‘The Rip’s Ending Dedication, Explained

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Joe Carnahan’s new crime thriller, The Rip, now streaming on Netflix, follows Miami detectives Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as they discover a huge sum of money. This find throws them into a web of uncertainty, forcing them to question everyone around them. While the film is based on real events, it’s more accurately described as inspired by a true story, with some fictionalized details. The movie draws from a 2016 incident where Miami-Dade police seized $24 million from drug traffickers – the largest cash seizure in Miami’s history, as reported by the Miami Herald.

The new film draws inspiration from a true story about confiscated money, but director Carnahan went beyond the headlines, adding details about the police officers involved. He aimed to create a deeply emotional core for the film, particularly for Matt Damon’s character, Lieutenant Dane Dumars. This emotional center is revealed in a dedication at the end of the film to Jake William Casiano, a name with significant personal meaning to the story that many viewers won’t be aware of.

Jake William Casiano’s Dedication in ‘The Rip’, Explained


Netflix

The character of Damon Dumars in ‘The Rip’ is based on Chris Casiano, a former Miami police supervisor who led a narcotics team similar to the one depicted in the film. Casiano also served as a technical advisor on the movie. The story’s origins actually go back to Carnahan’s work on ‘Bad Boys for Life’ in 2020, where Casiano was also a technical advisor. He shared the details of a $24 million cash seizure during that production, which inspired Carnahan to create ‘The Rip’.

A particularly moving part of the film focuses on Dumars’ personal story. In The Rip, he shares that his son, Jake, passed away from cancer, a heartbreaking detail that reflects a real-life tragedy. Tragically, Casiano, the actor portraying Dumars, also lost his son, Jake William Casiano, to leukemia in 2021 at just 11 years old. The director, Carnahan, had Casiano’s permission to include this detail in the film, and he specifically wanted Jake’s name to be the first one viewers see. Carnahan explained the dedication to the film in an interview with Gold Derby.

It’s a delicate conversation. You need to approach your friend and explain that you don’t want to dishonor their son’s memory or profit from their grief. The idea is to create something meaningful – a lasting tribute to Jake and his life – that acknowledges the sadness while celebrating who he was. Thankfully, Chris agreed, and I’m grateful for his support.

I showed him the movie about a month ago while we were in Miami, and it made us both cry a lot – it was a really powerful and emotional experience. I especially wanted his name, Jake, to appear first, so you’d immediately understand he was a genuine and relatable person at the story’s core.

In The Rip, Dumars struggles with the grief of losing his son, and the full story isn’t revealed until the very end. This deeply emotional detail is one of the film’s most powerful moments. It’s more meaningful than it initially seems, as his son’s memory has consistently guided Dumars’ actions and kept him steadfast. Through skillful storytelling and emotional depth, director Carnahan delivers a touching tribute to Jake William Casiano.

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2026-01-20 16:20