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The Instigators

Play trailer 2:21 Poster for The Instigators R Released Aug 2, 2024 1h 41m Action Comedy Mystery & Thriller Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
40% Tomatometer 156 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) are reluctant partners: a desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to rob a corrupt politician's ill-gained earnings. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by police but also by backward bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses. Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory's therapist (Hong Chau) to join their riotous getaway through the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to evade capture -- or worse.
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The Instigators

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

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Robert Levin Newsday No matter how much heft the Actors Equity team brings to the project on both sides of the camera, there's simply no evading the fact that the movie plays as so inconsequential, so free of meaning and purpose, that it offers nothing to grab onto. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 13, 2024 Full Review Wendy Ide Observer (UK) It should be pulpy fun powered by car chases and zippy repartee, but The Instigators is a dispiriting and predictable drag of a movie. Rated: 2/5 Aug 12, 2024 Full Review Barry Hertz Globe and Mail Certainly, all the ingredients are here for a fun night in, from the absolutely killer cast to the familiar Damon/Affleck stomping grounds of Boston. But nothing quite clicks in this tale of charming low-life thieves. Aug 12, 2024 Full Review Ross Anthony Hollywood Report Card Also, has anyone been saying what a great actor Casey Affleck is? His performances are powerful, emotional, real, purposely un-showey. His low-key retorts in this film are sharp, edgy, and hard-hitting despite their carefully understated delivery. Rated: 3/4 Apr 9, 2025 Full Review Pete Vonder Haar Houston Press It's fun to see Damon play an idiot (even if the "taking notes at a criminal conspiracy" line was ripped off from The Wire), but Chau is the only factor making this even a mild recommend. Rated: 2.5/5 Nov 20, 2024 Full Review Erik Childress Movie Madness Podcast It is hard to watch Matt Damon play so dumb next to Casey Affleck’s sleepy comic mannerisms in an overly plotted but thinly scripted heist film crossed with political corruption that is part of the definition of this era’s direct-to-streaming content. Rated: 2/4 Oct 28, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Yusuf N Casey Affleck is a gem and his deadpan lines were just delightfully droll! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/10/24 Full Review dsh Plot was ridiculous and implausible, script was terrible and the language was foul - constant f-bombs. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review JimPalmer It was interesting but its language was distracting and unnecessary. Have to wonder if the actors children are allowed to see this movie. No need for sentences of profanity. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Audience Member The movie was good. Fun to watch... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/05/25 Full Review Stephen C A failure in 1 hour and 41 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Matt Damon is not in his best form. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/01/25 Full Review C B Some good laughs but the movie is too ridiculous to consider giving it a higher rating. I hate to even give a critique for it but for starters, there’s no reason or believable motive for these two guys to do what they did. And why would the psychiatrist feel the need to go along with two of the world’s most dumbest most criminally insane? If this were real life, Matt Damon would have an IQ of 60 and would be considered a psychopath. Zero emotion and he did all that for $32,480? I can’t think of a bigger loser than that. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/27/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) are reluctant partners: a desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to rob a corrupt politician's ill-gained earnings. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by police but also by backward bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses. Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory's therapist (Hong Chau) to join their riotous getaway through the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to evade capture -- or worse.
Director
Doug Liman
Producer
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Kevin J. Walsh
Screenwriter
Chuck MacLean
Distributor
Apple TV+
Production Co
The Walsh Company, Apple TV+, Studio 8, Apple Studios, Apple Original Films, Artists Equity
Rating
R (Some Violence|Pervasive Language)
Genre
Action, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 2, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 9, 2024
Runtime
1h 41m
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