The classic heist-gone-wrong story gets a new update with The Instigators. Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are no strangers to the heist genre, having co-starred in the Ocean’s trilogy. Nor are they strangers to non-heist films, appearing together in Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy, Gerry, Interstellar, and last year’s acclaimed Oppenheimer. Their on-screen collaboration has spanned decades, and now, they star in a movie written by Affleck and Chuck Maclean. This film has a lot going for it that could have made it an entertaining movie, but entertainment is the last thing you’re likely to find here.
The Instigators is a disappointing movie that desperately wants to have fun but doesn’t know how. It never quite finds its footing as a heist comedy since it happens very early, and we’re mainly watching the fallout. A premise like this has worked exceptionally in films like Reservoir Dogs, but the movie needs to deliver more thrills or laughs to provide an experience you can latch onto. Director Doug Liman reunites with Damon after their work on The Bourne Identity. It’s his second movie of the year after Road House. While that movie was unfairly dumped onto streaming when it could have done great in theaters, this is the type of movie that feels insignificant enough to belong on streaming.
The biggest weakness that holds The Instigators back is the characters. We are first introduced to Damon as Rory, a man who’s at a low point in his life and is contemplating suicide in front of his therapist. We soon meet Affleck as Cobby, and they go on a heist with Scalvo (Jack Harlow). The setup for the heist is not particularly interesting, but the setup for the characters is worse. We know that Rory needs money for his son, but we don’t get to see him or care about their relationship.
Rory’s characterization is worse. We get one moment later in the film where Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau) tells him he tends to talk when he wants to avoid confronting his issues. That’s about all we get from him. We don’t learn enough about why he is how he is, which makes him uninteresting to watch. Damon and Affleck are two talented, Oscar-winning actors who have worked together for many years, so in theory, that should be enough to win us over, right?
Wrong. What makes a dynamic duo so dynamic is that they are typically very different. When you think of all the great comedy duos in all the best double acts and buddy cop movies, the two people are usually quite different. They butt heads, and they have to figure out how to work together. It’s a tried and true formula that has only been tried so many times because of how true it is. This film has two characters at low points in their lives. They need to be more different for their banter to be interesting. Damon and Affleck could have swapped roles, and the movie wouldn’t have been any different.
The movie doesn’t pull any mileage from how they meet because they already know each other from the film’s start. It doesn’t push their relationship into more exciting places. The Instigators would be way funnier if they were at each other’s throats most of the time, but the movie summarizes it with a few disagreements and some incredulous looks. There are a few mildly funny moments during the heist in the first act, but their characters feel they need to be more defined, both on their own and in their relationship with each other.
One of the most significant shortcomings is that the movie is unaware of how little it works. I saw this movie at the world premiere, and if there was any theater where the laughter would be the loudest, it was there. There were a few laughs here and there, but many jokes did not land at all. Ultimately, the batting average for funny jokes needed to be higher to sustain this viewing experience. The Instigators tries to have some fun with its Boston environment, but that doesn’t work either.
There’s one sequence that solidifies everything this movie does wrong. During a car chase sequence, Rory has the radio on, and a unique song is playing. It seems like this is where the movie will turn the diegetic song into the non-diegetic soundtrack, like a fun needle drop that plays over a fun car chase. But the song is barely audible over Rory and Cobby’s unfunny banter. I’d rather hear the fun music than the dialogue but this movie doesn’t know how to have fun the way it should.
When this movie embraces its more lighthearted tone, that’s where it works the best. But even in its best moments, the film never brings enough life, urgency, or excitement. The subplot surrounding Ron Perlman as a mayor never feels interesting, and Alfred Molina has nothing meaningful to do with his role. Damon and Affleck are two of the best actors working today, but even their comedic performances can sometimes feel muted. You’d expect more electric chemistry from the director who made Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but ultimately, the characters must be pushed further for this movie to work.
SCORE: 4/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 4 equates to “Poor.” The negatives outweigh the positive aspects making it a struggle to get through.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended the world premiere for our The Instigators review.
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