Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Elevate This Intense (And Very Good) Cop Thriller

It is January. Only a few weeks a year will be the best. This is the month in the annual movie lists when we get projects that studios don’t know what to do with, either because they’re no good or because they simply don’t know if there’s an audience for them.

So, naturally, when I saw that a crime thriller starring and produced by two incredibly famous actors (and best friends since grade school), Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, was coming out this week, my mind went from less to optimistic places. Damon is starring in Christopher Nolan’s film odyssey this summer, and Affleck is starring in another Netflix movie later this year that he’s also directing; so, incision The latter should, at most, be minor appetizers in their main courses, right? Or worse, a marketing ploy that brings their face out, but doesn’t come out as a movie.

Well, quite like the viewing experience incision Myself, my advice to you would be to not believe everything you think is true.

Based on writer/director Joe Carnahan’s deeply personal true events and his friend’s experience as chief of tactical narcotics at the Miami-Dade Police Department, the film finds a similar tactical team, led by newly appointed Lieutenant Dan Dumars (Damon), in a state of grief, anger and turmoil as one of their own, Captain Jackie Velez (“SWAT” star Lena Esco), meets an informant. Was shot in.

After being interrogated and harassed by the FBI, the team receives a tip about an abandoned storage house containing a large amount of cash. When estimates go from thousands to several million, trust among the group is tested and emotions begin to get out of control. As outside forces become aware of the size of the seizure, everything is questioned and their lives may be in danger.

Influenced by the more interpersonal, character-driven police thrillers of the youth of the late 70s/early 80s, Carnahan lands incision Smack in the middle of their harsher, more intense riff on the NARC genre with a more straightforward crime story like recent Netflix films like Rebel Ridge, Reptile, or Lost Bullet – police corruption mixed with a whodunnit swerve and a climactic shoot out.

The script, co-written by TV police procedural Michael McGrail, is designed to deceive, distract and distort until you believe that this star-studded team, including most of all – Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor (one fight after another) and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Steven Yeun (beef) outside of Damon and Affleck – may involve dismemberment or doing something even more heinous. Once the film moves to the stash house, the film flows with Damon and Affleck’s performances as they bounce from room to room telling a variety of lies and half-truths to anyone who needs to hear them, for the benefit of those around them, even for their own. The chemistry between the longtime friends and frequent collaborators enhances every scene they’re in, with their characters’ long-standing relationship no doubt deepened with believability.

The strength of the film lies in organizing and highlighting who is in control of the story and how the corrupt people are ultimately exposed. Do we want to believe that a good man with nothing to lose can be corrupted by greed and power? Or do we think a weak faction within the department is moving in and being dismantled? Anything is possible as the narrative and tone shift as the stakes increase (thanks to composer and frequent Carnahan collaborator Clinton Shorter for punctuating those tonal shifts with well-constructed, ominous riffs of his own).

Of course, since this is a modern Carnahan film, the dominoes fall one by one until bullets start flying and so do the boys. The action, though not as sustained as Carnahan’s Frank Grillo films (police shop, boss level), is cleverly staged and expanded upon as the film progresses. While an explosive armored car chase will be different from the rest, the best execution may take place in a tight environment such as an armored vehicle interior standoff or an attack on a home garage.

Although the film has weak points in some dialogue exchanges or its overly solemn final moments, The Rip may be one of the most entertaining law enforcement crime thrillers of 2020; Full of intrigue, deception and adrenaline in the usually dead spot of the year. Rarely do we get a combination of iconic A-list acting talent and explosive genre storytelling that doesn’t feel like it’s a grab for pay or awards, so enjoy it while you can.

---

Watch incision if you want

• prince of the city
• hell
• triple frontier
• rebel ridge
• end of Watch

---

The Rip’s MVP

Ben Affleck as Detective Sgt. jedi byrne

This is my favorite register for Affleck. The abuses flying, the husky exterior, the facial hair flowing, the life beaten by the register. Affleck’s Boston Forward Facing version.

The Town, Triple Frontier, and now The Rip – all of which allowed Affleck to be a street rat, a time bomb, a fuck-up; Uppercuts in combination with jabs. Particularly in this film, he often gets to clash with the more subdued and calculating Damon, who perfectly casts him as a permanent 5 o’clock shadow with muscles and a finger on the trigger. Affleck serves me simply as a sarcastic blunt instrument who smiles while being called a bully by his younger brother. It’s just science.

Get your popcorn ready! This twisty update on the classic dirty cop crime thriller is exactly the type of dormant genre that Netflix could bring back into our lives with great success. Damon and Affleck amp up the procedural elements while writer/director Joe Carnahan keeps the suspense intact until the bullets fly. Another well-made genre film from Netflix in 2026!