Acting on an anonymous tip, a Tactical Narcotics Team from the Miami Police Department carry out a raid on a house. There they discover roughly $20 million dollars hidden in a wall. Regulations require that the money be counted on site, before moving it to a secure location. But given that the house is in the middle of cartel territory, tensions begin to rise. And things go from bad to worse when it becomes clear that the intentions of certain team members may not be totally admirable.
What do you do, as a cop, when your beloved colleague is murdered, and you're both in the frame for it, and unable to investigate yourself? You and your team go raid a potential stash house. That's what this particular band of veteran narcotics cops do, anyway. Joe Carnahan's latest cop drama is based (loosely) on the life of his friend Chris Casiano, a Miami cop. Casiano did apparently find $20 million stashed in a house during a raid, but that's about as close as the movie gets to reality. Although it's a great place to start for a gritty crime drama. Especially with the Narc writer/director wasting no time in letting us know that not all is well within this police unit, and "the rip" they are currently working. So much so that you never really know who you can trust, or what these cops are actually doing in this eerily quiet neighbourhood. Bringing an edginess to the movie, that never really goes away.
Naturally, seeing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together again is more than welcome. In fact, it's pretty awesome. The pair are not only brilliant together, their genuine camaraderie elevates the movie as a whole - especially in those moments when they are off-kilter with each other. Affleck is also great with his on-screen brother, Scott Adkins. Theirs is a very believable big brother/little brother relationship, which is quite fun to watch. It's just a shame Adkins doesn't get to do a little bit more with his character. Teyana Taylor, Steven Yeun and Catalina Sandino Moreno are perfectly awkward as the other members in the team. Along with Kyle Chandler as their DEA pal. All of them just awkward enough that it makes everyone seem untrustworthy. While Sasha Calle is the right amount of terrified as 'Desi', the resident caught up in an all too real situation. And Wilbur the Dog is simply adorable as 'Wilbur the Money Dog'.
When the team aren't counting the money, talking to Desi, or fussing Wilbur, they're fighting off other criminals or fighting with each other. All of the action is very fast paced, often coming out of nowhere. Another way in which Carnahan demonstrates his ability to keep us on edge. Although he isn't afraid to taunt us either, dialling up the intensity a notch or two through clever use of lighting and shadow. Matt Damon also had some interesting comments in relation to The Rip. Specifically on how he was advised to make an action movie in the smartphone/streaming world. Not that many of us are likely to be looking at our phone when this movie goes loud. That said, the in-fighting within the team can be pretty intense too, which is unsurprising given the life-changing amount of money they're arguing over.
Unfortunately, a great deal of that gritty intensity is lost as we get into the big finale. As a friend said to me, in regard to that ending: "it goes from action thriller, to action movie". After a delightfully tense exchange in a rather enclosed space, The Rip sheds all the tension and claustrophobia in favour of a rather standard action movie ending, and a rather ridiculous one at that. Instead of bringing the movie to a satisfying close, it almost sticks out as an unnecessary add-on to what would otherwise have been a rather taut, and somewhat grounded thriller. An action hero moment. Something that had to be included because Hollywood doctrine said to do so. Thankfully however, while it is unnecessary, and more than a little cliché, it isn't enough to totally derail this rather rocky trip to the city of Hialeah.
It may lose its intensity towards the end, but The Rip is still a delightfully tense and action-packed cop thriller. One featuring the very welcome on-screen reunion of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
8/10
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