The Rip draws on a 2016 Miami cash seizure but largely fictionalizes the case

Movieweb reports that Joe Carnahan's Netflix crime thriller The Rip is based on a real 2016 Miami cash seizure that provided the film's core premise. The movie, starring Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant JD Byrne, recreates many striking details from the real case.

According to the Miami Herald, Miami‑Dade detectives found an estimated $24 million in heat‑sealed bundles of $100 bills stuffed in 24 orange 5‑gallon Home Depot buckets, some labeled "$150K," and even a loaded Tec‑9 pistol in a bucket. The hidden stash was reportedly reachable only through an attic trap door and was guarded by religious figurines, including a St.

Lazarus statuette. Carnahan has said he first heard the story from Miami officer Chris Casiano, who served as the film's technical advisor and as the basis for Damon's character; the film is dedicated to Casiano's son, Jake, who died at age 11 from leukemia. The Rip departs from the facts in key ways: the real case reportedly began as a DEA investigation into marijuana traffickers, did not involve an officer's death or an elaborate scheme to expose corrupt cops, and Miami‑Dade detectives accounted for and transported the cash to the department.

Key Topics

Culture, The Rip, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Joe Carnahan, Chris Casiano