The Rip Delivers Exactly What Damon and Affleck Promised
Remember those 90s rom-coms that had an inseparable duo as their leads? Think Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Well, that is exactly what one feels when Matt Damon and Ben Affleck work together. Affleck is to Damon what Ryan is to Hanks, and it makes perfect sense. The two deliver some of their best performances when working together. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the work they do in The Rip is quite remarkable.
The Rip starts extremely strong with the gruesome murder of Jackie (Lina Esco) and the perfectly synced and combined questioning scenes between the FBI and members of Jackie’s team. This is the best introduction the movie can do of a group of rough cops who just lost their captain and have the suspicion that one of their own might be involved. It does this while simultaneously introducing the definitions of TNT and VCAT in a way that feels appropriate to each scene, and the viewer can understand if they’re not familiar with police talk.
The entire film keeps you on edge, wondering if you know what’s going on. Eventually, you will realize that you have absolutely no idea what’s happening because the biggest plot twist happens toward the end of the movie. However, as the plot twist is happening and you begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together, you realize that the answer to everything has been right there in front of you from the moment Jackie is murdered.
While Dane (Damon) lies about the Crimestopper message, the moment we see the message he received, we should know it came from Jackie. Moments before dying, we see Jackie typing “Sta…” in a text message to someone. That is exactly how the message Dane reads starts, so the answer to the tip coming from Jackie is there from the beginning. Nevertheless, we wonder if he knows because he is trying to find her killer or because he has joined one of those dirty cops groups that’s ripping stash houses. A suspicion that grows when Matty (Kyle Chandler) talks about the medical debt Dane is in after his son passed away.
The clues of Dane’s plan are there, placed carefully by his own words. He tells every member of the crew that the rip contains a different amount of cash. It isn’t until the end that we discover why, but viewers catch it immediately, and it stays with you throughout the movie. The 150K eventually pays off when we discover that Ro (Steven Yeun) is in on the robbery. However, the suspicion is never placed on Ro because when we see him text someone outside, we see it’s addressed to Chief. This immediately makes the viewer think he is texting their unit chief (Néstor Carbonell) because he believes Dane is trying to steal the money.
The plot twist makes perfect sense within the film’s timeline, while going back in time to show how Dane finally got JD (Ben Affleck) on his side. By explaining to us what Dane’s suspicions were and how he planted the seeds of his plan throughout the night, we can immediately put the pieces together and figure out exactly who is behind Jackie’s murder before the flashbacks tell us.
The Rip has an ambiance that helps the storyline move forward. The darkness of the night, the poor lighting in the rooms, the fire and smoke, the neighborhood lights coming on at the same time, the bright lights of the helicopters, and the moonlight all come together to draw the viewer into this environment. Not only to experience the neighborhood and the persecution, but also to feel every emotion the characters are experiencing.
The scene in the garage, when JD tells the team he suspects Dane is behind everything right before they start fighting, is probably the best in the movie. The mood is set perfectly for us to still believe that JD really thinks Dane killed Jackie, to later reveal it was all a plan to get their hands on Ro’s burner phone.
The Rip is exactly the kind of movie that you would expect from Damon and Affleck working together again. It meets them exactly where they are in their careers, not trying to portray them as some sort of macho character that fits their age or aesthetic. On the contrary, the characters seem to fit their entire career timeline, pushing them to deliver great performances. This is one of those movies that people will talk about when they talk about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck working together, as they do about Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, just you wait.
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