Friendships can be such fickle things. As years go by, they can be tested, by time, distance and well, each other.

You would imagine that an extra test would be working in the film industry, but it hasn’t turned out too bad for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Their Hollywood journey began with 1997’s Good Will Hunting, which they not only both wrote and starred in - alongside Robin Williams – but also picked up an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for their troubles, in their mid twenties.

This latest effort is the fifteenth time the pair have appeared in the same film, which is a testament to their friendship, as well as their on screen chemistry.

They play a pair of cops, who get a tip about a house full of drug money, but when they get there, it’s not quite as it seems.

Just about to get off a shift are Miami TNT (Tactical Narcotics Team) members Lt. Dane Dumars (Damon) and Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne (Affleck), when they get an anonymous tip-off regarding a large amount of money obtained illegally and decide to check it out.

So their team make their way to the house where it’s allegedly stashed. And the tip-off was correct, the money is there. But on close inspection, the amount is far more than they were told – millions more.

The situation gets fraught, knowing they have to count every note before they can leave the house, that’s made worse when they receive a call that they’re about to have company, and if they don’t want trouble, they better shoot off sharpish.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the team start to turn on each other, thinking that some of the money is going to end up in their pockets, shredding any sign of trust their was. Are any of them going to get out alive, and if so, will they be any richer?

The film states that it’s based on a true story, but after viewing, you get the impression that the word ‘loosely’ was omitted from that statement. It doesn’t take away from the palpable tension that director Joe Carnahan creates however.

The US director is used to a tight, taut cop thriller, having helmed the terrific and under-appreciated Copshop in 2021. And much like that one, his influences are clearly visible; again its Tarrantino, but leaning heavily into one title - Reservoir Dogs, focusing on a group of individuals – cops here instead thieves – but the template is similar, as they attempt to sniff out a wrong ‘un amongst them.

There’s also a whiff of Michael Mann’s heat, stylishly shot with a cerebral tone to the script.

Some strong influences then, but still being able to imbue his own DNA into proceedings, with Carnahan’s talent pulsing visibly through its veins.

The end result is a white knuckle ride of a thriller, with the audience just as much as in the dark as the team in the money-filled house, not knowing who they can trust.

It’s a superb project for Damon and Affleck, which they were well aware of since their production company Artists Equity, which they founded in 2022, helped produce it, with both of them attached as producers.

On screen they clearly relish the ambiguity that comes with their characters, and play up to it, and against each other, which the film benefits from. As it does from have a strong supporting cast, that includes Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Kyle Chandler.

It just goes to show that friendship – along with some tight, impressive directing – continues to be a rewarding experience for everyone concerned.