‘The Rip’ Review: Damon and Affleck Reunite For A Chilling, Edge-Of-The-Seat Ride.

Joe Carnahan’s The Rip arrives with a curious mix of promise and caution, headlined by a reunion that immediately grabs attention. Carnahan teams up again with Ben Affleck nearly two decades after Smokin’ Aces, and the film also brings together Affleck and Matt Damon—an on-screen pairing that almost always sparks interest. Their long-standing real-life friendship lends an easy authenticity here, especially since they play friends in the story as well. That natural chemistry does a lot of heavy lifting, grounding the film even when the material itself feels thin. Based on true events, The Rip adopts a chilly, ominous tone from the outset, which adds intrigue and signals that this will be more about moral rot and buried secrets than flashy thrills.

The film opens with a murder and quickly positions itself in whodunnit territory, encouraging the audience to scan faces and question motives early on. However, Carnahan smartly pivots away from a straight mystery, gradually reshaping the narrative into a crime drama about loyalty, corruption, and survival. This tonal shift works best in the second act, where the tension-building is genuinely effective. As layers are peeled back and the true nature of what’s going on begins to emerge, The Rip becomes far more gripping. The sense of unease steadily escalates, and the film does a good job of keeping you guessing about who can be trusted and where the real danger lies.

Performances are solid but rarely exceptional. Damon and Affleck are good, reliable presences, though there are moments where it feels like they’re coasting rather than fully stretching themselves. Their collaboration with Carnahan is an interesting choice, especially given the director’s recent run of consistently average or sub-par projects. That said, Carnahan’s strengths lie in momentum and mood, and those qualities are evident here. The supporting cast does competent work, but no one truly stands out, and the script doesn’t offer much room for deeper characterization anyway.

One of the film’s defining traits is its leanness. The storyline is tightly focused on a core team led by Damon’s character, and much of the film unfolds within a single location. While this approach helps maintain intensity and keeps the runtime crisp, it also exposes some of the film’s limitations. The action sequences are undeniably intense but poorly staged, often feeling cramped and visually underwhelming. At times, it seems like Carnahan uses the confined settings as an excuse to limit the scope and imagination of the action rather than finding creative ways to elevate it. On the technical front, however, the color grading is on point, giving the film a gritty, lived-in look that complements its grim subject matter. The pacing is sharp and economical, adding to the film’s pulsing, anxious energy.

In the end, The RIP is an engaging, tense, and lean thriller with a solid true-crime hook. It rides on the easy chemistry between Damon and Affleck, and does just enough to satisfy, even if it never quite lives up to its full potential. Where it ultimately stumbles is in its writing. The narrative is functional but monotonous, offering few surprises in terms of dialogue or thematic depth. While the central mystery keeps you engaged, the big reveal—though surprising—feels slightly lazy in how it’s executed and explained. The ending, too, is somewhat underwhelming, closing things off without fully exploring its characters or their emotional fallout. A few plot holes and convenient turns are hard to ignore, but they don’t entirely derail the experience.

The RIP will stream on Netflix from April 25.