The Instigators is the second Doug Liman directed film to have come out this year on streaming after Road House. The film stars a stacked cast of Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman. The plot follows a botched robbery causing two thieves (Damon & Affleck) to go on the run, dragging along one of their therapists in the process.

There are plenty of reasons of why this film caught my attention. For one, I tend to watch anything and everything that Apple TV+ comes out with. As of lately, their catalogue hasn’t been great, but it seems like they have had a comeback as of recently. Considering this is the first Apple original film this year that had a limited release, so I was a little concerned. I was also concerned of the fact that this is now the second streaming exclusive film directed by Doug Liman that came out this year, yet I was excited as this was the first time Liman & Damon have reunited since 2002’s The Bourne Identity. On a side note, I think it’s funny how Liman has gone on to direct many other things, but the marketing for this still only recognizes him as the director of The Bourne Identity & Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

While the film had things already working in its favor, I always love a good crime movie, so count me in with this one. The film opens up on Rory (Damon) speaking with his therapist, Dr. Donna Rivera (Chau). It’s a great way to start the film to understand the main character’s motives & struggles. It also establishes another character that becomes vital to the story later on. After this introduction, we are introduced to the rest of the supporting characters, particularly Cobby (Affleck) a drunk who ends up working with Rory on a robbery gone wrong. The chemistry between Damon & Affleck works in the film’s favor. Damon is recluse & apologetic, while Affleck is charismatic & confident. It offers a great dynamic that’s often found in buddy-cop movies and offers a nice change of pace for a crime movie.

Aside from being a crime film, the film is also largely a dark comedy. The humor in this had me laughing out loud from start to finish, which is a surprising feat since I don’t particularly find myself doing this when I am watching something by myself at home. I can’t even imagine what a theater experience would have been like. The humor mostly comes from the dynamic between Damon & Affleck, yet it helps too with its likable cast. The cast understands the assignment of balancing drama with comedy even if it doesn’t always work. I would have liked to have seen the film lean more into one genre or the other as the humor can sometimes feel out of place with the dramatic tone.

Speaking of what works, but also doesn’t work is the film’s action. It’s great to see Liman & Damon reunite as you can almost see what another Bourne sequel could have liked under Liman’s direction. This includes an exciting car chase that made me feel nostalgic. The action can also be formulaic and generic. The camera work can be quite simple and offer nothing new out of the action. You have to suspend some disbelief when characters are able to show up out of the blue or when characters are able to pull off the impossible during these set pieces.

At a crisp 101 minute runtime including the credits, the film has to juggle quite the cast. The cast is super likable, and some even surprised me. While the film gives them plenty to do, I don’t think the film also allows the writing to do them all justice. Plot convivences lead to generic conclusions, while others lead to them simply being forgotten about. Instead, I would have either preferred the film lose some of its cast to have a more linear story, or focus more on these characters to give them proper arcs. In the end, I was still entertained by the characters and the mid-credits scene had me audibly laugh out loud.

Overall, The Instigators has enough entertainment value to stand on its own, even if it may not be for everyone. The cast is given some unique characterization that makes it worth watching and the humor is genuinely funny. There are clear indicators that the film could have been better under some better writing and direction, but I will take this for what it is.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 – Pretty Good