Artists Equity is a production company formed by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon a few years ago. Their first film under that banner was Air. The second movie under this banner is The Instigators starring Damon and not Ben Affleck, like Air, but his brother. Casey Affleck,  another Academy Award winner. They have as much chemistry as Matt and Ben have, but they’ve both worked together before in Good Will Hunting and the Ocean’s Trilogy.  They return to their comedic ways in their latest movie on AppleTV + streaming on August 9th.

Rory (Matt Damon) is an ex-military man who is getting therapy. He has a difficult life full of debts and regrets that he isn’t a better father to his teenage son. Cobby (Casey Affleck) is a man who is in bed with some unsavory men. After almost being drowned to death, he ends up doing a heist for a gang boss, Mr. Besegai (Michael Stuhlbarg), and ironically, for him, he ends up teaming up with Damon’s character. The job is all laid out like pancakes, but as John Steinbeck’s famous book Of Mice and Men States, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray” and the heist goes bad. These two men previously, strangers are forced to work together to figure this situation out.

Damon and Affleck, similar to his brother, have a good rapport with each other. Their banter is pretty hilarious. One is the strong silent type, and the other is the talkative, funny type. Their back and forth throughout the movie were fantastic. It kept this dark comedy pretty lighthearted most of the time. It was like these guys grew up together or something. That was a joke because I know they grew up together, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.  You could tell these guys had a great shorthand while acting in this film. I loved every minute of it as a Boston guy myself. I love every time I get a chance to see movies filmed in Boston, but this one was extra special for me because of the duo who starred in it together. 

Besides Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, there is a pretty stacked supporting cast of actors in this film. Starting off are Michael Stuhlbarg and his gangster friend played by Alfred Molina. These have it out for the two guys who botched the job. Hong Chau plays a psychiatrist for Damon’s character and their back and forth is pretty funny. Just as Damon and Affleck are. Paul Walter Hauser plays a hitman who is just an idiot. He screws up just as much as Damon and Affleck’s characters do. Last but not least actors who are in this movie are Ron Perlman, a corrupt mayor, and his lawyer Tobey Jones. These guys are hilarious as well. This film is full of funny performances.

With any film, some moments transcend the movie and in this one, there is a William Friedkin-esque car chase for the ages. I haven’t seen a car chase like this one since maybe Ronan back in 1998. This one had so many pulse-pounding moments. Just when I thought the men in the car were done for, they found a way to escape. The crashes that happened as a result of this high-speed chase were hilarious. The best part though was a song that came on after a collision which was Patula Clark’s “Downtown”. I was dying laughing during this sequence. This was the capper to a great car chase scene for the ages.

Doug Liman is a director who has a diverse filmography. With Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Supremacy, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith to his credit, but he also has some clunkers like the 2024 reboot of Roadhouse on his resume. The Instigators is a big step up from that pile of trash. He adds an element of comedy to the story which drives the narrative forward. You can’t help but laugh at the ineptitude of these two criminals who end up in this crazy scenario. They figure out a way to make the best of it though. Liman blends genres like action and comedy very nicely. His other successful movies do that as well. He should stick to this formula. It has benefited him in his career and will still in the future moving forward in the future.

The Instigators is a nice blend of comedy and action. Is it the best buddy action comedy no, but it’s not bad either not at all. Damon and Affleck have a great back-and-forth banter among themselves and it suits the film perfectly fine. The rapport is what drives the narrative throughout the film. The supporting cast which is filled with A-listers are all nice additions. They all understand the roles they play in this movie. Li.man once again has turned out a pretty hilarious buddy action comedy. I hope those who see it on AppleTV+ pass the word around to others that this is worth seeing.

The Instigators is streaming on AppleTV + August 9th

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen