5 True Facts About The Rip: The Spanish, The Dog, and The Real Heist
After watching the movie, you likely have a few questions, like
,Does Ben Affleck speak Spanish in The Rip? Does the Dog Die in The Rip?, Did the $ 20Mill Raid Happen in Real?, Did the movie Filmed In Miami?, and Who Is Jake In the end credit?
We are here to separate fact from fiction
Here is quick facts
The Rip (2026): Top 5 Quick Facts
1. The Spanish is Real Ben Affleck is not dubbed. He is fluent. He learned the language in 1985 while living in Mexico for a year to film the PBS show The Second Voyage of the Mimi.
2. The Dog Survives Wilbur the Beagle does not die. The actor, “Wilbur the Money Dog,” is a professional who walked the red carpet at the NYC premiere.
3. The Locations are Fake The movie was not filmed in Miami. It was shot entirely in New Jersey (Bayonne, Moonachie, and Kearny) to utilize state tax credits.
4. The Real Raid Recovered $24 Million , Not $20Mil. The plot is based on a real June 2016 Miami-Dade raid. Police really did find $24 million cash stuffed inside 24 orange Home Depot buckets hidden in an attic.
5. The “Jake” Dedication is The Real Son Of Chris Casiano. The end-credits tribute to Jake William Casiano honors the late son of the film’s Technical Advisor, Captain Chris Casiano. Jake passed away from leukemia in 2021.
Does Ben Affleck Actually Speak Spanish?
The answer is yes. It is undubbed. It is 100% him.
And this skill is not new. Affleck did not learn Spanish for this role; he learned it decades ago. In 1985, a 13-year-old Ben Affleck booked a job on a PBS educational series called The Second Voyage of the Mimi.
The production required the young actor to live in Mexico for a full year.
This was not a classroom setting. It was total immersion. He learned the cadence and slang. He absorbed the speed fluency of Spanish. This early development locked the language into his brain.
Watch the scene again. You hear an American accent bleeding through. This was intentional. This fits the character perfectly. Detective Byrne is not a native speaker.
He is a white cop in Miami who learned the language on the street. A perfect accent would have been a mistake. The rough edges make it real.
Does the Dog Die in The Rip?
We can confirm. Wilbur survives. He walks out of that house. He is unharmed.
When Numa and Lolo moved the real cash. They took Wilbur and Desi with them as they fled in a car.
What kind of dog is Wilbur in The Rip?
He is a Beagle. This choice was tactical. Hollywood usually casts German Shepherds for police movies. But real narcotics units work differently. They need dogs that can fit into tight spaces.
They need dogs that can climb over piles of trash in a hoarder’s house. Beagles are small. They have incredible noses. They are non-threatening. This allows them to work in public without causing a panic.
The dog is a professional actor. His name is Wilbur the Money Dog. He is not just a prop. He is a star. On January 13, 2026, Wilbur attended the World Premiere of The Rip at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.
He walked the red carpet. He posed for photos with Matt Damon. He wore a custom tactical vest.
View this post on Instagram
he is a professional, and he is very much alive.
Where Was The Rip Actually Filmed? (It Wasn’t Miami)
Viewers are asking where was The Rip filmed. The answer is New Jersey.
- Driving Sequences: Hook Road & Commerce Street
- Tactical Staging: Avenue A (from First St. to Juliette St.)
- The Stash House: built at 10 Basin Studios in Kearny
The production took advantage of the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program. They did not shoot in Florida.
They shot in the industrial corridors of the Garden State. Director Joe Carnahan and his team turned the Rust Belt into the Sun Belt.
We checked the location logs. The “Miami” streets were actually in Bayonne, New Jersey.
The production shut down Hook Road. They filmed driving sequences on Commerce Street. They staged tactical movements on Avenue A. If you look closely at the background, you do not see palm trees.
You see industrial warehouses. You see the gray skies of the Northeast. The filmmakers used a heavy blue-green color grade to hide the weather. They used rain towers to mask the lack of sunlight.
The stash house interior was a set. It was built at 10 Basin Studios in Kearny. This allowed them to control the lighting. They could remove walls to get the camera into tight corners.
Other locations filled in the gaps. The massive police headquarters was not a government building. It was the former Toys “R” Us corporate headquarters in Wayne, New Jersey. The waterfront scenes were filmed in Hoboken.
The only real parts of Miami are the drone shots. The second unit filmed the establishing shots of the Kaseya Center and the Port of Miami.
Everything else is movie magic. Where was The Rip filmed? It was filmed in the shadow of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Is The Rip Based on a True Story?
Yes, “Inspired by True Events.” Usually, that means the writer investigated a headline once. In this case, it means the writer sat down with the cop who lived it.
The Real Raid Amount ($ 24 Mil)
The movie is a dramatic retelling of the real-life $24 million bust, not $20 million. 24 million dollar Miami bust. The raid happened on June 29, 2016. It took place in Miami Lakes.
The source of the story is Captain Chris Casiano. He is a former Miami-Dade police officer. He served as the Technical Advisor on the film. He told the story to director Joe Carnahan years ago. Carnahan was stunned. He built the script around the details Casiano provided.
The Real Stash House
The target in real life was Luis Hernandez-Gonzalez. He ran a store called The Blossom Experience. Police suspected he was supplying marijuana growers.
They tapped his phone. They heard him giving gardening advice to traffickers. That was the probable cause.
The details in the movie are accurate. The police raided his house. They found a hidden compartment in the attic. The entrance was behind a false wall. In real life, it was guarded by a statuette of St. Lazarus. In the movie, it is a religious figurine.
The film show $ 20 Mill but the police found exactly 24 orange Home Depot buckets. Each bucket was heat-sealed. Each bucket was stuffed with $100 bills. The total count was roughly $24 million. It remains the largest cash seizure in the department’s history.
Were there any corrupt Officers Also In Real Raid?
The paranoia was real. Casiano and his team were stuck in that house for over 40 hours. They had to count the money by hand.
They could not leave until the count was verified. Casiano admitted he started to lose his mind. He felt the money was doing “dark things to the soul.” That psychological pressure is the core of the film.
The movie adds corruption. It adds betrayal. In real life, 24 million dollar Miami bust, the cops were clean. No one stole a dime. The drama in the film is a “what if” scenario. But the buckets, the attic, and the wait were 100% real.
Who Is Jake William Casiano? (The Credits Mystery)
Jake was Captain Chris Casiano’s son. He passed away in 2021. He was only 11 years old. He died after a battle with leukemia.
The credits end with a dedication. “In Loving Memory of Jake William Casiano.” This is not a crew member. This is personal.
Read The Full Story Behind The Rip Dedication: Who Is Jake Casiano? The Rip’s Credits “In Loving Memory” Explained
Conclusion
The film is based on the events in Miami, but it is a New Jersey production masquerading as a Florida crime thriller. It is a historically inspired film of a record-breaking police raid.
But now you know Ben Affleck does speak Spanish in The Rip, and the dog survived.
Which of these behind-the-scenes facts surprised you the most? Lets Us know i he comments!
More On The Rip: The Rip Ending Explained: How the Yellow Pages Swap and The Canary Trap Actually Worked
The Rip
Count the money. Count it again. Count on no one.
