The Instigators features an occasionally entertaining set piece and an ensemble cast of industry mainstays (headlined by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck), but this Apple TV+ streamer has all the common tropes and vibes of streaming content, best enjoyed passively and without thinking critically.
The Instigators is undoubtedly the result of a few talented and seasoned Boston actors operating on auto-pilot, delivering exactly what you’d expect without any additional bells and whistles. That’s not to say that the movie is bad because the likability of Matt Damon and Casey Affleck ultimately saves it from being a mess, but it has the stench of straight-to-streamer content with no real stakes.
The story is rather straightforward, which follows a pair of down-on-their-luck petty thieves named Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) flopping during a high-stakes heist of Boston’s incumbent mayor on the night they seek re-election. The setup for The Instigators may seem conventional, but it is at least topical considering it comes during an election year that has, to put it mildly, been contentious and stressful.
Casey Affleck has more of a personality between the two criminals. Cobby’s inept ability to keep his cool helps set the plot in motion, and he’s often the loudest and most abrasive aspect of it. Damon sluggishly tries to keep up. Part of that is his characterization, and part is his execution, which borders on comatose at times and only makes sense given his backstory involves multiple trips to his therapist’s office to reckon with a failed marriage and post-war PTSD.
The Instigators is directed by Doug Liman, whose had an eventful 2024 by pairing this release with his remake of Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal. They’d actually make a logical double feature (albeit not necessarily a good one) because they both have a glossy and airy tone without much tension and relying heavily on the star power in front of the camera.
I can’t say Doug Liman has lost it yet if the supposed sequel to Edge of Tomorrow ever gets made, but this recent stretch of these two movies, coupled with American Made and Chaos Walking, don’t instill confidence. But maybe Edge of Tomorrow was just an outlier in a career that was launched from the successes of The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
The Instigators features an occasionally entertaining set piece and an ensemble cast of industry mainstays (beyond Damon and Affleck are the likes of Ving Rhames, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alfred Molina and Hong Chau), but this Apple TV+ streamer has all the common tropes and vibes of streaming content, best enjoyed passively and without thinking critically.
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Watch The Instigators (2024) on Apple TV+
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