When it comes to police lingo, the term “RIP” has several different meanings. The most common definition is “reduction in pay” where a police officer’s salary decreases following disciplinary action. The less commonly known definition is far dirtier. Under the disguise of a raid, police illegally seize money, drugs, and other valuable assets from criminals for their own profits. This latter definition is the heart of Joe Carnahan’s crime thriller The Rip. Reuniting Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for a distinctly dad-coded ride, the film starts strong before ultimately tripping over itself in the final act.
After the murder of police Captain Jackie Velez (Lina Esco), her entire unit is under suspicion of corruption. Her squad, the Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), specializes in the seizure of drugs, money, and other valuable goods from the cartels, which has a long history of attracting crooked cops. During the investigation, Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Damon,) and Detective Sergeant JD Byrne (Affleck), receive an anonymous tip of a drug house in the heart of Miami. However, this tip is more than they bargained for as they discover a stash of $20 million in cash. This discovery triggers TNT to fall into paranoia as they try to figure out who the rat is before others find out about the cash.
The Rip surprisingly catches one off guard in its opening hour. Carnahan crafts a tense, suffocating police thriller as we are locked into a pressure-cooker scenario that thrives on paranoia and mistrust. The discovery of the cash instantly destabilizes this once-tight unit as they are thrown into a dangerous game of three-dimensional chess as they try to identify the rat in their ranks. Trapped inside a grimy cartel stash-house, fear and suspicion take over as the team realizes that the money won’t stay quiet for long. Surrounded by the Colombian cartel, their rivals, and their own police department, the walls start closing in fast on this small unit. While the film doesn’t keep its cards close to the chest when it comes to hinting at who the rat is, the mystery remains compelling thanks to the committed performances and Carnahan’s strong direction. Unfortunately, that tension evaporates the moment the story leaves the house.
In a Scooby-Doo style exposition dump that Netflix has unfortunately perfected for a phone-addicted mind, The Rip spoon-feeds the entire mystery of its narrative in under five-minutes. Every element in the film comes to a grinding halt. The claustrophobic tension evaporates, the intrigue collapses, and whatever momentum the film had built is completely squandered. From that point on, there are no thrills, no suspense, and no real stakes. By the time the final shootout rolls around on the desolate highways of Miami, audiences are likely to be laughing at the sheer stupidity of the spectacle. When the credits began to roll, one mourns what this film could have been.
But is The Rip still entertaining? Absolutely. The Rip is the purest form of dad-coded action programming. It’s blunt, sweaty, and completely unconcerned with subtlety. Even as it collapses, everything leading up to the flop is genuinely fun. While The Rip ultimately fumbles its potential, it remains an enjoyably disposable exercise.
