Tag: netflix

The Rip (2026)

  • Director: Joe Carnahan
  • Screenplay: Joe Carnahan
  • Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, Kyle Chandler
  • Cinematography: Juan Miguel Azpiroz
  • Editing: Kevin Hale
  • Score: Clinton Shorter
  • Genre: Action thriller
  • Runtime: 113 minutes

The Miami-Dade Police Department’s Tactical Narcotics Team receive a tip-off of a stash house: a property used for the storage of illegal goods – in this case, $20 million hidden behind a wall in the attic of a suburban home. The team; Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon), Detective Sergeant JD Byrne (Ben Affleck) and three detectives (played by Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor and Catalina Sandino Moreno) conduct a ‘rip’, a seizure of said assets.

Dumars (Matt Damon) starts acting erratic; confiscating everyone’s cellphones, not notifying his superiors. When he first got the tip, he gave his colleagues conflicting answers whenever they inquired as to the amount of money stashed. What’s he up to? Is he scheming to take a large chunk for himself?

The head honchos at Netflix would abscond with the cash, undoubtedly, so they can continue operating their conveyor belt of glossy yet hollow projects. How much dosh did they need to sway stars (and producers) Damon and Affleck into their fold?

The cops are the good guys, right? Working in law enforcement is a thankless job; mistreated by members of the public, constantly in danger of death on the front line. Could you honestly blame them for ‘earning’ a little on the side?

Twisty and confusing (in parts), ‘The Rip’ is watchable if nothing special. The use of lighting is superb however. The abode the raid occurs in is in an eerily quiet cul-de-sac, and as the squad’s mission takes place after hours, streetlights provide the source of illumination. An atmosphere of unease is created – both on the street and inside the garage where the dollars are counted, green light seeping through the windows.

My rating: 5 / 10

A House of Dynamite (2025)

  • Director: Kathryn Bigelow
  • Screenplay: Noah Oppenheim
  • Cast: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts
  • Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
  • Editing: Kirk Baxter
  • Score: Volker Bertelmann
  • Genre: Apocalyptic political thriller
  • Runtime: 112 minutes

We’re living in a world on a knife edge; nine countries possess nuclear weapons and have the capability to annihilate an opposing nation. From an American viewpoint, the most likely candidates for launching an attack against them are China, Russia or North Korea.

A chilling scenario plays out: at Fort Greely, Alaska, radars detect an intercontinental ballistic missile heading across the Pacific Ocean. We’re thrust into the frenzy of the White House Situation Room as the events unfold at an alarming speed. The missile is on course to hit Chicago, wiping out millions upon millions of civilians. The members of staff in the Situation Room have prepared for this eventuality a thousand times but when training becomes a reality, the panic sets in.

Less than 20 minutes till the Windy City is blown away, a conference call is arranged between the Situation Room, the Pentagon and commanders of the Armed Forces, joined by the Secretary of Defense and the President himself (Idris Elba). With the perpetrator unknown, the leader of the free world is put in an impossible position: does he launch a preemptive strike on enemy bases or risk more inbound missiles decimating cities?

None of the key players are one-dimensional characters. Everyone has a family of sorts, whether it be a pregnant partner, a young child or a detached relationship with a daughter. The story never deviates from the impending crisis yet these little glimpses into the interpersonal help to fully realise what could just be faceless identities rushing around.

Told in three chapters each from a different perspective, Kathryn Bigelow’s fictional portrayal of the United States government’s worst nightmare emanates tension right up until the last moment.

My rating: 7 / 10