Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reunite on screen in what is widely expected to become one of Netflix’s most high-profile crime thrillers of 2026. InThe Rip, what starts as a routine police seizure turns into something far more dangerous when a Miami unit discovers $24 million in cash inside a derelict stash house. As outside forces learn the size of the seizure, trust inside the team begins to crack. Required by law to count the money before leaving the scene, the cops and their team must survive the night — and each other, as one question looms: are we the good guys?
Produced by Artists Equity, the artist-led studio that Damon and Affleck founded in 2022 and directed by Joe Carnahan, here is everything you need to know about The Rip – from the story and cast to the meaning behind its title, the true story that inspired the film, and its Netflix release details.
The Rip: All the key details
- Title: The Rip
- Format: Film
- Genre: Crime thriller
- Runtime: 2h 13m(133 min)
- Director: Joe Carnahan
- Lead cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor
- Supporting cast: Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, Néstor Carbonell, Lina Esco
- Produced by: Artists Equity
- Platform: Netflix
What The Rip is about
Six weeks after the unsolved murder of a police captain, frustration is running high within Miami’s Tactical Narcotics Team. The investigation has stalled under bureaucratic delays, leaving the officers restless and eager for a break in the case.
It is within this climate that The Rip takes shape, following Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as longtime partners in the Miami police force. When their unit acts on a tip linked to a possible cartel operation, the move appears to offer a chance to finally break the stalemate. Instead, what seems like a routine lead leads them to a derelict safehouse containing $24 million in cash, instantly altering the stakes.
As word of the seizure begins to spread, pressure mounts from the outside, and trust inside the team starts to fracture. Required by law to remain on site and count the money before leaving, the officers find themselves forced to endure a long night where loyalties are tested, motives come into question, and survival depends as much on each other as on what’s happening beyond the door.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck: a reunion at the core of The Rip
The Rip reunites Matt Damon (Stillwater, The Bourne Identity) and Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, Triple Frontier) – best pals since their schooldays in Massachusetts – more than two decades after their collaboration on Good Will Hunting, which earned them an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Since then, their careers have often intersected, whether on screen or as producers, but they’ve only played lead roles alongside each other in a handful of films: Good Will Hunting and Dogma in the ’90s, and more recently The Last Duel and Air.
In The Rip, that history is built directly into the story. Damon plays Lieutenant Dane Dumars (essentially the doppelgänger” of Carnahan’s friend), while Affleck appears as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, two cops who have worked side by side long enough to develop an unspoken understanding. Their relationship is not introduced or explained; it is assumed. The film relies on that sense of familiarity, allowing their shared past – both as characters and as actors – to inform how they interact once the situation around the stash house begins to unravel. As the situation surrounding the stash house escalates, that familiarity becomes both an asset and a liability, forcing each man to reassess what trust means when the stakes are no longer abstract.
Director Joe Carnahan has addressed the significance of casting Damon and Affleck together again, pointing to the real-world bond they bring into the film:
“You talk about the meta of something,” Carnahan said, “you’ve got these two guys who have both been world-famous for over 30 years with a wonderful sense of friendship and brotherhood…Those guys are just so gifted and lovely and talented and open.”
The Rip – the cast
Surrounding Damon and Affleck is a large ensemble cast. Teyana Taylor, following her lead performance in One Battle After Another (which gained her a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role), appears as a key member of the team, alongside Steven Yeun, whose recent work includes Beef and The Walking Dead. The supporting cast includes Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, Néstor Carbonell, and Lina Esco.
What does “The Rip” mean?
The title The Rip comes directly from Miami police terminology. Carnahan explained the meaning in clear terms: “The title for The Rip is simply Miami cop parlance for ‘taking the bad guy’s stuff,’ which is known as ‘ripping’ it. In the event of a seizure of cash or drugs or weapons, the confiscation itself is known as the ‘rip’.” In the film, the term refers specifically to the seizure that sets the story in motion, grounding the narrative in real procedural language rather than metaphor.
Is The Rip based on a true story?
The Rip is a fictional story, but it is inspired by true events. Writer and director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Copshop) explained to Tudum that the film came out of a deeply personal experience that a friend went through, both as a father and as head of tactical narcotics for the Miami Dade police department.
“It’s inspired in part by his life and then, by my enduring love for those classic ‘70s cop thrillers that really valued the character and interpersonal relationships and became touchstones of that era — films like Serpico and Prince of The City and more recently, Michael Mann’s Heat.”
The Rip – release date on Netflix
The Rip will be released globally on Netflix on January 16, 2026.WATCH ON NETFLIX
Watch the trailer
Netflix has released a teaser trailer offering an early look at the film’s setting, dialogue, and central situation.
