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Written by: Joe Carnahan (screenplay by), Joe Carnahan & Michael McGrale (story by)
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Kyle Chandler, Nestor Carbonell
Rated: R
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Plot
A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the huge seizure, making them question who to rely on.
Verdict
It's a solid drama as cops bust a stash house, but it's the amount of money that leads to paranoia, distrust, and greed. They wonder if someone will miss so much more or whether they would mind if a little bit went missing. It rarely feels grounded in police work, but I like the subterfuge and reveals. This doesn't develop the characters much. This movie is focused on doubt and distrust. It creates a great mood but doesn't do much to create a gripping story.
It depends.
Review
Carnahan also wrote Pride and Glory (2008) and Copshop (2021), directing the latter.
This doesn't need an introduction with a police captain asking Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) if they believed his alibi, but the movie wants to be certain we understand the plot. A police captain leading a tactical team, TNT, has been killed. The captain's team is interviewed to determine if anyone knows anything or was involved. All of these interviews occur in a dim room. While it creates a mood, it doesn't seem like a police station. With their captain dead, the team wants to start their own investigation. They're hanging out joking about how corrupt other officers are. If someone overheard that, it probably wouldn't look good. Maybe they're right, and there are a lot of corrupt cops. Dane comes up with a tip on a stash house and readies the team of JD Byrne (Ben Affleck), Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno).
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| Matt Damon, Ben Affleck play Dane Dumars, JD Byrnes |
Dane manages to obtain a consent to search of the house in question under the guise of looking for drugs. Once inside, he brings in a currency dog. I didn't know there were dogs that sniffed for money, but that's a real thing. While the resident of the house doesn't like the bait and switch, Dane has cause and isn't leaving. The resident knew the house had money, not fearing a drug search.
The team expected a couple hundred thousand, but they get much, much more. The amount of money puts everyone on edge. Dane breaks protocol, and all of this is built on his Crime Stoppers tip. If you recall, he got a text message. Is the tip valid? Dane separates the team, causing some of them to doubt him as it seems he's breaking protocol.
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| Steven Yeun, Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kyle Chandler play Mike Ro, JD Byrne, Numa Baptiste, Lolo Salazar, Matty Nix |
What follows are cryptic phone calls to the house to leave the money alone, open attacks, and lots of deceit. Mike texts the captain about the money after Dane told everyone to keep the information off air. JD doesn't like the situation and calls in DEA Agent Matty Nix (Kyle Chandler) for backup.
Everyone starts to doubt each other. JD disappears, and we don't know if Dane took him out or the cartel has shown up. It seems like Dane is going to steal the money. Then someone opens fire on the house. How did no one hear them pull up? While they're told it's cartel money, the cartel is emphatic that they didn't attack. The loss of money is the cost of doing business.
I like the reveal of who was doing what and who was really corrupt. It leads to a violent conclusion. While I question the realism of the movie, the intensity is off the charts. It's a fun ride, but it shirks realism to achieve that.
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