Introduction

When a movie starts off saying “based on a true story,” my mind goes through two experiences. The first, I get hyped—I won’t deny. The idea of anything based on actual life events is intriguing and in a movie about police activities, like The RIP which we look at today, it just adds a new level of awe. However, as a grounded and sometimes smart individual, the second thought that goes into my mind is…how much of this is going to be real? Let’s be…well real for a second. Many “based on true events” are over-exaggerated. Still, The RIP seemed like an impressive Netflix-produced movie and wanting to watch something while eating a few slices of pizza seemed like a good companion to my meal. Is The RIP, directed by Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team), a good movie to watch or should you stop listening to Netflix and its recommendations? I’m about to find out in my review of The RIP.

Story

The RIP starts off pretty chaotic, in a good way. Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and Detective Sergeant JD Byrne (Ben Affleck) are being questioned after the cold-blooded murder of Captain Jackie Velez, who worked for the Miami-Dade Police Department. Apparently, Velez had some information on a big rip (a possible home filled with a large amount of drug money) and was hunted down for her information. Due to how corrupt the force has been, Dane’s TNT team is questioned in tandem but with no direct connection they seem clear. Off duty, Dane shows that he saw a message from Velez that a big stash of money could be at a specific address, which makes him lie to his team about the exact amount and forces them to act. They do discover money but it ends up being a huge sum of nearly 20 million dollars. What will the TNT team do when money this big ends up on their laps and clearly is desired by more than just them? The RIP’s true story is…less grandiose than the movie, but that’s understandable in this case as it is filled with twists and turns that almost make it into a mystery tale. Who can be trusted, who is a possible informant, and what will money do to even the best person? I was admittedly surprised that The RIP kept me constantly guessing, and only in the last thirty minutes was the truth revealed—but in a very clever way. The RIP on paper seems like an obvious high-octane but cliché story, but I give director Joe Carnahan credit; he did such a great job mixing action with drama and thriller elements. The RIP kept my attention for its nearly two-hour runtime and for a cop-themed story, that’s always impressive in my mind.

Acting and Cast

What helps The RIP stay so immersive and engaging is that we have some big-name actors here. Aside from the two central mentioned, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, there are some others who help push the movie further. Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Mickey 17, Nope) does a great job as one of the TNT detectives who seems…questionable in his loyalties. Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another), Sasha Calle (The Flash) and Catalina Sandino Moreno (From, Ballerina) aren’t to be forgotten either, each taking a role as officers working under Matt Damon’s team and each really helps sell the feeling of officers who seem trustworthy but also are people with families and needs that money can help with. Scott Adkins (John Wick: Chapter 4, Prisoner of War) plays Ben Affleck’s brother as an FBI agent who doesn’t get a ton of screen time in The RIP—nor does he get to show off his awesome martial arts moves sadly—but helps round out the cast in a much-needed way. Kyle Chandler (Godzilla vs. Kong, The Wolf of Wall Street) is here too, albeit in a role that only really gives him any relevancy towards the ending, but he is a much-needed component in making the finale of The RIP work well. I make note of the last few actors on purpose as they aren’t small-time actors but really aren’t present in The RIP till…the end sadly. Yet even with their small appearances, they show why The RIP’s cast is truly quite solid. These actors and actresses know how to sell their respective roles and never did The RIP feel lesser with their inclusion.

Cinematography and Direction

The RIP does a tremendous job feeling like almost two movies blended into one. The first half of the movie—aside from the big gunfight in the opening sequence—is mostly talking and drama. When the major gunfight begins though, it turns into a lot of action with some calm before more action, and honestly it works quite well. The direction The RIP has feels great, knowing when to be a thriller and when to let action take over for suspense. The cinematography needs attention as it is fantastic. The camera teams know when to keep the focus on characters, how to make scenes feel chaotic or claustrophobic—especially when the team is stuck in the house counting money and dealing with distrust—and when to ramp up the chaos of the bigger shootout scenes. I was never left feeling ill from too much camera shake or missed moments, which often happens during gun battles or intense car chases. Great camera work and direction make The RIP feel less like a Netflix movie and more like a standard theatrical release.

Conclusion

The RIP is a surprisingly great crime thriller that has a nice amount of action and clever storytelling. While it doesn’t reinvent crime movie core themes, the big-name cast and solid cinematography help sell The RIP far beyond what I expected. I enjoyed every second of The RIP and hope Netflix thinks about doing a movie theater release for some added income. If you need a good action crime thriller to watch this weekend, go on Netflix and check out The RIP.

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—Aaron