Time: 101 Minutes
Age Rating: 16 – Violence, Cruelty, Offensive language
Cast:
Matt Damon as Rory
Casey Affleck as Cobby Murphy
Hong Chau as Dr. Donna Rivera
Paul Walter Hauser as Booch
Michael Stuhlbarg as Mr. Besegai
Ving Rhames as Frank Toomey
Alfred Molina as Richie Dechico
Toby Jones as Alan Flynn
Jack Harlow as Scalvo
Ron Perlman as Mayor Miccelli
Director: Doug Liman

I saw The Instigators advertised in some places: a Matt Damon and Casey Affleck crime comedy from Apple. When I learned that it was directed by Doug Liman, I decided to check out. It wasn’t anything special, but I did enjoy it. 

The Instigators is very derivative of much better heist movies. The story isn’t all that great, a very formulaic, thin and basic heist comedy. Still, it’s funny enough with its dry humour, and while it is a bit of a dumb movie, it is absolutely aware of this. 

The movie has an absurdly stacked ensemble cast. Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are really good in the lead roles, they share good chemistry and make for a funny duo. Their dynamic is really the main thing going for this movie. The supporting cast are decent in Paul Walter Hauser, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones and Ron Perlman but they are largely wasted. It doesn’t help that most of them only have a few scenes. That said, Hong Chau is great and stands out in her role.

Doug Liman is a good director, and his work is just competent here. His direction shines most in his entertaining action sequences, filmed with a lot of style. 

The Instigators is a run of the mill and derivative, but enjoyable enough crime comedy with a good cast and entertaining action sequences. It’s pretty forgettable, but it fun for what it is.