At this point, we know that Netflix original movies are something of a gamble, but there’s a new one out today that may lure you away from watching 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple in theaters. That would be The Rip, a new action thriller starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, rounded out by a great cast.
The Rip is a who’s who of currently popular actors, in addition to industry staples like Affleck and Damon (Damon, this year, about to lead Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey). There’s Teyana Taylor, nabbing all sorts of awards for her supporting role in One Battle After Another. There’s Oscar nominee, Emmy winner and Walking Dead veteran Steven Yeun. There’s current Green Lantern Kyle Chandler and previous Supergirl Sasha Calle.
To top it all off, the movie is directed by action icon Joe Carnahan, responsible for classics like The Grey, Smokin’ Aces, Narc and more. But with this cast and Netflix’s reach, this may be his highest profile movie…ever? Here’s the synopsis:
So, the question I posed in the headline. Is it worth watching? We have seen many Netflix action movies fall on their face, but The Rip seems to be great. With dozens of reviews in, it currently has a very solid 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, albeit with no audience score in yet.
We can compare The Rip to other Netflix original action movies, and it has nearly set a Rotten Tomatoes record in the action genre.
- Rebel Ridge – 95%
- The Rip – 84%
- The Old Guard – 80%
- Extraction 2 – 80%
- Triple Frontier – 71%
- Army of Thieves – 69%
- Army of the Dead – 68%
- Badlands Hunters – 67%
- Extraction – 67%
- Havoc – 67%
- The Grey Man – 46%
- The Mother – 43%
- Outside the Wire – 37%
- Red Notice – 37%
- Back in Action – 31%
- The Old Guard 2 – 27%
- Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire – 22%
- Polar – 22%
- Rebel Moon: The Scargiver – 16%
There may be more I’m missing, but I think I’ve gotten every high profile Netflix original action movie here, and I cannot find anything higher than the current score of The Rip, short of Rebel Ridge, which yes, I would absolutely say deserves the number one spot. I think the Extraction movies should be higher, personally. But no, Netflix does not have the best track record in this genre.
Finally, here’s one critic’s take on The Rip (I’ll post mine tomorrow):
- The Hollywood Reporter: “While his new film doesn’t reshape the mold, an ace cast led by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and twisty plotting that bristles with paranoia and mistrust make it an entertaining watch.”
I’m off to watch it after work today, and I’ll report back with my own thoughts soon.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/01/16/matt-damons-the-rip-nearly-sets-a-netflix-rotten-tomatoes-record/
