The winter storm raged, a furious counterpoint to the flickering screen in my home. Like millions of others, I found myself caught between the demands of the weather – a relentless shoveling of snow – and the pull of streaming entertainment. My task: to dissect a new action film, “The Rip,” starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, a movie seemingly designed for precisely this kind of fragmented attention.
The question lingered: did it even matter that viewers were consuming content in pieces? The box office numbers offered a stark answer. A new AI thriller, “Mercy,” topped the charts with a paltry $11 million, barely edging out established franchises and smaller releases. Netflix held the key to understanding how many were seeking refuge in “The Rip,” but with Damon and Affleck involved, the numbers were unlikely to be insignificant.
Damon himself recently acknowledged the changing landscape of viewership, speaking to the expectation of distraction. The old formula of three action set-pieces was outdated. Now, the demand was for immediate impact – a “big one in the first five minutes” – and a narrative reinforced repeatedly, anticipating wandering minds and preoccupied eyes glued to phones.
I initially watched “The Rip” in fits and starts, dictated by the relentless snowfall. But a focused viewing revealed a film deliberately crafted for the distracted viewer. The action lacked the visceral punch needed for the big screen, and the dialogue felt repetitive, almost a looped reassurance of the plot. It felt akin to tuning into a single episode of a procedural drama, understanding the core story even if nuances were missed.
The film opens with a flurry of images – the hallmarks of a South Florida crime thriller: burner phones, speeding cars, and a brutal assassination. This initial burst of action, likely a direct response to Netflix’s demands, sets the stage for an internal investigation led by Damon’s Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Affleck’s Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne. They are questioned about their connection to the slain police captain and the shadowy dealings within various task forces.
Damon, a far cry from his Oscar-winning role in “The Departed,” now embodies a world-weariness signaled by a graying beard and glasses. Yet, his character’s dialogue feels strangely hollow. Lines like “I’ve been waking up every night, like, thinking about time” lack the weight they attempt to convey. The film quickly pivots to a “stash house” – a supposed treasure trove of drug money – in the less-than-glamorous streets of Hialeah, Florida.
Suspicion permeates every scene. Is Byrne a rogue cop? Was he involved in the captain’s death? Who is on the take? The questions pile up, but none possess the staying power to truly captivate. The action sequences feel staged, lacking the grit and realism of genuine thrillers. The film’s twists and turns resemble a low-stakes mystery, and its ultimate message feels like a betrayal of the genre’s core principles.
“The Rip” isn’t a film lamenting its streaming release; it’s a film that wouldn’t benefit from a theatrical run. It’s designed for small screens and fragmented attention, meant to be passively consumed in short bursts. It’s the first project from Damon and Affleck’s new production company, Artists Equity, a venture designed to secure bonuses for the cast and crew based on the film’s success on the platform.
Perhaps the most disheartening aspect isn’t the film’s quality, but the fact that a disposable piece of entertainment like “The Rip” is being used to test a new model for film industry compensation. And, tragically, it’s likely to succeed, drawing enough casual viewers – even those battling a snowstorm – to make that compensation a reality.
