The mayor of Hialeah held a news conference Friday as he said the city is exploring legal options against the makers of the Netflix film “The Rip.”
Mayor Bryan Calvo previously released a statement pushing back on the film’s portrayal of Hialeah. “The Rip” is inspired by a $22 million drug bust that took place in 2016 in Miami Lakes. However, the film’s setting is in Hialeah.
“The real story that we saw depicted in the movie ‘The Rip’ took place in Miami Lakes, but they didn’t choose to do the movie in Miami Lakes,” Calvo said before reporters on Friday. “They chose Hialeah. Why is it? Because Hialeah is iconic. They needed our grit and our status to make the movie relevant.”
Commentary about the movie online pointed out Ben Affleck’s character mispronouncing the city’s name.
“It’s pronounced Hialeah,” Calvo said.
A new film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon called “The Rip” is taking inspiration from a 2016 drug bust in Miami Lakes that became the largest money seizure in Miami-Dade history.
Calvo said he watched the movie recently and immediately had concerns – among them was how this perception of the city could affect future investment.
“The Rip” on Netflix is currently the streaming service’s No. 1 movie globally. And it’s precisely that massive global audience that concerns Calvo, who said they may see the movie and believe that the city is unsafe.
“This movie is a slap in the face to our law enforcement personnel, and I want to go over a few of the statistics that are relevant,” Calvo said. “Hialeah finds itself, according to statistics, as the safest major city in South Florida. There are 23 major cities in the state, and Hialeah ranks as number two. And in the nation, Hialeah finds itself as a top 15% of the safest major cities in the country.”
Calvo was also concerned about the film deterring future economic investment. The movie was inspired by true events about 10 years ago, when more than $20 million was found stashed inside buckets hidden in the walls of a Miami Lakes home. A suspected marijuana trafficker was ultimately arrested.
It became the largest money seizure in the history of the former Miami-Dade Police Department, now named the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Calvo said the movie portrays Hialeah and its police officers as corrupt.
“This patch,” Calvo said, pointing to a Hialeah Police officer’s patch on his right arm, “is showcased in film and when they refer to what this patch…and they say that all Hialeah Police officers are corrupt, and that is a massive disrespect to the city, and as mayor, I absolutely have to stand up and protect the image of the city. There might have been issues in the past, but right now, this department, under the leadership of Chief Fuente, is an exceptional, safe and accredited department, and this is a safe city.”
According to the mayor, some of the officers depicted in the film have retained counsel and may be pursuing a lawsuit. While that’s not something that’s a priority for him, he said he will be looking at options, saying, there are issues with copyright, including the use of the city’s seal in the movie and any potential damages in the future from people not wanting to invest.