The Instigators

Starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck (the latter of which co-wrote the screenplay), The Instigators is a comedy heist thriller that sees the pair become the targets of a mass police hunt when they try to steal from a corrupt politician. It’s a familiar buddy comedy set-up in which the actors’ rapport shines through. Unfortunately, Damon and Affleck’s friendship isn’t enough to make up for the lacklustre action and shallow plot.

Damon plays Rory, an ex-marine undergoing therapy for depression. All he wants is to see his son again but lacks the thousands of dollars needed to pay child support bills. In a last-ditch effort to get the money, he joins a team who plans to steal funds from the city’s corrupt mayor (played by Ron Perlman). It’s here Rory meets Cobby (Affleck), a smart-mouthed ex-convict, who makes for the ideal counterpart to Damon’s sympathetic rogue. Their plans quickly go awry, and the pair soon find themselves being pursued across Boston by the law.

This flick is at its best whenever the two stars have a back-and-forth with each other. Although not all the jokes land (with one running gag about Cobby insisting on driving after getting shot going nowhere), the natural chemistry between them is enough to make their bickering entertaining. Less amusing, though, is when Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) is brought into the equation as the pair’s pretend hostage. The character doesn’t share the same spark as the leads and doesn’t offer enough to the plot to justify their extended stay during the action.

The therapist’s underdeveloped role is indicative of the rest of The Instigator’s issues. The narrative is as basic as it gets. All the players are two-dimensional tropes, with Perlman’s underuse as the villain being another misstep. The action scenes, too, lack any sort of bite. They move at the same relaxed pace as the rest of the film and consequently fail to drum up much excitement. A selection of bizarre soundtrack choices likewise only serves to make these set-piece moments come across as more awkward than fun.

The Instigators is a solid demonstration of Damon and Affleck’s camaraderie, but their Bostonian charm can’t save this film from its other problems.

Andrew Murray

The Instigators is released on Apple TV+ on 9^th August 2024.

Watch the trailer for The Instigators here: