RIP, THE
(director/writer: Joe Carnahan; screenwriter: story by Carnahan and Michael McGrale; cinematographer: Juan Miguel Azpiroz; editor: Kevin Hale; music: Clinton Shorter; cast: Ben Affleck (Det. Sergeant JD Byrne), Matt Damon (Lt. Dane Dumars), Steven Yeun (Det. Mike Ro), Teyana Taylor (Det. Numa Baptiste), Sasha Calle (Desiree ‘Desi’ Lopez Molina), Catalina Sandino Moreno (Det. Lolo Salazar), Scott Adkins (FBI Agent Del Byrne), Kyle Chandler (Dea Agent Mateo ‘Matty’ Nix), Lina Esco (Captain Jackie Velez), Jose Pablo Cantillo (DEA Agent Dayo Reyes), Néstor Carbonell (Major Thom Vallejo), Cliff Chamberlain (Hialeah Patrolman Junger), Alex Hernandez (Hialeah Patrolman Warwick), Daisuke Tsuji (FBI Agent Logan Casiano); Runtime: 112; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Dani Bernfeld, Luciana Damon; Netflix; 2026)
“Enhanced by the star power of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A standard issue cop thriller directed and written with no subtlety by the action-pic maven Joe Carnahan (“Narc”/ “The Grey”). It’s made on a budget of a $100 million, from a story the director wrote with Michael McGrale, supposedly inspired by a true story. The Netflix original is enhanced by the star power of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, real-life pals from their Boston childhood. It’s a predictable and somewhat entertaining formulaic film about a clean cop Det. Sergeant JD Byrne (Ben Affleck) and a dirty cop Lt. Dane Dumars (Matt Damon), friends who both work for the Miami-Dade Police Department.
After the murder of the respected female Capt. Jackie Velez (Lina Esco), her elite narc unit TNT (Tactical Narcotics Team) is investigated by the DEA. They believe her death is linked to the robberies of stash houses, known as “RIP.”
Acting on a tip about Velez’s killer, Lt. Dumars, the team’s new leader, and his team – Det. Sgt. JD Byrne, Det. Mike Ro (Steven Yuen), Det. Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Det. Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) – raid a house in a quiet suburban Hialeah neighborhood on a cul-de-sac, that’s occupied by a young Colombian woman named Desi (Sasha Calle). A money-sniffing police dog finds $20 million of the cartel stash hidden in barrels in the attic.
Also at the crime scene are Byrne’s FBI agent brother Del (Scott Adkins) and DEA agent Mateo ‘Matty’ Nix (Kyle Chandler), as thoughts about stealing the money are aired by the underpaid lawmen.
Soon the cartel, which controls the neighborhood, starts a shootout with the cops.
The twisty story is filled with plenty of action (car chases, shootouts and hand-to-hand fights). There are also many double-crosses. I found it to be visually pleasing and mindlessly entertaining as a disposable popcorn action-pic. whose trite dialogue is filled with f-bombs.
REVIEWED ON 1/28/2026 GRADE: C+
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