Matt Damon & Ben Affleck’s Explosive Return: Why Netflix’s ‘The Rip’ Is 2026’s Must-Watch Action Thriller

In the modern media landscape, it can often feel like the vast majority of attention is paid to streaming TV shows or blockbuster movies that take theaters by storm. While both of those things have their place, thrilling action movies that aren't dominated by CGI, dinosaurs, or superheroes also deserve to be celebrated.

Fortunately, a new movie is set to be released on Netflix soon that feels like it has the potential to become an event for action movie lovers.

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck’s 'The Rip' to Premiere on Netflix on January 16, 2026

In September 2025, Netflix's official website announced that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were teaming up for a new movie that would premiere on the streaming service. The article released about the movie revealed that The Rip's Netflix premiere will take place on January 16, 2026. The article also contained the following synopsis describing what The Rip will be about.

"The Rip follows Damon and Affleck as Miami cop partners who find themselves in a sticky situation after their team finds $24 million stashed away in a safehouse. Required by law to count the money before leaving the scene, the cops and their team must survive the night — and each other."

Why 'The Rip' Could Be a Must-See Action Crime Thriller

As of the time of this writing, The Rip doesn't have a Rotten Tomatoes score, and viewers haven't yet had the opportunity to watch it. As a result, the movie could wind up being a disappointment. While that is clear, the exciting thing about the upcoming Netflix movie is that there are several compelling reasons to have high hopes that it could be a great action movie. The first of which is the fact that the aforementioned Netflix article listed the movie's impressive cast and some of their past credits.

• Matt Damon (Stillwater, The Bourne Identity)
• Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, Triple Frontier)
• Steven Yeun (Beef, The Walking Dead)
• Teyana Taylor (A Thousand and One, The Book of Clarence)
• Catalina Sandino Moreno (Silent Night, Maria Full of Grace)
• Sasha Calle (The Flash, The Young and the Restless)
• Néstor Carbonell (Shōgun, The Morning Show)
• Lina Esco (S.W.A.T)
• Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Day Shift)
• Kyle Chandler (Back in Action, Friday Night Lights)

Of course, that cast list is highlighted by the fact that the movie stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. As two of the biggest movie stars of their generation, both men have proven their ability to headline fantastic movies. On top of that, the fact that Damon and Affleck teamed up for the widely acclaimed movie Good Will Hunting makes all of their collaborations more noteworthy. It also has to be noted that Affleck had previously starred in a fantastic action movie that was underestimated before its release, The Accountant.

On top of the onscreen talent, The Rip boasts the involvement of two people who've proven they can help produce action movies that connect with viewers. For example, The Rip's director, Joe Carnahan, previously helmed movies like Smokin' Aces and The Grey on top of writing and directing several episodes of The Blacklist. The fact that Affleck is also involved in the movie after directing movies like Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo is another compelling reason to believe The Rip has a lot of potential.

Finally, the trailer for The Rip seems like it features more than enough action to give many fans who can't get enough of action movies a low-level adrenaline rush. Since the movie almost certainly will have much more action, it really seems like The Rip is perfectly positioned to become a hit.