Even after a rough start, The Instigators eventually becomes the non-heist of the summer.
Directed by Doug Liman, The Instigators follows Rory (Matt Damon), a divorced father struggling to reconnect with his son. Deeply depressed and in debt, Rory takes the opportunity to join a bank heist in order to make his financial problems go away. But, when the job goes bad, Rory and co-conspirator Cobby (Casey Affleck) find themselves on the run from the police, for the crime that they didn’t commit. Taking Dr. Donna Riviera(Hong Chau) Rory’s therapist “hostage” (sort of), the three of them set out to make things right… whatever that means.
Liman has made a career out of unorthodox action films. While many of his films feature narratives that seem familiar (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), his unique style and voice manages to make his work stand out. This is again the case with The Instigators, a heist film that swerves in ways that other stories of this nature simply do not.
Admittedly, Instigators takes a while to really… well… instigate. Although the initial heist happens quickly, the film takes some time to find its groove. But, once it revs its engines, it knows where it wants to go. Action sequences have genuine pop and the film remains a lot of fun. (The car chase through the streets of Boston is particularly noteworthy.) Together, Damon and Affleck don’t necessarily have the same confident banter of their Ocean’s counterparts Clooney and Pitt. However, they do exhibit the sort of ease in their relationship that comes with time. Having known each other most of their lives, the two do work well together. However, the true joy of the film may be Hong Chau who becomes the film’s stabilizing presence. Having worked with Damon before in Downsizing, she brings genuine care to her erratic duo of ‘kidnappers’ that keeps the film grounded. Even in the silliest of moments, Chau provides the film’s heartbeat and keeps these characters relatable.
Set in Boston during a time of mayoral transition, this seems to be a world torn between those who want a better future and those who demand the status quo. For Mayor Micelli, the loss of the election is unacceptable. Threatening legal action, he refuses to give up his post and the city is frozen as they await what comes next. (Sound familiar?) Liman keeps the visual palette bleak, emphasizing a world without hope. Even though the up-and-coming incumbent seems to be the face of a new world, can Boston really ever change?
Can anybody?
This is the question at the heart of The Instigators as Rory and Cobby look for a way to break free of their own circumstances. Unlike their roles in Soderberg’s Ocean’s franchise, Damon and Affleck step into characters that have no business running their own lives, let alone a heist. Struggling to get through the day, both men carry baggage from their past and find themselves left looking for any answer to help fix the damage they’ve caused. As a result, they can barely remember their instructions, seem unable to agree on a strategy and, most strangely, don’t really care about the heist itself.
For them, the past has been a disaster. All they want is to make things right and move on.
But this is also where Instigators sets itself apart. With Dr. Donna in tow, the film balances the heightened circumstances with the mental health of its characters, especially Rory. With genuine empathy, Dr. Donna consistently acknowledges that her patient can be better than what he’s doing. After years of therapy, she genuinely wants to see Rory succeed and, even in the midst of the most outrageous circumstances, sees him as more than a criminal. In short, she believes in him.
After all, Dr. Donna believes that every moment is a choice to be made. To her, Rory and Cobby always have the opportunity to do the ‘right thing’, even if they’ve done the ‘wrong thing’ at almost every turn. Faced with a world that seems unable to change, there’s an optimism in Dr. Donna that helps keep the film (and the two unlikely crooks) on course.
In the end, while The Instigators may not be Liman’s best work, it’s definitely still a fun ride that manages to upend the heist genre. Fueled by fiery fun, Instigators has all the makings of a solid summer (non) heist. But, perhaps most surprising about the film is the way that it steals your heart.
The Instigators is available on Apple TV+ on Friday, August 9th, 2024.
