Two Boston thieves find themselves on the run after a heist goes awry in The Instigators. Cash-strapped ex-Marine Roy (Matt Damon) is brought on, along with Cobby (Casey Affleck) and Scalvo (Jack Harlow) to do a heist for Mr. Besegai (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his associate Richie Dechico (Alfred Molina). Mr. Besegai wants the crew to steal the illicit donations to Boston’s corrupt Mayor Miccelli (Ron Perlman) on the night of his presumed reelection. However, when it turns out that Miccelli lost the election, the heist quickly turns south, as there’s no money in the safe and the shootout results in the death of the Police Commissioner.
Pegged as cop killers, Roy and Cobby end up going on the run together. The two are tailed by Mr. Besegai’s enforcer Booch (Paul Walter Hauser) and Special Operators Unit detective Frank Toomey (Ving Rhames), the latter of whom was instructed to recover Mayor Miccelli’s grandfather’s bracelet, taken during the heist. Desperate for help Roy enlists his psychiatrist Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau) and the three try to find a place to lie low.
The Instigators Synopsis
The Instigators is a Boston set heist comedy directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, American Made) and co-written by Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), who stars alongside Matt Damon, who previously worked with Doug Liman on The Bourne Identity. The film also stars Hong Chau (The Whale) as Dr. Donna Rivera, the psychiatrist of Damon’s ex-Marine Roy, who desperately needs money for his son. It is this financial need that results in Roy joining small-time criminals Cobby and Scalvo on a plan to rob Boston’s corrupt mayor, played in Trump-like fashion by Ron Pearlman. However, when Scalvo discovers that the expected safe full of cash is not full, he ends up panicking and sets off a series of events that results in Scalvo shooting the Police Commissioner.
The remainder of the film involves Roy and Cobby trying to escape the repercussions of being involved in a heist that resulted in the death of a cop. This includes trying to outrun SOU detective Frank Toomey, who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Still in need of money, in a desperate move, Roy and Cobby decide that the best course of action is to rob the mayor…again.
My Thoughts on The Instigators
After briefly showing up in last year’s Oppenheimer, also co-starring Matt Damon, The Instigators marks a notable comeback for actor Casey Affleck, who has spent much of the last decade laying low amid sexual harassment allegations during the #MeToo movement, which cast a shadow over his 2017 Best Actor Oscar win for Manchester by the Sea. While he hasn’t stopped acting in that time, The Instigators is Casey Affleck’s first notable leading role since 2017’s A Ghost Story, a film where he spent the majority of the running time under a sheet. It probably helps that Casey Affleck co-wrote the film along with Chuck MacLean.
As Matt Damon and Casey Affleck previously appeared together in the Ocean’s Eleven films, The Instigators joins the upcoming Wolfs in the category of 2024 Ocean’s Eleven reunion heist films. Admittedly, The Instigators will probably end up being remembered as the lesser of those two films. However, the film still ends up being an entertaining viewing experience with lifelong friends Matt Damon and Casey Affleck having great chemistry with each other.
While there is a bit of a casting misstep by featuring Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai) as a tough guy enforcer, as a whole, The Instigators has a solid ensemble cast. Shining in particular during the film’s third act is Toby Jones as Mayor Miccelli’s lawyer Alan Flynn, who isn’t afraid to throw his boss under the bus at the first opportunity. Also memorable is Ving Rhames playing the type of character he always plays, as SCO detective Frank Toomey.
While there will undoubtedly be those who opt not to see The Instigators due to Casey Affleck’s casting, the film still ends up being an entertaining heist film. At the very least, the film will leave you with the song “Downtown” stuck in your head.