NFL
By: Matt Overton
Would you like a delicious slice of copaganda to kick off the new year? Netflix has you covered with its latest “let’s see how much money we can waste making a piece of content everyone will forget in three years.” Even as I sat down with the explicit intention of watching The Rip, I knew I was making a bad decision. However, I couldn’t help myself! Having Matt Damon and Ben Affleck co-lead a tense crime drama set in hot Miami, Netflix knew this would be irresistible.
The Rip centers on the murder of a Miami police captain. Jackie was leading a small narcotics and cash squad. The squad even included a money-sniffing Beagle named Wilbur. After Jackie’s death, her squad is in shambles, trying to figure out what happened. They are led by the capable Matt “Dane” Damon. His best bud Ben “J.D.” Affleck is a chain-smoking hothead, but the two balance each other well. They come equipped with that lovable banter that never gets old.
The film maintains a steady tension that kept me invested throughout. However, as the lead star himself pointed out, Netflix has a certain way of making movies. Haven’t we all been talking about this for years? It is somewhat refreshing to hear someone call it out, even if it wasn’t deliberate. Netflix’s style of filmmaking can be quite exhausting. The Rip is a prime example of a lot of these problems. As Damon mentioned, the script is repeating itself constantly. Consequently, Netflix specifically makes its movies for people who can’t put down their damn phones. I’ve discussed the Netflix Sheen enough that I don’t even need to dive into that here. Joe Carnahan knows what kind of movie he is making. However, Netflix is inserting its own distorted, capitalistic, techno-dystopian slop that completely ruins the vision.
The Rip has a lot of the right ingredients: extremely charismatic co-leads with a ton of trust, a padded supporting cast featuring Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, and enough palpable tension to deliver a veritable thrill ride. However, that red N had to get involved and turn it all to mush. For me to regret watching a film it has to be utter garbage, and The Rip is not. At the very least, this film reminds me of better cinema and the potential for this art form when it’s not in the hands of greedy corporations. However, I very much do not recommend that you watch this.
