“The Instigators” poses an interesting question: is the dream of the ‘90s cinema alive in 2024? The film, directed by Doug Liman from a script by Chuck MacLean and Casey Affleck, is a throwback to the ensemble crime comedy that was in abundance following the success of Tarantino. Titles like “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead,” “Killing Zoe,” “2 Days In The Valley,” “8 Heads in a Duffel Bag,” “The Way of the Gun,” and many more filled the multiplexes and video store shelves that tried to capitalize on the new auteur’s success, influenced by the Coen Brothers, Elmore Leonard, and (of all things) the French New Wave. “The Instigators” absolutely harkens back to those vibes, but it’s also part of a larger (if largely silent) movement that is embracing those movies—like “Drive-Away Dolls” and “The Last Stop in Yuma County.” You could even argue that one of the best films of the year, “Love Lies Bleeding,” is heavily influenced by the mid-to-late ‘90s neo-noir work of Danny Boyle. It’s clear what “The Instigators” is going for, but how does it measure up? It’s an all right time spent with lots of great actors with occasional moments of clever comedy amid multiple sequences that are fine at best.
Mr. Besegai (Michael Stuhlbarg) has a plan to get rich—rob the victory party for the incumbent mayor of Boston (Ron Perlman). Unfortunately, he can’t find a great crew for it and is forced to turn it over to Scalvo (Jack Harlow) to recruit Rory (Matt Damon), a former Marine with suicidal ideation, and Cobby (Casey Affleck), an unlucky degenerate just trying to get by. When things go awry, as they always do, Rory and Cobby find themselves on the run, with a purloined MacGuffin and a gunshot wound, and turn to Rory’s psychiatrist (Hon Chau) to help them navigate their horrible situation. Meanwhile they are being pursued by the entire police force of Massachusetts, including one-man wrecking crew Frank (Ving Rhames), and a bunch of criminal scumbags.
“The Instigators” is not a revolutionary film. In addition to the aforementioned ‘90s crime comedies, there’s been a whole bunch of other movies that mash-up therapy with criminal enterprises to varying degrees of comedic success. None of the issues facing the characters are particularly novel. Hell, none of the characters themselves are anything we haven’t seen before. But, even with that weak pedigree, there are moments that got a genuine laugh out of me and most of it coasts by on the cast. This is an incredibly stacked ensemble—in addition to those noted above, there’s also Alfred Molina, André De Shields, Paul Walter Hauser, Toby Jones, and more. These are exceptional performers who manage to take a fairly weak script and still deliver fully rendered characters in just a few lines. Even if the dialogue and narrative isn’t too exciting, which it often isn’t, there is a thrill to seeing these folks show up and interact with each other in superb fashion.
That chemistry is most on display between Affleck and Damon, which makes sense as the two have known each other forever and worked together so many times. But they find a great rhythm with each other with Affleck being the overcompensating, cynical motormouth while Damon is the more stoic yet troubled rookie criminal. The best parts of “The Instigators” are when the duo is with Chau, playing off each other with ratatat dialogue and relationship dynamics that lead to clever lines and jokes.
And I should be honest that I’m probably bumping up the movie a bit due to its Massachusetts location. For this MA native, it’s nice to see some oft overlooked parts of the state, along with requisite references to Walpole prison and slanderous jokes about the city of Lynn. In many ways, with its location, inept crooks, and seedy cops, “The Instigators” occasionally reminded me of a goofy take on 1973’s “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” (a truly great Massachusetts crime drama that you should seek out). With all of the inside jokes and lovely New England accents, there is something enjoyable for those from the area.
Unfortunately, all these great locations and cast moments are shot pretty blandly. This is surprising given that DP Henry Braham has done such dynamic work before with James Gunn on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and “The Suicide Squad.” Perhaps it’s meant to evoke more of a verité style or a “working class” sheen that these are just ordinary folks in an extraordinary situation. But when you have as many car chases and standoffs as “The Instigators” has, then it should be captured in much more visually interesting ways, if only to mix it up. Instead of constantly using the same medium shots, or shot-reverse-shot, there needs to be more at work so it all doesn’t just morph into the same compositions over and over.
“The Instigators” is fun enough with a few strong scenes and funny lines, but it’s not especially memorable. It feels like that glut of mid-‘90s Tarantinoesque where they all became part of the same tableau. But at least those copycats were visually interesting and usually had some truly bizarre hook that would linger in the minds afterwards. Liman and company have assembled an amazing collection of actors that turn in consistently strong performances throughout and watching them play off each other is delightful. But too much of “The Instigators” feels too rehashed and too reheated to be stay with people after it’s finished. It’s fun to revisit the films of the past, but it’s still necessary to bring something new to it.
3 / 5 Stars
Starring: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jack Harlow, Alfred Molina, Ving Rhames, Ron Perlman, André De Shields, Paul Walter Hauser, Toby Jones
Director: Doug Liman
