By Gabriel Payne
The intensely drug-controlled, highly dangerous and fast paced underworld of Miami, Florida is a side of life that many do not come into contact with often, if at all. For the majority of America, their lives are neatly experienced in nice, quiet suburban neighborhood developments, without a care or thought given to the millions of dollars and thousands of people involved in illegal lifestyles right under their noses.
This security they feel is due to the valiant efforts of law enforcement officers. These heroes act as the sandbag between civilized society and the violent damage of criminal activities. Yet they are also human, vulnerable to loss, pain and fear. And so, they do not always walk away from their duty untouched.
Joe Carnahan’s Netflix Original “The RIP” is a high-octane, intensely genuine and boldly direct exploration into the minds of the officers of Miami’s own TNT (Tactical Narcotics Team) as they wrestle with the mysterious murder of their captain and an illegal cash discovery unlike anything they’ve ever seen. While offering climatic action sequences and vivid special effects moments, this story is really focused on people and how they press on despite adversity and loss.
The TNT is composed of five members, led by Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) and Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne (Ben Affleck). Damon and Affleck, childhood friends from Boston, offer impressive performances – with every tense moment feeling as strained and visceral as intended. Their chemistry is also incredible, creating a genuinely believable buddy-cop dynamic that is one of the film’s highlights.
Dumars (Matt Damon) and Byrne (Ben Affleck) are best friends on and off screen
While none of the supporting cast stand out for the excellence of their performance, neither do any stand out for a poor job. For a film of this caliber, this is definitely rare and something that makes the project stand out. It is important to remember that this is a Netflix Original, not a blockbuster production, and so to expect masterpiece level work is simply unrealistic.
The central theme of this film is the idea of “life purpose.” These characters who face so much death and destruction every day are forced to grapple with their reason for doing it. They have to find their reason for waking up everyday and continuing to put on their badge, despite what it costs them.
For some, it’s money. There is no friendship they won’t sacrifice, no law they won’t bend, no line they won’t cross in pursuit of what they believe they need to make their life better. For these characters, money is what can solve all their problems and bring them the joy that they sorely lack. And so, everyday they fix their eyes on money and money alone.
On the other hand, some of the characters have lived long enough and seen enough destruction to realize that life itself is inherently valuable and each day is a gift not to be wasted. The phrase often used by these characters is “live to see another sunrise.” For them, the thought of tomorrow is exactly enough to get them through today.
In a not-so-subtle message, the film clearly demonstrates the fruit of each of these perspectives. The characters who live for money find nothing but emptiness and destruction for their efforts. Those who enjoy life and view it as a gift ultimately find rest, joy and healing by choosing to forsake their desire for money in order to live rightly.
A tense moment as some of the TNT discover the truth is not exactly what it seems
Although the film is not religious, the project impressively demonstrates a core truth of life that is found all throughout Scripture. Any pursuit of this world will be endless, because it shall never be satisfied. The only way that mankind can find true rest, true joy and true healing is to live in the daily reality of their identity in Christ. Choosing to live in gratitude for the Messiah’s sacrifice, allows us to live and breathe in true freedom everyday.
Aside from its central theme, the film was not of the highest quality from a technical perspective. When it came to dialogue, cinematography and action scenes, there were definitely some “rough around the edges” moments. The film did not have the strongest writing, as the focus was clearly on entertainment and engagement rather than artistic value.
That being said, the film was impressively raw in its characterization and offered several respectable performances. It dealt with its central theme in a highly impactful way. Limited mostly by the caliber of movie, rather than a failure of the film makers – I would recommend that you check this one out (though be wary of the intense language) and rate this film a 6/10.
“The RIP” is currently streaming on Netflix
Gabriel Payne is a junior Mechanical Engineering major whose greatest passion in life is glorifying the Lord, followed closely by some good soul food.
Pictures courtesy of Artists Equity and Starlight Media
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