If you want better visual style
Choose How to Make a Killing. It scores 4.4 vs 3.0 for visual style, with a 3.5 overall score.
The Rip Movie Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for Damon-Affleck chemistry, sustained suspicion, and an old-school crime-thriller vibe. Skip it if you need deep supporting characters, abundant action, or a cleanly resolved final act.
Best for
Best for viewers who want a tense, morally murky, old-school cop thriller driven by star chemistry and suspicion more than nonstop action.
Not for
Less suited to viewers who want deep ensemble characterization, highly original plotting, bright visuals, or frequent large-scale action from the start.
Verdict
The Rip works best as a contained pressure cooker, using $20 million, uncertain loyalties, and the Damon-Affleck relationship to generate more tension than its action set pieces. The leads are the clearest strength, with strong support from performers such as Steven Yeun and Sasha Calle, while Joe Carnahan’s direction often keeps suspicion moving with confidence. The tradeoff is familiarity: character development is thin, dialogue can become expository, and the stacked twists are sometimes muddy or obvious. The final stretch is especially divisive, with some finding the reveal satisfying and others seeing generic action, excess length, or sentimental overreach. For viewers who like compact, morally murky cop thrillers, the craft and chemistry usually outweigh the flaws.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
40 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.05 (13%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.421 (53%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.412 (30%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.42 (5%)
Pros
-
Damon and Affleck’s chemistry is the clearest consensus strength. Their long friendship gives the trust, suspicion, banter, and confrontations a lived-in weight the script could not easily manufacture.
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Suspense is the movie’s most dependable craft strength. The money, ticking clock, uncertain loyalties, and Damon-Affleck distrust create sustained pressure even when the eventual action or reveals disappoint.
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The ensemble is one of the movie’s biggest strengths, with the cast repeatedly credited for lifting routine material. Even harsher takes usually blame the script more than the performers.
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Joe Carnahan is widely praised for controlling suspicion, pressure, and contained action with confident genre instincts. A minority find the filmmaking inert, overly blunt, or chaotic once the final act erupts.
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As an old-school cop and crime thriller, the movie generally delivers what genre fans want: stars, paranoia, moral murk, and escalating danger. Even lukewarm reviews often concede that it functions as a solid throwback.
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Damon and Affleck repeatedly elevate the material, with Damon often singled out for the more controlled, layered work. Their performances remain compelling even when the script gives them familiar archetypes.
Cons
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Character depth is the most consistent weakness. Damon and Affleck get the most usable material, while several supporting officers are repeatedly described as underdeveloped, thin, or introduced too late.
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The dialogue draws frequent criticism for exposition, tough-guy clichés, and repetitive profanity. A smaller group likes the natural banter and hard-boiled rhythm when the actors can make it feel lived in.
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The layered double-crosses and hidden motives are often harder to follow than they need to be. Some enjoy that density, but several reviewers call the plotting muddy, convoluted, or logically inconsistent.
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The film’s moral framing of cops and corruption splits opinion. Some appreciate its search for imperfect heroes, while others see the good-cop message as simplistic, too pointed, or close to copaganda.
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The movie rarely escapes the shadow of familiar cop-thriller formulas. A few reviewers find smart variations in its contained setup, but most still describe the overall package as derivative or recognizably Netflix-era genre fare.
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The stash house itself can feel lived-in and threatening, but the broader Miami setting is underused. Several critics wanted more local texture and a stronger sense that the story truly belonged to that city.
Cast & Creators
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Dane DumarsDamon is the most consistently praised performer, bringing weary authority, restraint, and emotional weight to Dane. Even negative reviews often single him out as the actor most capable of rising above the material.
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JD ByrneAffleck’s volatile energy and long-standing chemistry with Damon give J.D. much of the film’s spark. Most responses are strongly positive, though a few find the macho bravado overcooked or visibly performed.
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DesiCalle receives near-universal praise for making Desi guarded, vulnerable, suspicious, and sympathetic at once. Her presence is repeatedly credited with sharpening the tension inside the house.
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Mike RoYeun is repeatedly described as reliable, convincing, and compelling, with his understated manner helping the film’s uncertainty about who can be trusted.
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Writer-DirectorCarnahan’s strongest contribution is the way he turns a contained setup into sustained paranoia and pressure. His direction is usually praised as confident and muscular, with the main criticism aimed at bluntness or a chaotic final act.
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Numa BaptisteTaylor brings lively energy and skepticism to Numa, and some viewers call her a scene stealer. The recurring frustration is that the role is smaller than her presence deserves.
View all 40 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Movies, this product is above average in age appropriateness, value for money, drama quality, near average in plot originality, story quality, below average in visual style, character development, message quality.
Comparison summary
40 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher14 (35%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts16 (40%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower10 (25%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| age appropriateness | 5.0 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| value for money | 5.0 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| drama quality | 5.0 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| visual style | 3.0 | 4.1 | -1.1 |
| runtime | 4.0 | 2.7 | +1.3 |
| character development | 2.2 | 3.1 | -0.9 |
| message quality | 2.5 | 3.7 | -1.2 |
| chemistry between characters | 4.8 | 4.1 | +0.7 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better originality
Choose The Furious. It scores 4.8 vs 2.7 for originality, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better world-building
Choose Crime 101. It scores 5.0 vs 2.8 for world-building, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better dialogue quality
Choose Exit 8. It scores 4.5 vs 2.5 for dialogue quality, with a 4.2 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Havoc
- Compared: action versus story and characters It has softer action than Havoc but a more satisfying story and characters.
The Departed
- Similar: overall crime-thriller quality The film is placed in the same quality conversation as The Departed.
The Town
- Similar: overall crime-thriller quality The film is placed in the same quality conversation as The Town.
FAQ
Is The Rip worth watching?
For viewers who like tense, old-school cop thrillers, the overall response is favorable. The strongest reasons to watch are Damon and Affleck’s chemistry and the sustained suspicion, while originality and character depth are weaker.
Is The Rip action-heavy?
Not consistently. Several reviewers note that the film spends more time on distrust, mystery, and money-counting pressure before the bigger gunfights and chases arrive.
Are Matt Damon and Ben Affleck good in The Rip?
Yes. Their chemistry is the clearest point of agreement, and both are repeatedly credited with giving familiar characters more weight than the script alone provides.
Is the plot confusing?
It can be. Some viewers enjoy the layered double-crosses and satisfying reveals, while others find the plotting muddy, overcomplicated, or easier to predict than intended.
How strong is the character development?
This is one of the main weaknesses. The leads get the most attention, while multiple reviews say the supporting officers are underdeveloped or sidelined.
How does The Rip look and sound?
The moody cinematography and pulsing score are often praised, but the very dark final act can become difficult to see. Sound effects can hit hard, though one review criticizes the dialogue mix.
Does The Rip have rewatch value?
It depends on how much the mystery works for you. Some viewers find the clues more satisfying on a second watch, while others expect the film to be quickly forgotten.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Just My Opinion Reviews
- Review score
- 2.9
Article Reviews
aftermisery.com
Loyalty gets tested, people get shot and bills get counted in The Rip, writer-director Joe Carnahan's action thriller set in Florida. Our...
- Review score
- 1.8
thereelranker.com
The Rip is a well-made film, but it is it any better than the usual straight-to-streaming films? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, will be...
- Review score
- 3.1
ndsmcobserver.com
“The Rip” succeeds as a focused genre piece that understands its own limitations as a traditional Netflix thriller but also carries...
- Review score
- 4.9
the-college-reporter.com
“The Rip,” a new Netflix original action movie directed by Joe Carnahan, relies heavily on the shoulders of real-life BFFs Matt Damon and Ben...
- Review score
- 1.7
scriptshadow.net
Genre: Action Thriller Premise: When a group of cops get a tip that 150k of drug money is stashed at a house, they go to pick up the “rip.”...
- Review score
- 3.9
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