they intercut among various interrogations. The Feds also question the rest of the Tactical Narcotics Team: detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor) and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno).
Later, while the team is unwinding at the end of a shift, Dane shares news of a crime-stopper tip about a cartel stash house in neighboring Hialeah, and despite disgruntlement about a freeze on overtime pay, he musters his colleagues to go investigate. The sniffer dog handled by Lolo starts barking up a storm even before they knock on the door. He then bolts up the stairs as soon as they enter, heading for an attic, which unlike the rest of the cluttered house, is pristine and empty. The sole occupant is a young woman named Desi (Sasha Calle), who claims the house belonged to her recently deceased grandmother and says she has never even been in the attic. But once the TNT officers smash through a false wall and find $20 million in cash, her innocence seems a stretch. That elaborate setup is about as far as a reviewer can go without wading into spoiler territory. But one key factor worth knowing is that Miami-Dade police procedure requires a full count of cash seized from stash houses before the officers leave the scene. That allows time for suspicions to fester and loyalties to be tested, as the amount mentioned on the alleged crime-stopper tip keeps changing, and Dane remains reluctant to phone in their findings to the major. Threatening anonymous calls give them a half-hour to take a cut of the millions and get out of there before people start dying. Desi, handcuffed to a chair, is the most nervous as she slowly reveals what she knows about the other people who make intermittent use of the house.
Two shady-looking cops in a Hialeah patrol car asking questions raises the temperature, as does what appears to be a widening rift between Dane and J.D. Tensions escalate among the team, even before a hailstorm of bulle