Netflix’s ‘The Rip’ Is the Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Movie We Deserve

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Netflix has given a sneak peek at an upcoming film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The two actors, who have been friends and collaborators for years, will appear together in a movie called The Rip. They first gained recognition with the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, for which they won an Academy Award for their screenplay.

Both Affleck and Damon have become major stars. Affleck has achieved success as an Oscar-winning director, even playing Batman, while Damon has collaborated with highly respected directors like Christopher Nolan and the Coen Brothers. Though they’ve continued to work together on projects like Air and The Last Duel, fans have long hoped for a specific kind of film from them. Now, Netflix’s The Rip seems poised to deliver exactly that, a project that feels like it should have happened 28 years ago.

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Followed Unique Career Paths After ‘Good Will Hunting’


Miramax Films

After the breakout success of Good Will Hunting, which really launched both their careers, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck went in slightly different directions. For Damon, things took off immediately – he followed up that Oscar win with a huge role in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. He wasn’t afraid to tackle different genres, moving between dramas like Finding Forrester and All the Pretty Horses, and then smartly jumping into bigger, crowd-pleasing projects. I mean, Ocean’s Eleven was brilliant, and then he became Jason Bourne! More recently, he’s continued to work with some of the biggest names in the business – Christopher Nolan on films like Interstellar and the incredible Oppenheimer, and Ridley Scott with The Martian. It’s been a consistently impressive career, really showcasing his range and smart choices.

Ben Affleck has had a diverse career, moving between large-scale blockbusters like Armageddon and more dramatic roles in films such as Shakespeare in Love and Bounce. He’s taken on many prominent parts, including Daredevil and Jack Ryan in The Sum of All Fears. Affleck also found success behind the camera, directing critically acclaimed films like The Town and the Academy Award-winning Argo. Despite his directing achievements, he remains a popular action star, known for roles in The Accountant and as Batman in the DC Extended Universe.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have worked together on several of Kevin Smith’s comedies, including Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. More recently, their projects have leaned towards drama, such as the 2021 historical film, The Last Duel. Their upcoming movie, The Rip, feels like something they could have created back in the early 2000s.

‘The Rip’ Looks Like an Early 2000s Crime Thriller

The trailer for The Rip shows Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as Miami police officers who stumble upon a huge sum of money. This discovery creates suspicion within their team. It’s a straightforward idea that works really well for a crime thriller, promising suspense, exciting gunfights, and characters turning against each other – exploring the line between honest and corrupt cops. Director and writer Joe Carnahan, known for his work in this genre since the early 2000s, is largely responsible for setting this tone.

Joe Carnahan first became known for his realistic 2002 police drama, Narc, which immersed viewers in a world of complex police relationships and corruption. He then directed Smokin’ Aces, featuring Ben Affleck in a role that marked the first time he used a squib – a small explosive device used to simulate gunshot wounds. Carnahan continued to work on both large-scale films like The A-Team and smaller projects, such as the 2021 Gerard Butler film Copshop.

The new film, The Rip, seems to be in line with director Antoine Fuqua’s strengths – creating dark, realistic worlds filled with difficult ethical questions. The trailer suggests a similar gritty style to his 2002 film, Narc, and it’s positioning Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for the kind of on-screen partnership fans have hoped for a long time.

Damon & Affleck Should’ve Made ‘The Rip’ Years Ago


Netflix

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ben Affleck gained recognition for intense roles in films like Rounders, where he played an underground poker player, and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, which explored the world of police corruption. Around the same time, he appeared in several crime-focused movies—including Boiler Room, Changing Lanes, and Reindeer Games—that really capture the feel of that period. This fascination with crime continued as Affleck moved into directing, with films like Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Live by Night all falling within the genre.

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Despite a long and successful career, Damon and Affleck haven’t appeared together in a gritty crime thriller – until now. Director Carnahan’s fondness for complex, morally ambiguous stories and flawed characters makes The Rip feel like the kind of film they would have made years ago, similar to The Departed or Affleck’s Changing Lanes. For years, fans have wanted to see these two actors work together, and The Rip finally delivers that wish, offering a nostalgic feel as if they’re recognizing they should have collaborated on this type of project sooner.

With The Rip, Affleck and Damon seem to be trying something similar to Training Day. The trailer evokes the atmosphere of classic crime dramas like Heat, Dark Blue, and Collateral. It feels like the kind of movie fans expected from the Good Will Hunting duo right after they won their Oscar, not nearly three decades later. Though The Rip doesn’t arrive on Netflix until January 16th, the initial glimpses suggest it’s a project that’s been a long time in the making.

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2025-12-27 04:20