'The Instigators' Review: Damon and Affleck, Comic Criminals

Viewers and critics often say that what they expect most from movies is originality, but let’s not discount the solid pleasures of the familiar. A masterpiece of derivative entertainment with likable stars and a bit of style is an achievement in itself, a reminder that talented people, through sheer force of will and charisma, can make us temporarily set aside our reservations and just go along for the ride. In a sense, a great, mediocre movie is akin to pulling off a heist — a minor crime, perhaps, but better executed than the botched robbery that stars in “The Instigators,” a scruffy action comedy almost good enough to forgive its threadbare elements. The characters have trouble getting away with it, and so do the filmmakers.

Set in Boston and starring two actors intimately associated with the city, “The Instigators” (which opens in theaters Friday before hitting Apple TV+ in a week) is notable for the odd couple of a former Marine, Rory (Matt Damon), and a career criminal, Cobby (Casey Affleck). Rory isn’t a thief and is basically a decent guy, save for torpedoing his marriage and alienating his teenage son. Cobby, meanwhile, is a sarcastic loner who just spent time in jail. They meet, improbably enough, after signing up for the same high-stakes heist, which requires them to break into the offices of a corrupt mayor (Ron Perlman) on the night of his presumed re-election victory, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes while he’s busy celebrating.

The plan seems foolproof — unless, of course, the current president doesn’t win the election. But seriously, what are the odds of that happening? “The Instigators” thrives on those predictable twists. The surprises aren’t what matters, but rather the way the movie seamlessly transitions from one inevitable plot point and one over-the-top scene to the next.

The film couldn’t have had a better director than Doug Liman, who has a tendency to elevate B-movie material with his visual style and slightly self-deprecating sense of humor. In films like “Go” and “Edge of Tomorrow,” Liman took catchy but overcooked premises and imbued them with playful zest. As with his “Road House” remake from earlier this year, “The Instigators” is easy to embrace because of its supreme craftsmanship and laid-back charm. (Comparisons to Steven Soderbergh’s far more elegant “Ocean’s Eleven,” which featured Damon and Affleck, are not only obvious but encouraged.) It makes you feel guilty for expecting more from it.

Damon and Affleck, who previously co-starred in a very different film about male futility, Gus Van Sant’s wonderfully minimalist “Gerry,” never come across as smug or cynical in their roles, but they playfully embrace their one-dimensional roles. Rory, bookish to a fault and just wanting the money to make his family whole, insists on taking detailed written notes while planning the heist, something professional criminals advise against if they want to avoid leaving evidence lying around. But though he’s more experienced, Cobby also makes plenty of mistakes, and Affleck (who co-wrote the script with “City on a Hill” creator Chuck Maclean) ably plays a know-it-all who’s not as shrewd as he seems. And because “The Instigators” is ultimately a feel-good comedy, we learn that Cobby isn’t quite the hardened criminal we’re initially led to believe.

Much has been made of the uninspired, algorithm-driven content offered by streaming services: Take a couple of big names, add them to a story that’s already been torn apart, give the scenes a modicum of flashiness, and most people at home on their couches will accept it as passable fun. Apple TV+’s “The Instigators” is a prime example of that strategy, but Liman and his cast are still trying to do more than the bare minimum, investing in a story about two losers who, for once, want to do something right.

Lately, Damon is at his best in a more relaxed, weathered mode (think of his assured comic turn in “The Martian” or his verbal sparring with Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer”), and in “The Instigators,” he connects touchingly with his character’s middle-aged mediocrity. Rory, suffering from the demons of war, visits a sympathetic psychiatrist, Donna (Hong Chau), who inexplicably gets caught up in his scheme once the heist goes awry. Chau is frequently the sustaining force in his films, and he provides a similar service in “The Instigators,” even when the script expects him to offer emotional counseling amid fast-paced action sequences.

For better or worse, Liman revels in the cinematic quality of his popcorn movies, their unwavering devotion to the escapism of fun, and he never stops milking this riotous comedy, milking the pulp for more jokes and weird digressions. (One of the more random moments involves New England Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski playing himself as a propaganda man for the hypocritical mayor.) Supporting characters get gunned down in “The Instigators,” but the feel is always that of a joke made by professionals who didn’t stress themselves out about trying. Respected supporting character actors like Paul Walter Hauser, Michael Stuhlbarg and Ving Rhames play different shades of clichéd bad guys, each seemingly happy to play along. No one embarrasses themselves: It’s all polished, enjoyable, anonymous and unobjectionable.

But if “The Instigators” isn’t selling originality, the least it could do is justify its own existence by offering a delightful gem that reaffirms our affection for these stars and this milieu. But too many convoluted narrative beats and too many forced attempts to reinvent the crime comedy formula ultimately reveal what’s so arid about this particular stretch of the cinematic landscape. There are laughs and clever details in “The Instigators,” but there’s never a reason to care.