In Apple TV+’s The Instigators, Matt Damon is working together again with Casey Affleck for the first time in years. It’s a comedy heist movie with a twist: what if their therapist gets dragged along in the heist? There are also several other aspects that distinguish The Instigators from the myriad of other heist movies out there.

Let The Heist Commence

Firstly, the movie doesn’t waste time with the generic one-by-one introductions that are usually a common trope in heist movies. The planning for the heist in The Instigators already happens in the first 10 minutes and it never really lets up after that. That makes the runtime of 1 hour 48 minutes feel fast-paced and brisk without dragging or feeling slow. Also, without spoiling any details, the heist just forms one part of the movie (it’s not really the main focus and the movie is self-aware of that), while most of the movie is basically a buddy action comedy movie with the characters played by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.

In addition, The Instigators also benefits from a smaller and more intimate main cast rather than the usual ensemble cast heist movies tend to go for. Sure, there are still many supporting characters with big names such as Alfred Molina, Ving Rhames and Ron Perlman, but most of the screen time and focus is on the main three characters, Matt Damon’s Rory, Casey Affleck’s Cobby and (to a lesser extent), Hong Chau’s Dr. Donna Rivera.

The comedy works and there were a lot of funny jokes that landed. In fact, the humour is probably the best thing about the movie, especially the performances and witty banter between the three aforementioned main characters. I would love to have seen a movie where most of the movie is more focused on all three equally (Hong Chau deserves more screen time), but this is more Matt Damon and Casey Affleck’s movie. Also, Ron Perlman’s Mayor Miccelli is clearly meant to be a crooked politician Trump allegory (which is part of a bit of political commentary inserted into the movie, Matt Damon and Casey Affleck even spoke about this in our interview with them). Perlman’s character is also a pleasure to watch whenever he does show up.

The biggest issue with The Instigators is probably that Hong Chau’s Dr. Donna Rivera doesn’t really get much screen time, especially when compared to Matt Damon and Casey Affleck’s characters. She’s only there for perhaps less than half of the movie’s total runtime, at most. That makes this movie feel more like a buddy action movie overall, but The Instigators is still best when the three main characters are interacting together. That somewhat turns the therapist being dragged along in the heist as more of a gimmick instead of being the actual focus of the movie.

A Good Time

The Instigators is a fun and entertaining comedy heist movie that’s best when the main trio of the movie is together. However, the movie doesn’t really seem to fully lean into its main hook/gimmick of “therapist dragged along on heist”, so the full potential of that premise is a bit wasted. Still, with a strong supporting cast and great comedy/humour, The Instigators is still a movie that’s worth watching.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

We attended a screener for The Instigators from Apple TV+ Malaysia. The Instigators premieres on Apple TV+ on 9 August 2024.