Matt Damon and Casey Affleck Have Fun on the Run in The Instigators: Review
The post Matt Damon and Casey Affleck Have Fun on the Run in The Instigators: Review appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: Rory (Matt Damon) is a veteran who’s struggling both financially as well as in his therapy sessions with Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau) — but it’s his money troubles that lead him to getting teamed up with alcoholic deadbeat-with-a-heart-of-gold Cobby (Casey Affleck) in a criminal enterprise. The target: the mayor of Boston (Ron Perlman). The score: hundreds of thousands of dollars. The screw-up potential for the instigators: huge.
On the Run Again: The Instigators is directly inspired by classic action comedies like Midnight Run and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, according to star/co-writer Casey Affleck, and that influence is definitely felt throughout all 90 minutes of Doug Liman’s low-key heist flick. While the stakes are real as Rory and Cobby bumble their way through the film, the tone remains light — a tricky balance to pull off, but largely successful here.
The cinematography captures all the beauty of a grey Boston winter it can, a chilly vibe always hovering in the air, while the plot keeps things simple, as odd couple Rory and Cobby go on the run after their attempt at crime goes poorly. And though the scale of the action is at times quite impressive (including a city-wide car chase where multiple teams of law enforcement are after them), things remain intimately focused on these characters.
Affleck and Damon, Together Again (Sorta): Both Affleck and Matt Damon make the most of their roles — leaning on their natural charisma (and, in the case of Affleck, his specific gift for gab), while also still feeling like they’re playing unique individuals.
You don’t always get that from movie stars like Damon in particular, who have enough of an established persona to show up and just be themselves on screen. Yet Rory is well-drawn, from his quiet despair and shame at not being able to reconnect with his family to his anxiety over committing his first real felony, which he soothes by asking questions and taking notes.
This does lead to a random moment where Jack Harlow, playing another accomplice in the heist, full-on quotes The Wire with no acknowledgment. (“Are you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?” — thankfully, Harlow leaves out the N-word originally used by Stringer Bell.) Maybe no one realized it at the time.
The Instigators (Apple TV+)
Meanwhile, in many ways Affleck’s character feels like a continued manifestation of his seminal role in that Saturday Night Live Dunkin Donuts commercial — it’s a performance that perhaps features Affleck at his most charming, despite Cobby’s constant chattering and clear drinking problem. Oh, and the Boston accent work from both of them is pretty delicious — it doesn’t get too cartoony, but those nostalgic for Good Will Hunting will enjoy the way the Rs disappear anytime someone says the word “bar.”
A Character Actor Bonanza: Probably the most notable thing to celebrate about The Instigators is that it doesn’t keep its only female character of note on the sidelines; thanks to a few unexpected swerves, Hong Chau ends up much more embedded in the action than you’d expect in the beginning. And while her character’s a little underwritten (at the very least, it’s a bit unclear why Dr. Rivera is so cavalier about assisting these two knuckleheads), Chau’s one of those great actors who you always want to see more of, so no real complaints there. The way in which she brings the energy of a therapy session into a high-speed car chase leads to some of the movie’s funnier moments.
The supporting cast is a true smorgasbord of quality character actors, including Michael Stuhlbarg as an easily enraged mob boss, Alfred Molina as his more gentle associate, and Ving Rhames as a tough-as-nails special ops agent determined to track down Cobby and Rory. Ron Perlman also brings the heat as the obviously corrupt mayor, while Toby Jones schemes and Paul Walker Hauser blunders. Really, every actor in this film delivers, even with limited screen time.
The Verdict: The Instigators is Liman’s second streaming film premiere of 2024 — though he seems happier about this one than he was about Road House, perhaps because unlike Road House, The Instigators is getting a limited theatrical release before arriving on Apple TV+.
Having seen it at a relatively full press screening, there’s no denying it plays well as a theatrical experience, but it’s also destined to be a great Friday night or Saturday afternoon watch, a movie designed to entertain and relax you at the end of the day. There’s a lot to be said for a movie that knows exactly what it wants to be and hits that exact mark; it’s not that The Instigators lacks ambition, but like its characters, it doesn’t dream too big. It shows up to do its job — finding the fun.
Where to Watch: The Instigators hits theaters on Friday, August 2nd, before premiering on Apple TV+ August 9th.
Trailer:
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck Have Fun on the Run in The Instigators: Review
Liz Shannon Miller
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