Academy Award-winners, Hollywood icons, and real-life besties Matt Damon and Ben Affleck join forces once again for a new Netflix action thriller that promises to start the new year with a bang. Titled The RIP, the action outing contains all manner of genre tropes, including dirty cops and epic shootouts, and all with some elite performers at its center. The first reviews for The Rip are now in, and it certainly sounds like the streamer is determined to maintain its growing reputation for delivering high-octane, no-nonsense action thriller delights.
We begin with MovieWeb’s own Corey Atad, who heaped praise on this Damon/Affleck reunion, calling The Rip “a totally different register” for the pair that, thankfully, gives you exactly what you’d hope for.
“Any time Matt Damon and Ben Affleck get together to make a movie, it’s an event. Their last outing was 2023’s Affleck-directed Air, about the guys at Nike who created the Air Jordan. Now, they’re back in a totally different register, starring in The Rip, the latest meathead action-thriller from director Joe Carnahan. Those whose eyebrows immediately perk up at that combination of words will be happy to know the film delivers in exactly the ways they’d hoped — and in some surprising ways, too.”
The Rip now stands at a hugely promising 88% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with RogerEbert.com awarding the movie a near-perfect 3/4 and calling it “a testament to Joe Carnahan’s direction that there’s not a false note in this talented ensemble.” Another stellar rating comes courtesy of Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam and declared The Rip to be “Smartly executed,” adding, “The Rip’s” plot twists hold water, putting all that’s come prior in a different perspective, revealing just who the “good guys” are, a label increasingly hard to uphold in its dark world of pain and temptation.”
‘The Rip’ Is Another Pitch-Perfect, No-Nonsense Action Thriller From Netflix
While some more middling reviews have also emerged, with Collider saying The Rip is “solid enough to earn a mild recommendation,” while ScreenRant adds, “It’s like the film is cosplaying as a tense, twisty thriller,” the majority of these first reactions tease an intense action spectacle that’s sure to satisfy genre fans. Another near-perfect 4/5 comes courtesy of KKFI-FM, and concluded…
“Fans of the genre will enjoy the action of “The Rip,” as well as the challenge of figuring out who the good guys are…if there are any.”
Another pair of 4/5 scores came from Loud and Clear Reviews and Zach Pope Reviews, with the former calling The Rip “a suspenseful cop thriller full of surprising twists, fun action and solid, believable performances,” while the latter summed things up perfectly, saying, “Highly recommend The Rip this weekend on Netflix. Dirty Cops, Millions of Dollars, Affleck, Damon, & some massive shootouts. What more could you ask for? I wanted a thrilling time and I got it.”
Directed by Joe Carnahan and featuring an all-star cast that includes Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, and Kyle Chandler, The Rip is streaming now, and you can check out the official synopsis below…
Upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house, trust among a team of Miami cops begins to fray. As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything is called into question — including who they can rely on.
- Release Date
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January 16, 2026
- Runtime
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133 minutes
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
