The Rip is a solid thrilled swallowed by the streaming era

That a $100 million action thriller pairing the A-list power couple Ben Affleck and Matt Damon with Smokin’ Aces (2006) director Joe Carnahan has been relegated to a Netflix-only release portends a grim reality for movie theaters — especially as the streaming giant moves to swallow Warner Bros.

Carnahan’s The Rip is the kind of mid-budget, early-2000s crime picture that once lived in theaters for a few weeks before settling into its second life as a Friday-night Blockbuster rental. Now it’s been filed straight into the algorithmic cabinet. Though no modern crime classic, it has enough craft and star wattage to deserve a little more oxygen.