‘The Rip’ True Story, Explained

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The new Netflix movie starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon is earning praise for its gripping and emotional story that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Directed by Joe Carnahan, known for crime thrillers like Smokin’ Aces, Narc, and Copshop, the film centers around a complex tale of shifting alliances where no one is quite who they seem. Set against a backdrop of moral gray areas and corruption, The Rip also presents itself as being based on real events.

Even though the exciting ending of The Rip might make viewers wonder how accurate it is, the movie actually gets a surprising amount of detail right. Of course, some parts were changed or added to make the film more thrilling. But what’s the real story behind The Rip? Fortunately, the events were widely reported when they happened, so audiences can easily see where the movie takes creative license.

The True Story Behind ‘The Rip’, Explained

The Massive Cash Seizure Actually Happened


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In The Rip, Matt Damon plays Lieutenant Dane Dumars, who leads a narcotics team, and Ben Affleck is Detective Sergeant JD Byrne. Acting on a lead, the team expects to find a small amount of money but instead discovers over $20 million. This massive find causes conflict within the team, as some members consider keeping the money for themselves. The film features intense scenes, including police officers killing each other, shootouts in neighborhoods, and a thrilling car chase. While dramatized, the movie paid close attention to detail to ensure certain aspects felt realistic.

The movie’s inspiration came from a real event shared with director Antoine Fuqua by a police advisor. While working on Bad Boys for Life, Miami police officer Chris Casiano recounted leading a tactical squad that seized a large sum of cash – a scenario mirrored in the film. This happened in 2016, and a Miami Herald article details the striking parallels to the movie’s plot. Incredibly, Miami-Dade police actually raided a suspected drug trafficker’s home and discovered over $24 million hidden within the walls.

The remarkable thing about The Rip is how meticulously it recreates the discovery of the money. Every detail, from the buckets’ color to the way the cash was wrapped, is taken directly from the real events. Even the inclusion of a gun found within the buckets turned out to be accurate, as reported by the Miami Herald.

Miami-Dade police searching the home of a suspected drug dealer discovered around $24 million in cash. The money, primarily $100 bills sealed in bags, was found packed inside 24 orange buckets from Home Depot.

Inside the main bedroom’s closet, Miami-Dade police discovered cash sealed in bags, each marked with ‘$150K’. The arrest report also states officers found several vials of steroids and a loaded Tec-9 pistol with a large ammunition magazine.

A surprising detail in The Rip is how the detectives actually find the money. The film shows them discovering a hidden room behind a religious statue, filled with buckets of cash. It seems like something straight out of a movie, but it turns out to be a true detail from the real events.

Investigators worked late into Wednesday night counting a large sum of money. Most of the cash was discovered hidden in a secret room within the attic of the luxurious home. The entrance to this room was concealed behind a statue of St. Lazarus in the hallway.

The hidden room was only reachable through the attic, via a trapdoor concealed behind fiberglass insulation. The attic entrance itself was decorated with religious figurines related to Santeria. After taking down a statue of Saint Lazarus from a small alcove, the detectives broke through the hallway wall to get the buckets out.

‘The Rip’s Most Heartbreaking Detail Is Real


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The film The Rip was also inspired by Casiano, who not only served as a technical advisor but was the model for the character Dumars. A key part of Dumars’ story is the death of his son, revealed to be from cancer when he was just 11 years old. This personal tragedy adds layers to Dumars’ character and gives earlier scenes more meaning. This detail reflects Casiano’s own life experience; his son, Jake William Casiano, sadly passed away from leukemia at the age of 11, and the film is dedicated to Jake’s memory. Carnahan explained to GoldDerby that Jake was the emotional core of the entire project.

It’s a delicate conversation. You have to approach your friend and explain that you want to honor their loved one respectfully, without profiting from their memory. The idea is to create something lasting – a tribute to Jake’s life, even though it was tragically short – that acknowledges the grief and 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 really moved us – we both cried a lot. It was a very emotional and powerful experience. I specifically wanted ‘Jake’ to be the first name mentioned, because I wanted to emphasize the human element and the story’s emotional core from the start.

What Did ‘The Rip’ Change for the Movie?


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The movie The Rip significantly deviates from the actual events. Unlike the film’s portrayal, the case wasn’t triggered by an officer’s death, and there wasn’t a complex scheme to expose corrupt police. The truth is much simpler: the investigation started as a DEA effort to catch marijuana smugglers and naturally led them to the house that was raided. Furthermore, the police properly secured all the money found, meaning the dramatic chase scene in the movie is entirely fabricated. According to the Miami Herald:

Even experienced narcotics detectives were shocked by the amount of money found. The cash, contained in buckets, was taken to the Miami-Dade police department and carefully counted using specialized machines.

Although Damon Dumars is inspired by Casiano, most of the characters in the story are made up, including the dishonest police officers, as these elements aren’t based on real events. Similarly, Desi, the person living in the house featured in The Rip, seems to be a fictional character. Unlike what was reported, no reward was offered to anyone living there, and the house didn’t burn down.

Miami-Dade police will probably now try to keep the money using civil forfeiture laws, and federal authorities could seize the home in Miami Lakes.

The money at the heart of the movie The Rip was genuine, and its confiscation was one of the biggest in the area’s history, attracting a lot of media attention. While the film is inspired by this real event, it’s largely a work of fiction and doesn’t accurately depict what happened. However, the film’s moving story for the character Dumars is rooted in truth, making it a unique tribute. The Rip does offer some factual elements beneath its crime thriller surface, but it’s a very loose adaptation of the real story.

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2026-01-21 00:35