Significantly dialing down the sexiness and suave of a typical heist film for a more jaded approach, The Instigators is a nice reunion of the infamous Affleck/Damon pair-up for the everyday Bostonian. 

Imagine the late-night lover’s odyssey of Before Sunset was instead a buddy-comedy of two not-so-bright guys going through an ill-fated heist that takes a day. Matt Damon plays Rory, a depressed dad in therapy who seeks a specific amount of money to see his son, paired with Casey Affleck’s ex-con Cobby who feels like a comedic version of his Manchester by the Sea winning role. Affleck and Damon have become synonymous with Boston, so their big return home tour to their roots mixed with an Ocean’s Eleven callback feels like a nice fit.

The Instigators is fairly harmless in its attempt to be a thrilling comedic heist letting its leads carry the story along through authentic Bostonian accents and brotherly digs. Doug Liman’s direction doesn’t necessarily push the limits or take bold swings, more so presenting this as a tame chase. When the two men who could best be characterized as idiots take on a botched heist the worst of the worst keeps happening where it looks like there is no way to come out unscathed, usually these movies find ways to outwit the system or don’t offer explanations where The Instigators uses its sleek script to call out how absurd most heist movie are. Cobby plays like a devil’s advocate” character that would be poking holes in heist movies taking the fun out of the coincidental nature of a well-planned crime. In one scene particularly as Cobby and Rory try to figure out what to do next Cobby suggests going to Montreal which Rory berates for how stupid of an idea that is and how they are not equipped to do so. 

The film is very telling with its setup of an election-night heist against the mayor where the only people they can find to partake in getting the job done are the two most inexperienced people which adds to the constant headache of watching themselves dive deeper into a hole. Even with a lot of room between the more major action sequences, seeing Damona and Affleck together once again after starring in Gerry and many other films is very entertaining to keep attention. They are some of the most unlikely action stars in the business but they get a real opportunity here to play the everyday man nature they both possess and are pretty good at.

Throwing into the mix is Hong Chau as Rory’s psychiatrist, fronting as a “hostage” all to make sure that her patient does not kill himself in the mix of his faulty actions. Chau brings some serenity to the situation’s absurdity in that these two men are way out of their jurisdiction in being able to outrun the system that is frankly more corrupt than they are. She is the moral ground for Rory constantly evaluating him simultaneously while on the run abandoning her sanity to join in on a game she has no part in.  The chemistry between her and Affleck’s Cobby was quite enjoyable to watch leaving space for wanting to see them in future projects opposite one another.

The real star of The Insitagtors in the city of Boston, given its 2-hour tour by two well-known locals, this film reopens the Affleck/Damon lore that has infiltrated Hollywood since the 90s. 

Grade: C

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Release Date: August 2, 2024
Where to Watch: In Select Theaters (On Apple TV+ August 9th)