The Rip – Movie Reviews by Ry!

The Rip – Money, Trust and Brotherhood: Life of the Badge

Fast pace and adrenaline, two things that cross my mind when I dive into the action genre.  Driven by moments of awe and spectacle, you are quickly pulled into the escape from sheer raw excitement.  No matter how simple or deep it will be, if there is fun to be had … then the film is worth watching.  In this review, I look at the latest Netflix film to hit the streaming service.  Within the basic idea of cops and crooks, the simple journey falls prey to a convoluted web of action.  Even with slight hiccups, The Rip is an enjoyable action film that shows what it truly means to wear the police badge with honor. 

When a tip for a crime turns upside down, a group of Miami Cops will come to find out who they can trust … and who is out to get them all.  Through the grip of an escape, one hopes that even in a simple foundation, the story feels raw, authentic and most of all … appealing.  This is real for every genre, but it becomes very real in action films.  From the fantastical to the surreal, action can build upon one’s true imagination, but can also fall prey to forced conclusions and predictable choices.  With this film, it begins with a prologue that leads to the death of a beloved Captain of the Miami-Dade Police Department.  From here, we head into a first act that is a linear push of introductory scenes, mostly for our main characters, Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and Detective J.D. Byrne (Ben Affleck).  After a sequence of further introductions (you can view the rest of the cast at the film’s IMdb page – link), Lieutenant Dumars informs their team of a stash house in Hialeah.  As the group prepares for a routine investigation, it quickly goes sideways.  Eventually, the group learns the tip was more than what was told to the Lieutenant, leading to the sowing of dissention and distrust in the group.  From here, we head into a second act that moves through scenes of atmospheric tension.   General moments are heightened by raw conversations and red herrings, a unique twist of the typical clichés found in other action films.  Within this ‘good cop vs. bad cop’ motif is a grip driven by the great chemistry between Damon and Affleck.  It is through their characters that the journey rises above its novelty setting, where the audience wants to find out the truth.  Through the twisting plotlines, there is a sense that something big is about to happen … then the action begins.       

Once the ‘action’ kicks into high gear, the twisting plot lines start to trail into predictable circumstances.  The unnecessary explanations begin to convolute the situation, dragging the experience into a heavy dose of exposition.  For all the characterization that was lifting the material, the filmmakers fall prey to the common foils of style over substance.  With everything out in the open, we head into a third act of  gun fights, car chases and deux ex machina like moments before wrapping up with a melodramatic climax and epilogue.  The Rip is your typical throwaway action film.  For fans of the genre, there is enough here to be entertained by.  For everyone else, I think this can be a good time to watch at home on a Friday Night.

Full Score – 2.5 out of 5 (Friday Night Rental)