The Instigators

The Instigators
The Instigators
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Doug Liman
Written by	Chuck Maclean; Casey Affleck;
Produced by	Matt Damon; Ben Affleck; Jeff Robinov; John Graham; Kevin J. Walsh; Alison Winter;
Starring	Matt Damon; Casey Affleck; Hong Chau; Michael Stuhlbarg; Paul Walter Hauser; Ving Rhames; Alfred Molina; Toby Jones; Jack Harlow; Ron Perlman;
Cinematography	Henry Braham
Edited by	William Goldenberg; Saar Klein; Tatiana S. Riegel;
Music by	Christophe Beck
Production; companies	Apple Studios; Artists Equity; Studio 8; The Walsh Company;
Distributed by	Apple TV+
Release date	August 2, 2024;
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$11,106

The Instigators is a 2024 American heist comedy film directed by Doug Liman and written by Chuck Maclean and Casey Affleck. The film stars Affleck and Matt Damon, with a supporting cast that includes Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman.

The Instigators was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 2, 2024, before making its streaming debut on Apple TV+ on August 9, 2024. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

In Boston, two strangers from Quincy — divorced Marine veteran Rory and alcoholic ex-con Cobby Murphy — are recruited for a robbery. Rory struggles to explain his plans to his therapist, Dr. Rivera, while Cobby's bartender Mr. Kelly warns him not to return to his criminal ways. The night of the city's mayoral election, corrupt incumbent Joseph Miccelli has organized a celebration at the Wharf, where he will be accepting massive amounts of cash bribes. Mobsters Besegai and Dechico enlist their underling Scalvo, Rory, and Cobby to steal the money before it is picked up by armored car; Rory is adamant that he receive a share of exactly $32,480.

The three armed men sneak in through the Wharf restaurant kitchen, only to find the event is still full of people; challenger Mark Choi has won the election, but Miccelli refuses to concede. The Wharf's safe has already been emptied, so Scalvo robs Miccelli and his inner circle instead, taking Miccelli's bracelet. When the chief of police intervenes, he and Scalvo shoot each other dead and Cobby is wounded in the shoulder. He and Rory escape in the armored car, which they abandon after realizing a guard is still in the back. Lying low at Mr. Kelly's house, Rory and Cobby reach out to Dechico for help, but he sends Scalvo's associates Booch and Colani to kill them instead.

With a manhunt for the thieves underway, Miccelli tasks Frank Toomey of the Special Operations Unit to recover the bracelet, engraved with the combination to his office safe. Toomey questions Dechico, while Rory confides to Cobby that his share of the money is meant to make amends with his estranged son. Booch and Colani arrive to execute the two thieves, who have cut the house's gas line, preventing Booch from shooting without incinerating them all. Rory and Cobby escape with the bracelet as the house explodes.

Rory brings Cobby to Dr. Rivera, taking her as a willing hostage. They treat Cobby's gunshot wound at Rivera's home, but are forced to flee in her car after she calls the police. Still determined to help Rory, Rivera joins them and they narrowly survive a high-speed police chase. Breaking into Mr. Kelly's empty bar, the three are confronted by Toomey, who leaves with Rivera and the bracelet. Surrounded by police, Cobby cuts the gas line again and escapes with Rory as the bar explodes.

Cobby has memorized the number combination from the bracelet, and he and Rory decide to go after the money in the mayor's office. Stealing uniforms from a fire truck, they disguise themselves as firefighters and set off the fire alarms in city hall, causing the evacuation of the building as they sneak inside. Pursued by suspicious real firefighters, they lock themselves in the mayor's office with his counsel, Alan Flynn. Unlocking Miccelli's safe, they discover millions of dollars in illicit cash, while Flynn offers to testify against Miccelli, giving them two hard drives with evidence of the mayor's misdeeds.

The police surround city hall and open fire, wounding Cobby in the same shoulder. Sent in to negotiate with the thieves, Rivera exits the building with Flynn, while Rory and Cobby push the safe out of the window, leading the crowd outside to scramble for the cash. In the chaos, Rory and Cobby escape in a fire truck, but are soon confronted by Toomey. They offer him the drives in exchange for letting them go free, but he has them taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Besegai and Dechico escape to a cabin and attempt to reach the Canadian border on foot, while Miccelli is arrested fleeing to Canada. Choi takes office and is given the drives, which hold account information worth $100 million in untraceable funds. Realizing that he and his people can keep the money for themselves as long as they don't indict Cobby and Rory, Choi lets them go. Rory reconnects with his son, while Cobby visits Rivera at home. In a mid-credits scene, Besegai and Dechico are found frozen to death in the wilderness after unsuccessfully trying to sneak into Canada.

Cast

Matt Damon as Rory
Casey Affleck as Cobby Murphy
Hong Chau as Dr. Donna Rivera
Paul Walter Hauser as Booch
Michael Stuhlbarg as Mr. Besegai
Ving Rhames as Frank Toomey
Alfred Molina as Richie Dechico
Toby Jones as Alan Flynn
Jack Harlow as Scalvo
Ron Perlman as Mayor Miccelli
André De Shields as Mr. Kelly
Toby Onwumere as John Wayne
Rob Gronkowski as himself
Ronnie Cho as Mark Choi
Scout Backus as Colani

Production

In December 2022, Apple TV+ acquired the rights to the project, which would see Doug Liman directing and Matt Damon and Casey Affleck starring.^[4] Hong Chau joined the cast in February 2023, with other cast members being announced in the following months.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] Christophe Beck composed the film's score.^[10]

The Instigators was produced by Ben Affleck and Damon under their production company Artists Equity, alongside Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Kevin J. Walsh and Alison Winter, for distribution by Apple TV+ under Apple Original Films.^[3] According to the film's closing credits, the production benefitted from fiscal incentives established in Spanish Corporate Income Tax Law, with collaboration of Government of Spain; the post-production services were carried out in Madrid.

Principal photography began in Boston in March 2023,^[11] with locations including Bova's Bakery in North End.^[12]

Release

The Instigators was released in select theaters in the United States on August 2, 2024, before premiering on Apple TV+ on August 9.^[13]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 151 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "The alchemy of Casey Affleck and Matt Damon's knucklehead rapport provides some charm, but this laidback caper unravels due to a lack of intrigue and pulse."^[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[15]

Future

In September 2024, Affleck and Damon said they were in early talks with Apple executives to star in a sequel, with Liman possibly returning to direct.^[16]