The Instigators (2024) is directed by Doug Liman and stars Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Ron Perlman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alfred Molina, Jack Harlow, Ving Rhames, Andre De Shields, and Toby Jones. The film follows Rory (Damon) and Cobby (Affleck), two down-on-their-luck Boston criminals who agree to a dangerous job that involves robbing the city’s corrupt mayor (Perlman). When the job goes sideways, the two enlist the help of Rory’s reluctant therapist (Chau) to help once again attempt to rob the mayor so Rory can retrieve the $32,000 he needs to pay off his child support debt. Hot on their trail are gangsters, a mysterious bounty hunter (Rhames) who takes no shit, and an angry Boston police force who wrongfully believe Cobby and Rory are cop killers.

The performances here are nothing new for Damon and Affleck. That being said, I can’t get enough of these two doing their typical Boston schtick. The two play off of each other well and their banter succeeds in putting a stupid grin on the viewer’s face, there’s just a noticeable lack of laugh-out-loud moments. The movie mostly takes a comic approach so I expect it to make me truly laugh. I didn’t get that here, but it’s nevertheless a fun ride. Although Damon’s character is a bit basic on paper, the energy of his performance makes up for it. Affleck’s character is a tad more nuanced and is honestly the funniest person in the film. Although it’s fast-paced from beginning to end, the script constantly finds moments of exposition/characterization within its constant zaniness. In other words, it delivers these elements without feeling the need to halt the action/forward momentum. 

Although the supporting cast is a lot of fun, I was a tad confused by Ron Perlman’s over-the-top performance which makes his character feel like a comic book supervillain. It’s not terrible, but it does stand out as tonally odd amid so many other great performances. 

The movie stands out within the surprisingly crowded Boston heist thriller genre because of its less-than-serious edge. There’s something more authentic about this film compared to a movie like The Town (2010) in the sense that the criminals we follow are somewhat dimwitted, and at their cores, kind-hearted. Most criminals aren’t that smart so it’s always nice to see a heist thriller where the robbers are woefully underprepared for the jobs they take on. There’s also the fact that they’re never portrayed as so dumb that they become annoying or unlikable; they just feel real. This balance also carries over to their questionable morals. Yeah, these two are kinda scumbags, but they always seem to be doing more harm to themselves than others. We can have sympathy for a person who makes bad decisions that affect themselves, but it’s much harder to have sympathy for someone whose bad decisions directly hurt others. 
   

Overall, this is an extremely fun heist-comedy that only stumbles in terms of its inconsistent tone and sometimes awkward cinematography. The film uses CGI in one particular sequence that is one of the most laughably bad I’ve encountered in recent memory. Other than that, this movie is a great time (if a bit unoriginal). If you like these actors as well as this kind of witty heist comedy, you’re sure to enjoy The Instigators. B