Director Joe Carnahan‘s “The Rip” is one of those movies that’s totally fine to half-watch at home but absolutely not something you’d rush out to see in a theater. Direct to streaming is the right call here, because this is a pretty mediocre entry in the already overcrowded dirty cop genre.
The setup is familiar. A Miami Tactical Narcotics Team stumbles onto a derelict stash house with over $20 million in cash, the paranoia kicks in almost immediately. Trust erodes, alliances shift, and everyone starts eyeing everyone else as the potential bad guy. The movie really wants you to keep guessing who’s going to crack first, and there’s plenty of misdirection that’s annoying. The big problem is that’s you’ve seen all of this before, and done better.
The setting is limited, the story is even more limited, and the characters are paper thin. These are less people and more rough sketches of types, which makes it hard to care when things inevitably go south. I never connected with anyone here, and I remained indifferent throughout the story. The script leans hard on themes like moral corruption, brotherhood under pressure, and how big money poisons everything it touches, but it never digs deep enough to make any of it matter.
There is very little tension to the predictable plot, and the twists are easy to see coming. The whole thing feels shallow and oddly lifeless for a movie about betrayal and greed. Leads Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, as talented and likable as they are, seem to be going through the motions as they barely keep the film afloat.
“The Rip” isn’t unwatchable, but it’s bland, forgettable, and ultimately pointless. If it pops up on your streaming home page and you’re in the mood for background noise, sure. Just don’t expect anything gripping, surprising, or even worth remembering.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 