The Instigators
APPLETV+
After a lackluster remake of one of the best films of the 1980s, Doug Liman returns to the small screen, once again, with The Instigators, marking his first collaboration with Matt Damon since 2002’s The Bourne Identity. A traditional heist comedy in the sense of the term, the movie follows Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) as amateur thieves set to rob Mayor Miccelli’s (Ron Perlman) vault for vague reasons that aren’t developed beyond one-note traits.
But it doesn’t much matter. They’re willing to go the extra mile and rob the city’s most corrupt mayor, who’s refusing to concede after losing his election (sound familiar?). However, one thing Mr. Besegai (Michael Stuhlbarg) and Richie (Alfred Molina) did not factor in is that Miccelli lost his election, which seemed to be in the bag. This results in no money being left in the campaign donations vault, prompting Rory and Cobby to run away and hide from the authorities.
But after stealing Miccelli’s bracelet, the mayor sends Francis Toomey (Ving Rhames) to take down both petty thieves, while Richie sends Booch (Paul Walter Hauser) to do the same. A cat-and-mouse game ensues, leading the duo to take Rory’s therapist, Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau), hostage until they get what they are owed. Once this occurs, they will surrender to the police, but not before getting their money.
The result is a rather rudimentary crime thriller that’s elevated through Liman’s fun sense of style. Collaborating with cinematographer Henry Braham once again after Road House, Liman seems to be a fan of James Gunn’s way of shooting through IMAX in films like The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. Funnily enough, Braham worked on both films (including the upcoming Superman) and has developed a kinetic and vivid sense of style with Gunn, with the camera moving constantly to dynamize the tension on-screen and make the action more exhilarating.
Liman appropriates this style and has fun with moving his camera during sequences of fast-talking, or to introduce a character in an exuberant way. How Miccelli is introduced is likely the funniest and most striking visual moment of the movie, a fast crash-zoom distorts his physique and makes him far more imposing than he is. When he eventually gets a proper scene, the audience already thinks of him as a foe, so it’s of no surprise than he’s as expressive as the way Liman and Braham frame him.
But one can’t say the same for how Liman shoots action here. While a taut sequence inside Miccelli’s building may be the highlight of the movie, none of the shot compositions in The Instigators’ biggest chase scene make any sense. There’s no proper sense of blocking, or actual thought put in how they’re stitched together by editors William Goldenberg, Saar Klein and Tatiana S. Riegel.
Some compelling GoPro footage is certainly fun to watch, but there is simply not enough competently shot action to hold our attention. The same problem was also evident in Road House, where an ultra-wide lens made it feel as if Liman is experimenting with digital photography like Michael Bay in Ambulance. However, and unlike Bay’s film, he wasn’t pointing at anything in particular, and none of the shots were as clear-cut and wide-eyed as Bay’s movie.
Still, the experimentation in The Instigators makes more sense and fits with the film’s fast-talking approach. And while the story may not be the most inspiring in the world, the ever-fun chemistry between Matt Damon and Casey Affleck makes the movie somewhat fun. The two have collaborated with each other in the past, most notably in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, so one can see this film as being a side-mission for Linus and Virgil. Once someone perceives the movie that way, their banter is somewhat more engaging, and one can see exactly how much fun they’re having.
They also share great chemistry with Chau, who’s surprisingly more developed than someone would think she would, especially when reduced to the character of the hostage. But she voluntarily decides to become one, which adds a sense of rapport with the two protagonists. Other actors all do a fine job, particularly Perlman and Rhames, who always bring welcomed fun to their respective turns. Perhaps the side characters needed more development, but Liman knows where to focus his energy, which, in turn, creates a surprisingly lively experience and one wholly reliant on the rock-solid chemistry between its two leads.
And thank God both Damon and Affleck have a great rapport together, as they make The Instigators a highly pleasant watch. It also helps that the bulk of its humor is set around Montreal, which, as a fellow Montrealer, caught every single reference on the city’s upsides and downsides (Liman also shot Chaos Walking and The Recruit in Montreal, so there could be a meta-commentary on his relationship with the city here). The recurring bit gets even funnier, when each character who intersects with Rory and Cobby also wants to head to Montreal to lay low. What’s so special about this completely unremarkable city anyways?
In any event, there’s lots of fun to be had in The Instigators. Sure, it may not reinvent the wheel of heist comedies and may not be Liman’s strongest hour. But it’s far superior than his previous three efforts, with a more assured visual style and strong performances from its leads that carry the whole affair. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done. And for a streaming movie, that seems to be the norm.