Matt Damon
Lieutenant Dane Dumars
The Rip
“Count the money. Count it again. Count on no one.”
2026
1h 53m
Director: Joe Carnahan
Overview
Trust frays when a team of Miami cops discovers millions in cash inside a run-down stash house, calling everyone — and everything — into question.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readThe Weight of the Windfall
The older Matt Damon and Ben Affleck get, the more I like them together. Back when they were young, their collaborations had that wired-up feeling of two guys trying to prove they deserved a seat at the table. Now they’re well into middle age, latestnetflix.com contends, and that strain has curdled into something heavier.
They look worn down. They look like men who wake up sore for no special reason. In Joe Carnahan’s The Rip, that drained, middle-aged fatigue isn’t background texture.
It drives the whole movie.
Carnahan has spent years circling the rougher edges of Hollywood action, turning out noisy, unruly films (Smokin' Aces, Boss Level) that only occasionally touched the bruised, sour spirit of Narc, still his sharpest movie. The Rip gets back to that dirt-under-the-fingernails mode. It’s a hard, bitter thriller about a Miami tactical narcotics team that comes across $20 million in a suburban stash house.
The problem is that Florida police procedure says seized cash has to be counted right there on-site. The bigger problem is that at least one person in the room probably isn’t clean.
It’s hard not to be irritated that Netflix sent a $100 million movie like this straight to streaming. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com put it well when he called it "the rare Netflix original action film that actually plays like something you’d want to see in theaters." The movie keeps pressing against the frame like it wants more space.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.8/10
"A tense, star-driven cop thriller with strong Damon–Affleck chemistry that thrills early on but slips into clichéd, messy territory by the final stretch."
Performances and chemistry between the leads are widely praised, with several viewers calling them the main reason the film stays engaging and noting a solid, twisty first hour. Twists and the pressure-cooker setup are often enjoyed, but the final act draws criticism for plot holes, rushed and bland action, and a sense that the story becomes confused or predictable rather than clever. latestnetflix.com's view is that Overall it lands as a solid, watchable crime thriller that feels familiar and forgettable rather than a standout, despite an overqualified cast and some fun moments.
What viewers praise
- Strong lead performances Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are repeatedly singled out for elevating the material, with their acting and presence making the story more compelling than it might have been.
- Engaging early tension The initial setup inside the stash house, along with the first and second acts, are described as gripping, well-paced, and packed with suspenseful twists and turns.
- Entertaining plot twists Several viewers call out the twists as crazy or surprising, crediting them with keeping the story engaging once it gets going.
- Solid popcorn thriller Even some critical voices still find it a decent, enjoyable one-time watch that feels like a competent mid-budget crime movie rather than disposable filler.
Common complaints
- Weak final act The last 20–30 minutes are often seen as a letdown, with rushed resolutions, plot holes, and action that does not live up to the buildup.
- Familiar and clichéd writing The script and dialogue are criticized as relying on overused cop-thriller tropes, lacking originality, and failing to deliver the sharper story the premise and cast promise.
- Uneven pacing and structure While the early tension works, several comments describe clumsy pacing, characters splitting off in ways that feel contrived, and a mid-to-late stretch that loses steam.
- Questionable visual choices A few viewers complain about shaky or distracting camerawork and stylistic touches, which pull attention away from the action instead of enhancing it.
Recommended for
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck fans Cop corruption thriller lovers Tense single-location crime stories Joe Carnahan action-thriller followers Twisty but pulpy thrillers Streaming crime movie nights
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThey found $21 million in orange buckets. Then they sued the movie.
In May 2026, two Miami-Dade sergeants walked into federal court over a Netflix cop picture. Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith say The Rip took their 2016 raid, kept the orange buckets, and painted them as dirty. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's company says the film is fiction with a disclaimer. The officers' lawyer put it simpler. latestnetflix.com's view is that "They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty."
,
The raid first. Then the rip.
On a Miami Lakes house in 2016, narcotics officers pulled more than $21 million from five-gallon buckets hidden behind drywall, the largest cash seizure in Miami-Dade history. Santana was the lead detective. Smith supervised. The department later became a sheriff's office. That bust is the real event Joe Carnahan kept pointing at while he wrote and directed The Rip for Artists Equity, the studio Damon and Affleck founded in 2022 , .
The technical advisor on the shoot was Capt. Chris Casiano, who was not on that raid. Damon told the Associated Press he and Affleck spent time with Casiano and other narcotics officers. "We really wanted to kind of understand what those dynamics were like," he said. "I mean, these units are very tight because they're really putting their lives in each other's hands." In press notes he also explained the plot's clock. In Miami, he said, you have to count the money on-site so everybody knows how much is there, and the people who own it are probably coming back , .
Netflix opened the film globally on January 16, 2026. Variety called it a $100 million heist movie the streamer unloaded straight to living rooms. Carnahan stuffed Damon, Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Kyle Chandler into one foggy night in a Hialeah stash house. The Hollywood Reporter clocked it at 112 minutes, R-rated, and treated Miami-Dade procedure as the trap. Count the cash before you leave. Sit there while trust dies 
, .
Inspired by true events, after the credits.
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida against Artists Equity and Falco Pictures, does not name Netflix. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and a public retraction. The complaint says friends asked the officers which characters they were and how many buckets they kept. A state attorney's office, the filing claims, even asked whether theft allegations had ever been made on the real case , .
Artists Equity lawyer Leita Walker answered a March demand letter by saying the film does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people. The longer disclaimer, the suit notes, only appears after the credits. "This program is inspired by real events; however, the characters and events depicted have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, and any similarity to actual persons is purely coincidental and unintentional." The plaintiffs say the opening card did the damage. Their lawyer, Ignacio Alvarez, also argued they should have been paid as consultants, the way Casiano was , .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeR5bcbRPak
None of that is in the trailer. The official Netflix clip still sells the line the movie wants. Seize the cash, count it, turn it in. On the inside, it's different .
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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