Matt Damon and Casey Affleck getting dumb in 'The Instigators' is less fun than it sounds
“The Instigators” is a dim-witted little movie about dim-witted little people who can’t quite pull off a heist, but whose innate ineptness in every aspect of life tends to keep them out of real trouble.
Failing up, you might say. The movie should be so lucky.
There is, however, a saving grace: the cast. The movie stars Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Alfred Molina, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ron Perlman and Toby Jones — imagine that bunch in an off-Broadway play. Or a better movie. They do what they can, at least, to keep this one afloat.
Affleck, alas, shoulders some of the blame. He co-wrote the script, and that’s the real problem, though Doug Liman’s direction — he directed the “Roadhouse” remake, as well as “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Swingers” — is no great shakes. But Affleck is effective and sweetly funny as Cobby, a perpetually down-on-his-luck smart-aleck ex-con who signs on for what’s supposed to be an easy heist.
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What is 'The Instigators' about?
Although stealing a bunch of dirty money squirreled away by the mayor of Boston doesn’t sound all that easy when you think about it, particularly for a bunch who couldn’t order bagels without screwing it up. The mayor (Perlman) is a blustery blowhard who is up for reelection. Local crime lord Besegai (Stahlbarg), a screamer of the first order, brings together a motley crew for the job, which is to steal the money on election night before it’s transferred to armored cars.
Also along for the heist is Rory (Damon) a Marine Corps veteran being treated for depression by Dr. Rivera (Chau), a psychiatrist. (That job distinction will become important.) Rory needs a set amount of money to pay off some debts, so that he can see his son. The de facto leader of the group is Scalvo (Jack Harlow). Things go awry and Rory and Cobby go on the lam, pursued by Frank (Ving Rhames), the mayor’s enforcer in the special operations unit of the police department, a no-nonsense, clean-up kind of guy.
He drives a tank, for instance.
Besegai is also after them; he sends a surly thug named Booch to take care of business. Booch is played by Paul Walter Hauser in a little drop-by performance, because why not? Everyone else is in the movie already.
Somewhere along the line Cobby gets shot, so Rory gets the idea to politely kidnap Rivera, with her permission, since she is a doctor, to fix Cobby up. Weirdly, there are some sparks between Cobby and Rivera, which seems hugely improbable and yet was one of the things I liked best about the movie. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. Maybe doubling up on the dumb was the way to go here.
Or not.
Damon has a way with Affleck, even when their characters are antagonistic toward each other (and on some level, when are they not?). There is some genuine fun here in Cobby trying to get Rory’s goat or at least make him laugh. For as much as Cobby is a free spirit, Rory is careful, even plodding, taking copious notes when Besegai lays out the scheme. Is taking notes really a good idea for a criminal enterprise, someone asks?
Jones, who plays the mayor’s weaselly lawyer, made me laugh out loud a couple of times simply with gestures. Doing a lot with a little is not exactly a hallmark of Liman’s movies. In this case, maybe it should be.
Can I stream 'The Instigators?'
The whole thing feels flat somewhere, with little blips of comedic inspiration. It’s not that it misses more than it hits. It’s that it just doesn’t take that many shots.
“The Instigators” will make a brief stop in theaters and stream on Apple TV+, a platform that seems content to corral big-name talent and let it sink or swim and move on to the next thing. Creatively, perhaps that’s freeing. But everyone needs an editor. This movie is a case in point.
'The Instigators' 2.5 stars
Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★
Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★
Director: Doug Liman.
Cast: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau.
Rating: R for pervasive language and some violence.
How to watch: In theaters and streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, Aug. 9.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'The Instigators' review: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck fall flat