Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo calls out Hollywood over city's portrayal in Netflix's "The Rip": "Slap in the face"

The mayor of the City of Hialeah called out Hollywood elites over the city's portrayal in one of the most popular movies streaming on Netflix.

"The Rip" stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who also own the studio producing the film, Artists Equity. The movie's inspiration is a multi-million dollar cash seizure in Miami Lakes in 2016. 

Filmmakers, though, set their crime thriller in Hialeah.

"Before anything else, I just want to make sure one thing is clear: it's pronounced Hialeah," said Mayor Bryan Calvo, pronouncing the city's name as "HIGH-uh-LEE-uh."

While the film mentions the City of Miami Police, scenes show police corruption, the Hialeah Police badge and bullet holes in the city's sign. It is more than artistic expression to Calvo. Around Hialeah City Hall, it hurts.

Calvo called a press conference on Friday, surrounded by police officers.

"I know Hialeah has been the butt of the joke for a long time," Calvo said. "But that ends now. This movie is a slap in the face to our law enforcement personnel."

"It's never a good thing when someone portrays the city in a negative light," added Chief George Fuente of the Hialeah Police Department.

Fuente and Calvo said viewers who believe Hialeah is dangerous with misbehaving officers could scare away visitors at a time when the city hopes to benefit from events like FIFA World Cup games in nearby Miami Gardens this summer.

CBS News Miami called Artists Equity's studio in West Hollywood for comment. No one responded to messages.

Meanwhile, Calvo publicly invited Damon, Affleck and producers to visit Hialeah. While the mayor did not personally reach out to anyone involved in making the film, the city's attorneys might.

"We're asking for either our fair share of monetary damage or we're asking for the depiction to be a real depiction of the professionalism of this department," Calvo said.