MOVIE REVIEW – At first glance, The Instigators looks like a promising heist movie, especially considering that it’s directed by Doug Liman, who has directed such blockbusters as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the recent Road House reboot. Among the main cast are Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, who alone raise high expectations. But the film quickly makes it clear that it falls far short of expectations.

Damon and Affleck play together with a natural ease that befits two old friends. Unfortunately, this is where the film’s magic runs out. After the first 30 minutes the plot falls apart. The film’s dramatic mood swings make it hard to follow what the real purpose of the story is. The Inciters follows the story of a former Marine, Rory (Damon), who is at a low point in his life. The first scene reveals a heartbreaking reality as Rory confesses to his therapist, Dr. Rivera (Hong Chau), that if things don’t change, he will consider suicide. This is not exactly the best basis for a comedy, and hopes for comedy are further dashed by the introduction of Cobby’s (Affleck) character.

Damon and Affleck – A close couple, but losing direction

And what an introduction! We first see Cobby when he asks a neighborhood guy to blow into the breathalyzer attached to his motorcycle so he can get going – to none other than a bar. This scene could be a fantastic introduction if the viewer wasn’t concerned about Rory’s mental state. By the end of the film, these elements define the narrative: the tonal jabs are almost constant.

Although the dialogue between the main characters sometimes makes the viewer laugh, the film doesn’t really find its direction. Rory’s earnest, straightforward character should counterpoint Cobby’s wordy character, but The Instigators doesn’t really try to follow this dynamic. Perhaps in a different direction it could have been a better constructed comedy, but the film never moves forward. After the theft of the mayor’s holiday money fails, the weight of the characters and events completely disappears. Rory and Cobby are made scapegoats for the death of a policeman, which makes the film more serious than it needs to be. At this point, there is little time for funny pranks.

A film that no good intentions could save

If it weren’t for the friendship and rapport between Damon and Affleck, The Instigators would be a tonally confused failure. Many threads of the film, including Rory’s main motivation, are lost in the story. After they are arrested, they are only released because of a corrupt decision by the mayor, leaving both characters at the end of the film where they were at the beginning.

Rory and Cobby’s character development is barely noticeable: Rory goes to see his son’s hockey game and realizes that he doesn’t need money to be a good father, while Cobby presumably asks Dr. Rivera for help. But the film barely touches on these internal struggles. Because of the loss of money and the weak ending, the last act of the film does not bring a satisfying conclusion. For all the love of Boston and the talented actors, The Instigators deserved a commitment to the genre that could have resulted in a truly humorous film. With the right material, these two actors could have worked wonders in a pure comedy, similar to Ocean’s 11.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-