‘The Rip,’ directed by Sac State alum Joe Carnahan, hits No. 1 on Netflix
Shortly before Netflix confirmed that “The Rip” debuted as its most-streamed movie in the world for the week ending Jan. 18, Joe Carnahan said he was feeling good.
“I think the numbers are tremendous,” said Carnahan, a Sacramento State alumnus who wrote and directed the film, during a phone interview from Los Angeles on Tuesday . “I realize how much I just sounded like Donald Trump when I said that.”
The $100 million film, which stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Miami-Dade Police Department narcotics officers, hit the streaming service Friday. It’s had a positive reception so far, with an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Certified Fresh rating on that website.
“The Rip” is the latest high-profile film with a Sacramento connection, and it could help raise the stature of Carnahan’s alma mater.
From Jim-Denny’s to No. 1 on Netflix
To say that Carnahan has come a long way in life almost seems like an understatement.
Carnahan studied film at Sac State, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1994. He made his first feature-length film, “Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane” over six months in 1996 for $7,300. Shooting locations included Jim-Denny’s in downtown Sacramento, as The Bee noted in January 1998 when the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Bee also noted then that prior to his film career, Carnahan worked as a promotions producer for Channel 31.
“I know if I didn’t do it now, I’d never do it,” Carnahan told The New York Times in 1998. “We had a really pathetic yard sale to raise money. I borrowed reflectors and lights from the TV station. I cast my wife’s grandmother and sister; and my brother, Matt, plays a thug.”
Another member of the cast of “Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane” included longtime Sacramento television personality Mark S. Allen, who played FBI agent Franks. Allen said he’d known Carnahan for 32 years and that they’d worked at Channel 31 together. The two are close friends.
Allen, who said he is immensely proud of Carnahan, described the secret to Carnahan’s success as grit and “old-school tenacity.”
“He just has a hustle that doesn’t exist anymore,” Allen said. “And rather than having excuses for why things aren’t happening, he makes them happen.”
Working with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
Over the years, Carnahan has directed films such as 2002 thriller “Narc” starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric. His other directing credits include 2010’s “The A-Team” starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper and the 2011 film “The Grey” starring Neeson.
Carnahan had previously directed Affleck on the 2006 film “Smokin’ Aces” and said he’d had plans “some years ago” to make a film with Damon. Asked what it was like to work with Damon and Affleck, Carnahan described them as nice and hardworking.
“They don’t flex the movie star sinew,” said Carnahan, who added that Damon and Affleck treated him “with great respect,” letting him do his thing.
That said, Carnahan was also clear on how Damon and Affleck, who are both Oscar winners, impacted production of his latest film.
“Once they signed on, we were basically greenlit,” Carnahan said. “So they had a tremendous amount of influence.”
What ‘The Rip’ means for Sac State
Sac State President Luke Wood said he waited on purpose until Sunday evening so he could watch “The Rip” with members of his family.
“I was almost obnoxious in making sure that everybody knew that we’re watching this tonight as a team because this is a Sac State alum,” Wood said.
The movie didn’t disappoint Wood, who said he “thought it was awesome.” The film’s success has broader meaning for the school Wood leads, though. “It is absolutely a win for the university when movies like this come out and it’s by our alums,” Wood said.
Wood, who is 43 and a Sac State alumnus, has been working since his July 2023 hiring as president to raise the university’s profile.
He said the school needed “to do a better job of sharing the amazing people who have come through this university and then went on to do amazing things.”
He cited Carnahan as well as former ABC “Good Morning America” co-host Joan Lunden, former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt and award-winning filmmaker Ryan Coogler. Actor Tom Hanks studied at the school, too, though like Lunden, didn’t graduate, according to The Bee in 1997.
“I have so many students who walk up to me and they say, ‘Oh, I’m here because x person with the school here,’” Wood said. “It’s typically been Ryan Coogler is the one I hear… about the most.”
Wood said he hadn’t known until recent weeks that Carnahan was an alum, though he’d seen “The A-Team” and “The Grey.” He said the school sent a team to New York for an event related to “The Rip.”
“We’re hoping that he’ll want to come and talk to our future filmmakers here,” Wood said.
