Netflix released the first trailer for The Rip, a Miami-set police thriller that reunites longtime collaborators Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The film, written and directed by Joe Carnahan, centers on a narcotics team whose discovery of millions in cash tests loyalties and exposes outside pressures. A sizable ensemble including Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sasha Calle and Kyle Chandler supports the leads. Netflix will stream The Rip beginning January 16, 2026.
Key Takeaways
- The Rip’s trailer debuted via Netflix promotion ahead of its January 16, 2026 release on the platform.
- Joe Carnahan wrote and directed; the story follows Miami narcotics officers who find a derelict stash house containing millions in cash.
- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck star and produce under their Artists Equity banner; Dani Bernfeld and Luciana Damon are also credited producers.
- Main cast includes Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sasha Calle, Néstor Carbonell, Lina Esco, Scott Adkins and Kyle Chandler.
- Production credits list Kevin Halloran and Michael Joe as executive producers, Michael McGrale and Sasha Veneziano as co-producers, and Gage Hanlon as associate producer.
- Carnahan says the project draws on a friend’s real-world Miami-Dade narcotics experience and on 1970s cop-film traditions.
Background
The Rip arrives amid renewed audience interest in gritty, character-driven police dramas. Joe Carnahan, known for tense crime stories, frames the film as both a procedural and a study of interpersonal breakdown under pressure. The director has cited classics from the 1970s and modern touchstones that focus on moral ambiguity and ensemble dynamics.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s partnership extends decades and now includes producing through Artists Equity, their company aimed at giving creators and actors more control. Their involvement brings industry attention and marketing heft to Netflix’s slate as streaming platforms continue to compete for event titles.
Set in Miami, the film taps a locale with a long history in American crime cinema and real-world narcotics enforcement controversies. Carnahan’s stated inspiration from a friend who worked in Miami-Dade tactical narcotics signals an attempt to anchor the story in lived experience while remaining a fictional thriller.
Main Event
The trailer establishes the central inciting incident: a derelict stash house yields millions in cash and triggers internal suspicion among a team of officers. As word of the find spreads to external actors, alliances fracture and decisions take on criminal and ethical stakes. Visuals in the trailer emphasize tense confrontations, nighttime Miami streets, and close-quarters squad dynamics.
Damon and Affleck, both on-screen and behind the camera, are presented as central figures in the ensemble rather than lone heroes. Supporting performances by Steven Yeun and Teyana Taylor are highlighted in the trailer, suggesting interconnected subplots and competing agendas within the unit.
Production details released with the trailer identify Joe Carnahan as writer-director, a creative choice that aligns tone and narrative direction. The credits released alongside the footage list multiple producing partners, underscoring the collaborative nature of the film’s development and the business structure behind its Netflix release.
Analysis & Implications
The Rip fits into two converging trends: streaming platforms investing in mid-budget star-driven thrillers, and filmmakers revisiting procedural realism through a character-focused lens. For Netflix, the title strengthens a catalogue strategy that mixes prestige talent with stories that can travel internationally without depending on franchise infrastructure.
Damon and Affleck’s dual roles as actors and producers are significant. Their Artists Equity banner gives them leverage to shape projects creatively and commercially; The Rip will be a metric for how star-driven, producer-led partnerships perform on streaming platforms versus theatrical tentpoles.
Carnahan’s invocation of 1970s crime cinema suggests stylistic choices—long-form character beats, moral ambiguity, and ensemble friction—that could appeal to critics and cinephiles. If the final film leans into these elements, it may position itself for awards-season attention among critics’ groups, even without a wide theatrical rollout.
On a broader level, the film’s Miami setting and narcotics premise could provoke public conversation about law enforcement culture and accountability. While The Rip is a fictional property, its real-world inspirations mean reception may include scrutiny from former officers, civil-rights organizations and local communities.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform | Netflix (streaming) |
| Director / Writer | Joe Carnahan |
| Release Date | January 16, 2026 |
| Lead Producers | Matt Damon, Ben Affleck (Artists Equity) |
| Principal Cast | Damon, Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sasha Calle, Kyle Chandler |
The table above distills key production and release facts. Compared with recent Netflix crime dramas, The Rip leverages recognizable star power at release rather than building from franchise IP, a model Netflix has used to generate global, short-term viewership spikes.
Reactions & Quotes
The trailer prompted quick industry notice, largely focused on the Damon-Affleck reunion and Carnahan’s creative framing.
“It grew from a close friend’s experience in Miami narcotics and my interest in character-driven cops-on-edge stories,”
Joe Carnahan, writer-director (Tudum interview)
Carnahan also named several 1970s and modern cop films as stylistic touchstones, tying The Rip’s approach to a lineage of morally complex ensemble crime movies.
“I wanted the emotional stakes and relationships to feel as important as the action, with echoes of classic 70s thrillers,”
Joe Carnahan
Unconfirmed
- No official runtime has been released for The Rip as of the trailer launch.
- Detailed plot beats beyond the logline and trailer visuals remain unconfirmed until the film’s wider release.
Bottom Line
The Rip positions itself as a star-powered, director-driven addition to Netflix’s crime slate, trading franchise scale for character-focused intensity. The Damon-Affleck production partnership and Carnahan’s stated influences suggest the film will aim for a balance of pulse-driven set pieces and morally fraught ensemble drama.
As the January 16, 2026 release approaches, attention will center on whether the full film deepens the trailer’s promise—especially in its handling of law enforcement detail and interpersonal rupture—and how audiences respond to this model of streaming-first, star-led crime storytelling.