‘The Rip’ (2026) Netflix Movie Review - Abs, Ammo, and Avarice

Just yesterday, Netflix released Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, in which Bundle, the lead character, is shocked to discover that the love of her life was killed for just money. Money, the show suggests, can corrupt people's souls and push them toward depravity. This may not be a particularly potent moral lesson, and the series itself is pretty underwhelming. But here is Joe Carnahan's The Rip, which essentially repeats the same message under the guise of an action thriller. What's more, the results this time are far more promising, engaging, and enjoyable.

Much of the credit should go to cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz, who extracts terrific suspense from shadows and low light. When four men sit together in a vehicle, holding or touching their guns, you, too, become alert, holding your breath as you wait for someone to pull the trigger. It's an intolerably exciting scene that awakens your senses. Similarly, when Detective Mike Ro (Steven Yeun) is asked to head back to a house, you keep your eye on him—as well as on the hands of Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon), suspecting the latter might pull the trigger.

Carnahan, in other words, keeps you on your toes and makes you almost restless. He achieves this by sowing seeds of distrust among his characters. When Dane and his team discover a stash of millions in cash at a house, they are overcome by varying degrees of greed. Detective Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno), for instance, wants the money for child support. Mike and Dane, however, seem more rapacious. Detective Sergeant JD Byrne (Ben Affleck), in fact, begins to suspect that Dane may have orchestrated the entire operation to steal the cash. Is Dane also responsible for the murder of a colleague, Captain Jackie Velez (Lina Esco)?

With its suspicious gazes, confined space, and high-tension atmosphere, The Rip often resembles a horror film—mostly set in a single location. You never know when someone will cave under the pressure. The actors do a fine job conveying their characters' stress, with Damon and Affleck in particular seeming perpetually on the verge of blowing each other's heads off.

The climax, however, is something of a cop-out. Carnahan doesn't taint goodness with the stain of evil; instead, he draws a clean line between honest and dishonest officers. The twists are entertaining enough, but the action that follows is merely serviceable, failing to provide a satisfying release after all the pressure-cooker buildup. Still, one can sit through the weaker passages by admiring the muscular physiques of Damon and Affleck. The latter even takes off his shirt at one point, introducing us to his well-defined abs and powerful chest. Who needs a consistently solid script when you have consistently solid muscles? Let it rip, Mr. Affleck.

Final Score- [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times