Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s The Rip nets 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, hits Netflix today

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reunited today with The Rip landing on Netflix, earning a scorching 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. This gritty Miami crime thriller pits two former collaborators against each other in a tense pressure-cooker about loyalty shattered by greed. Critics are already calling it one of the best action films to hit the streaming platform this year.

What Happens When Millions Are Found

The Rip follows a team of elite Miami cops who stumble upon an unthinkable fortune. During a routine raid on a derelict stash house, they discover millions in cash hidden in plain sight. The discovery triggers an immediate crisis: outside forces learn about the massive seizure, and suddenly no one knows who to trust. Matt Damon plays Lieutenant Dane Dumars, while Ben Affleck portrays Detective Sergeant JD Byrne, officers whose friendship becomes the film’s emotional battleground.

Director Joe Carnahan crafts each scene with suffocating tension. Phones ring unexpectedly. Headlights appear in mirrors. Every moment feels like the next betrayal could shatter everything. What makes this thriller different is its laser focus on how greed corrupts even good intentions, transforming protectors into suspects overnight.

Affleck and Damon Deliver Career-Best Performances

Critics are unanimous: The Rip showcases some of the strongest work these A-list actors have delivered. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the chemistry between Damon and Affleck texturizes their classic partnership, now aged by years of experience. Peter Travers praised how their performances sell the action when the script leans toward formula. The supporting cast, including Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, and Scott Adkins, delivers equally compelling work.

What elevates The Rip is that no character feels entirely innocent or fully guilty. Moral ambiguity permeates every scene. Viewers constantly question which officers deserve trust, making Netflix’s release strategy feel risky but deliberate:

Netflix’s Unprecedented Deal

The Rip represents Netflix’s first theatrical competitor to major studios. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon negotiated an exclusive streaming deal through their production company Artists Equity, ending years of streaming service exclusivity debates. Joe Carnahan wrote and directed this 133-minute action thriller with theatrical ambitions on a Netflix budget. The platform licensed international rights exclusively, a rare arrangement that signals Hollywood’s shifting power dynamics.

Detail	Information
Release Date	January 16, 2026
Platform	Netflix (Exclusive)
Director	Joe Carnahan
Rating	R for Violence

The move breaks traditional streaming patterns. Major stars like Affleck and Damon rarely bypass theatrical releases. Their choice to premiere exclusively on Netflix signals confidence in the film’s appeal to home viewers and suggests theatrical windows may be dying for elite action films. Critics note this decision strengthens Netflix’s positioning against competitors like Prime Video and Apple TV+.

“Leveraging Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s classic chemistry to texturize a friendship tested by greed, The Rip tears into its potboiler setup with compulsively watchable confidence.”

— Rotten Tomatoes, Critics Consensus

True Story Inspiration Grounds the Drama

The Rip draws from real Miami police events that shocked the department decades ago. Joe Carnahan adapted the screenplay after hearing accounts from an actual Miami detective about corruption, loyalty fractures, and moral compromises within elite units. The fictional characters and plot differ, but the emotional truth remains: finding millions can destroy brotherhood. Historical parallels exist in documented Miami police scandals where units discovered massive drug money, sparking internal investigations and betrayals that lasted years.

Audiences praise how the film balances explosive action sequences with intimate character moments. Early reviewers highlight a stunning car chase through Miami streets and a climactic confrontation that delivers genuine consequences. The R rating reflects intense violence and pervasive language, ensuring this is definitely not a family film.

Why Should You Stream The Rip Tonight

If you loved Carnahan’s Smoking Aces or The Grey, this belongs on your watchlist immediately. The Rip succeeds because it refuses easy answers: are these cops heroes protecting justice or criminals protecting stolen wealth? The tension never releases, and by the ending, viewers leave questioning their own judgment calls. Damon and Affleck don’t overshadow each other; they dance around mutual suspicion with every glance. Netflix released this January 16, 2026 as a statement of confidence in premium action cinema at home. Audience scores sit at 70% Fresh, slightly lower than critics but still solidly positive.

Sources

• Rotten Tomatoes: Critics consensus and original reviews for The Rip
• Netflix Official: Plot details, cast information, and streaming details
• Collider, Forbes, Screen Rant: Critical analysis of film quality and performances