THE RIP Review

Within the Miami-Dade County police department is a specialized unit known as the TNT (Tactical Narcotics Team). Before we even get introduced to the members of the TNT, we see the unit lead, Captain Jackie Velez (Line Esco) get murdered in cold blood.

It just so happens that there are rumors the TNT is housing dirty cops who, when busting a drug house, will wind up robbing the house and reporting far less cash than what was actually on-site. So it is only natural that Internal Affairs wants to question the members of the TNT to see if this was an inside job.

This is where we're introudced to the members of the TNT. There's Jackie's second-in-command Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) along with Detectives JD Byrne (Ben Affleck), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and Mike Ro (Steven Yeun).

After being questioned by Internal Affairs, Dane gets a Crimestoppers tip about a stash house in Hialeah. He rounds up the team and tells them about the tip. They won't earn overtime but he could use their help. Reluctantly, everyone agrees and begins to mount up. Lolo brings another officer along with her, Wilbur, the police dog who specializes in sniffing out money.

When they arrive at the house they are met by Desi (Sasha Calle). She tells them that her grandmother owned the house, though unfortunately, she's recently passed away. Desi is just staying in the home while ownership is sorted out in probate court. While reluctant at first, eventually Desi does let the members of the TNT into the home.

Once inside, Wilbur goes right to work. He makes a beeline for the kitchen and stops right underneath the attic crawlspace. The attic is empty and, oddly enough, a lot cleaner than the rest of the house. Seeing electrical wiring loosely hanging from the wall, JD gives it a tug and watches as a trap door opens up. Turns out everything is hiding within the walls of the attic.

After tearing open the walls, they find five-gallon buckets full of bundled cash. Dane estimates that there must be over $20 million in the walls of this house. He immediately decides to go against protocol by refusing to call in what they've found. Taking things a step further, he confiscates the phones of every team member.

Desi swears she knows nothing about the cash. All she was told is to offer up a portion of it if it was ever discovered. She claims that she's in the dark about where the money came from and where it might be going next. Unfortunately for Desi, Dane discovers that she used to be a confidential informant. Upon learning this, he is immediately skeptical of Desi's entire story.

Seeing how Dane is acting, JD starts to become suspicous. He thinks Dane may be the dirty cop and just might be trying to walk off with this $20 million.

Before JD can confront him, the house phone rings.

A voice on the other end tells them they have 30 minutes to leave before all hell breaks loose.

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The Rip marks the first time since Air that we get a Ben Affleck and Matt Damon onscreen reunion. Personally, I am a big fan of their work, both individually and as a pair. So as soon as I saw the initial teaser trailer for The Rip, I was in.

Their chemistry together is on full display here. Both of them masterfully playing off of one another while bringing a "grizzled vet who has been through it all" feel to their respective roles.

In addition to the Affleck/Damon reunion, the supporting cast more than carries their own here. In fact, I'd argue that I wanted more for Teyana Taylor, she almost felt underused. Though she did have good chemistry with Moreno as Lolo. The two of them seemed to have their own sort of special bond, similar to Dane and JD. Meanwhile, Steven Yeun shows again why he should be in consideration for larger roles.

But acting isn't all that The Rip has going for it. Writer and director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Copshop, The Grey) provides plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep you intrigued and engaged. And while yes, there is a decent amount of action, The Rip is surprisingly dialogue heavy. But again, because of the cast, that isn't a hinderance on the film in the least bit.

From the time we see the TNT be questioned by Internal Affairs up to when the end credits roll, each character is shadowed in ambiguity. As the audience, we're never really sure who might be dirty and who is just trying to do the job and make it home.

Helping paint the picture of ambiguity is Director of Photography Juan Miguel Azpiroz. The majority of The Rip takes place over the course of one night, allowing Azpiroz to cast the characters in ambient lighting and shadows throughout. This just further helps to convey the distrust that is lingering in the air for the entire runtime.

Is The Rip going to win any awards? No.

Will it be forgotten by the time Spring rolls around? Probably.

But you know what?

It was a fun and entertaining two hours and sometimes that's all you need.

🍿 SCORE = 84 / 100