The Instigators review: Matt Damon helps bolster Casey Affleck’s career comeback in crime caper

The Instigators was conceived as a vehicle for Casey Affleck, but it’s no surprise Apple Studios is putting Affleck’s co-star in the buddy film, Matt Damon, front and centre. Damon has more brand recognition, to be sure, but there’s also the uncomfortable reality of Affleck’s recent past. At the height of Affleck’s career — the 2016-17 awards season, which culminated in him winning the best actor Oscar for Manchester By The Sea — he was beset with controversy regarding historic sexual harassment allegations. Those allegations related to complaints from co-workers on his 2010 film, I’m Still Here, and resulted in Affleck settling out of court for multiple millions of dollars. Despite being considered one of the brightest talents in Hollywood, Affleck was in the wilderness until making what was considered a comeback in Christopher Nolan’s smash hit, Oppenheimer, last year. In that film he played a sinister military intelligence officer, which was a vibe audiences were happy to accept. One’s appreciation of The Instigators could well come down to how willing you are to accept Affleck as a lovable larrikin, in the vein of his character in Ocean’s Eleven. Affleck’s desire to return to that kind of role is a big reason The Instigators got made in the first place, but teaming up again with Ocean’s co-star Damon isn’t the only reunion worth noting here. The heist comedy sees Damon reunited with director Doug Liman, after the pair reshaped the action genre together with The Bourne Identity. Damon is also collaborating once more with the excellent Hong Chau (The Whale), after working together on 2017’s Downsizing. The Instigators casts Damon and Affleck as Rory and Cobby, reluctant co-conspirators in an attempt to rob the slush fund of Boston’s dodgy mayor (Ron Perlman). When things predictably go sideways, the pair go on the run, taking Rory’s therapist (Chau) as a hostage. With a starry supporting cast that includes Michael Stuhlbarg, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina and Toby Jones, Liman’s film is a blokey, Bostonian crime caper that reads like a lighthearted companion piece to The Town. Damon is decidedly un-Bourne-like, and the dynamic with Chau’s therapist is easily the best bit of the film. As for Affleck, his endless patter is a little indulgent at times — it helps when your older brother, Ben, is producing the film — but it’s not hard to see the talent that has made him an award-winning actor. This is not the material to return him to those lofty heights, but it might be a small step on his comeback to mainstream acceptance. 3 Stars Starring: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Ron Perlman, Ving Rhames Rating: MA15+ Streaming on Apple TV+ from August 9