The action-packed Netflix film, "The Rip," from filmmaker Joe Carnahan, reunites longtime pals and creative partners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, achieving significant global success. Despite a listed release date of January 16, 2026, within a general release window of 2025, the film has already hit big with global audiences, topping Netflix's worldwide chart and earning a Certified Fresh approval rating of 82% from Rotten Tomatoes.

It marks a milestone for Netflix, garnering the streamer its biggest feature opening since "Happy Gilmore 2" last year, with "The Rip" securing 41.6 million views, just shy of the Adam Sandler-led sequel's 46.7 million views. Achieving two top viewership stats in six months is a remarkable accomplishment for the platform.

"The Rip" plunges viewers into the high-stakes world of the Miami-Dade Police Department's narcotics unit, where both good and bad guys operate. Lt. Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne (Ben Affleck) lead a team that raids a stash house, unexpectedly stumbling upon a life-changing sum of over $20 million in illicit cash. This discovery triggers deep suspicions, forcing each team member to question their own moralities and those of their peers, leading to a dark, trust-no-one heist scenario.

The narrative is a heavily fictionalized retelling of one of the department's biggest seizures. The film opens with the waterfront execution of Captain Jackie Velez (Lina Esco), an officer trusted by Dumars. From this shocking start, the plot accelerates into a tense cat-and-mouse game as Dumars leads his team to a nondescript house.

Inside, the newly renovated attic conceals a hidden room packed with barrels of $100 bills. Local police procedure dictates that cash seizures must be counted on site, turning Dumars' team into vulnerable targets for anyone else coveting the score.

Director Joe Carnahan, known for "Narc," expertly crafts an authority-questioning thriller where the intrigue is almost entirely internal, driven by corrupt cops scheming for the hidden cash. The film establishes early on that Jackie was likely killed by fellow officers, transforming the situation into a closed-circle mystery within the run-down home inherited by a young Colombian woman, Desi (Sasha Calle), from her abuela. Despite its significant budget, nearly half the film unfolds in this single, confined location.

Carnahan and DP Juanmi Azpiroz employ a sleek, satiny, almost-monochromatic aesthetic reminiscent of Michael Mann's "Heat 2," complete with an ultra-wide aspect ratio. The Florida sun is conspicuously absent, replaced by oppressive gray skies, and interiors are underlit, enhancing the suspense.

Composer Clinton Shorter's accelerated-pulse score amplifies the tension as night falls and characters move under cloak of darkness. The film's cinematic ambitions are further underscored by visuals like guns sparking brightly and street lights piercing the gloom, creating a palpable sense of high-stakes drama.

The ensemble cast is notably impressive, featuring Steven Yeun (Ro), Teyana Taylor (Detective Numa Baptiste), Kyle Chandler, Sasha Calle (Desi Lopez Molina), Catalina Sandino Moreno (Salazar), and Scott Adkins, alongside Damon and Affleck.

The complexity of the plot, filled with twists and double-crosses, defies Netflix's typical rules for distracted viewership, making it a compelling, gripping two-hour thriller. The film delves into the moral quandary faced by police officers who make roughly $80,000 a year, contrasting it with the immense temptation of $20 million in drug money. "The Rip" is a thriller that benefits from a second viewing, with its intricate puzzle pieces and character motives becoming even more satisfying upon closer inspection.

The enduring friendship and creative partnership between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, one of Hollywood's longest-lasting, dates back to their first on-screen appearance in the 1992 sports drama "School Ties." Their careers skyrocketed after they penned and starred in the Academy Award-winning "Good Will Hunting."

They have since collaborated in various capacities across multiple genres, including acting roles in "Dogma" and "The Last Duel," and behind-the-scenes as producers for films like "Small Things Like These" and "Unstoppable." Their reunion in "The Rip" for this dark, trust-no-one heist movie is seen by critics as being in line with their earlier work in upscale crime films such as "The Departed" and "The Town." "The Rip" is currently streaming on Netflix.