THE RIP Review: Affleck, Damon, and Carnahan Cook Up a Terrific Noir-ish Thriller

It's no great controversy to recognize that we're living in an ACAB world, and it's equally unsurprising when our media reflects that back to us.

If there are cops in a movie, the odds are pretty good that one or more of them are dirty. Joe Carnahan's The Rip takes that idea and runs with it in the form of a tight, suspenseful thriller oozing with tension, mystery, and noir-ish style.

A captain in the Miami police department is racing to help a woman on the phone, but she's interrupted by two masked gunmen who gun her down in cold blood. Lt. Dumars (Matt Damon) -- newly promoted into the dead captain's role -- and his fellow narcotics division cops are determined to catch their boss' killers even as the spotlight of suspicion shines their way. A late-night tip sends them to a stash house, where they discover $20 million in cash, and Dumars immediately goes off book.

His team -- including Sgt. Byrne (Ben Affleck), and detectives Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), Ro (Steven Yuen), and Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) -- aren't sure what to make of his behavior. Some fall in line, others grow increasingly suspicious, and most of them aren't prepared for the long, violent night ahead.

Carnahan's filmography is one with both genuine highs (The Grey, Narc) and relative lows (The A-Team, Shadow Force), and The Rip lands right up against that former group.

It's Carnahan working in a smaller space -- the bulk of the film unfolds in and around the stash house -- but he wraps it with such an exquisite degree of tension that every beat hangs in the air with uncertainty and worry. Mistrust brews and percolates with beautiful precision, and viewers are left unsure who, if anyone, can be trusted. Those concerns only intensify when outside players come into focus with a hail of bullets.

The entire cast is firing on all cylinders here, showcasing a tight-knit group that's fracturing before our eyes. Everyone seems suspicious in their own way, and Carnahan's script keeps things moving, even when the players are all sitting still. Everything from a stray look to an unseen text becomes fodder for doubt and suspicion, and it's all milked for every possible ounce of tension.

It doesn't hurt that Carnahan and cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz wrap The Rip in a hazy, all-enveloping style. An early shot of Dumars entering a scene unseen and silently observing his team sets the tone, while a later sequence set in an eerily empty suburban cul-de-sac ratchets up a beautiful, unnerving feeling. It's a thriller through a suspenseful, noir-ish lens, all set to a pulsating synth score that pulls you along for the ride.

If the film has a weakness -- a big if -- it's a third act that risks bringing the whole thing down in its familiarity. Pull a loose string and the tightly crafted story threatens to wiggle like Jell-o, but go with the energetic and inviting flow, and you're rewarded with a highly satisfying wrap-up. The claustrophobic tension of the stash house opens up with an exciting car chase, and in between is a wickedly good four-hander set in the back of a police van. The tension throughout the film only eases at the very end, and it's on a surprisingly effective and touching note.

As mentioned, the entire cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins (as Affleck's brother, which is absolute perfection), and Sasha Calle, is aces, but best friends Damon and Affleck offer up a showcase as to their combined skills and chemistry here. The pair work so well together, playing off and encouraging each other's strengths, and it's never dull seeing their onscreen friendship come to a head.

The Rip is fantastic stuff and among Carnahan's best. It's smaller scale than both The Grey and Narc, and more akin to the severely underrated Copshop in size, and it rocks. It's also a reminder that movies made for this streaming era can still look, feel, and deliver as real movies. Watch this one on repeat so Netflix knows people still appreciate that.

The film is now streaming, exclusively on Netflix.