Film Review – THE INSTIGATORS (2024): Doug Liman’s Latest Action Picture is Far From His Best but Somewhat Enjoyable Nevertheless
The Instigators Review
The Instigators (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Doug Liman, written by Chuck MacLean and Casey Affleck and starring Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Ving Rhames, Jack Harlow, Alfred Molina, Michael Stuhlbarg, Owen Earls, Natalie Carter, Andre De Shields, Ron Perlman, Rob Gronkowski, Toby Jones, Slate Holmgren, Ronnie Cho, Perry Strong and Nick Price.
The Instigators is Doug Liman’s latest action picture and it comes on the heels of the recent Road House remake which is a bit superior to this new film. This time out, Liman tries to get sympathy for his down-on-his-luck characters portrayed with style and humor by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. Damon plays a dedicated man who has served his country named Rory. He has recently had some misfortunes that have affected his life for the worst. He’s divorced and has a son he’d like to see more. Affleck is Cobby, a screw-up who cracks zingy one-liners and is rather personable despite the fact he’s at a real low point in his life. When the opportunity arises to make some much needed cash, these characters will soon learn that crime doesn’t pay and they’ll find out the hard way as the plot progresses in a fun, action-packed fashion.
Set in Boston (where else knowing Damon and Affleck’s backgrounds?), the movie centers on a heist that goes wrong which leads our two lead characters to go AWOL from the authorities to make sure that they are not the ones who take all the blame for the problems that arise in the movie’s script. Ron Perlman plays a crooked politician/mayor named Miccelli. If you’ve ever seen an action movie with corrupt politicians before, you know they don’t operate by themselves. Toby Jones also co-stars as Attorney Alan Flynn and the actor has a fun time playing a character who isn’t all that likable but has an offbeat sort of charisma that has often guided Jones’s characters throughout his career.
Damon and Affleck are immensely likable on the other hand. They spend a good deal of this movie on the run and in therapy. Rory’s therapist, Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau), ultimately wants what is best for her patient and sees him going off in a direction that is certainly going to be rather stressful which concerns the doctor. Damon and Chau have some interesting scenes together where Rivera helps Rory try to make the correct decisions in his life. Most of the time, Rory and Cobby are on the run in this movie as they end up having to try to avoid trouble at all costs and succeed in not having major crimes pinned on them. Although their intentions were less than noble at the outset, they’re good guys underneath.
The action scenes are this movie’s biggest strength which is no surprise given Liman’s involvement with the project. Taking us through the streets of Boston, there are close escapes and nice scenery of the locations as our heroes try to outsmart the villains and find a way to prove themselves the least guilty ones of those involved in the complex lies and deceit that takes place over the course of the picture.
There are solid actors who play lowlifes in this film such as Jack Harlow and Michael Stuhlbarg but it is Ving Rhames whose appearance in the supporting cast really stands out. Rhames’s character gets to choose whether or not to bring in the heroes at the end, and the actor has plenty of energy in his ultra serious supporting performance. Ronnie Cho as the candidate running against Miccelli is also well-cast. Perlman manages to make his character so unlikable that it helps drive the plot home and bring into view the central morals of the story. The stars, Damon and Affleck bicker, argue and crack jokes in-between scenes of high intensity in a movie that often fluctuates between comedy and action.
Towards the conclusion, a safe with loads of illegally obtained money is thrown from a building and watching characters run towards the money while our heroes try to escape in a firetruck is a lot of fun. House of Pain’s song, “Jump Around” plays in the background and it’s easy to tell the filmmaker (Liman) and the cast are having fun through the events that occur in the film.
Hong Chau could have done this role in-between other projects for all I know. She’s not in top form but she’s still very good considering what she has to work with. Her role here is small but significant as her character serves as the voice of reason for the two leads in the movie. Affleck and Damon are having the most fun on-screen but Chau, as a third wheel, gives her role the kinds of charisma it needs to help carry certain sections of the film.
The Instigators is likely to be one of Doug Liman’s least loved films (mostly because it’s too sloppy at times) but it’s hard not to enjoy it for what it is. Liman doesn’t overdo anything here except for the way he makes the villains into certifiable goons who we want to see get theirs in the end. Damon’s age is brought into the action a couple of times throughout the movie. If the film didn’t mention it, how old the actor is doesn’t really matter. Damon has always been one of Hollywood’s most prized actors and he is hardly at the age where we need to consider him old. If anything, this movie’s “instigating” trouble by considering Damon an aging action hero. He’s been doing just fine in his recent films, thank you very much.
Liman’s The Instigators is a wild ride that is grounded in a dark reality where crime runs rampant. Affleck and Damon’s characters are just the types of heroes that balance out the tone of the film and help prove that, in life, real heroes are mostly flawed individuals. I liked that they were average guys who needed a break. By the film’s end, they get what they deserve and, without giving too much away, what they really deserve after the events of this film is a vacation.
Rating: 6.5/10
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