New Apple TV+ action comedy The Instigators is getting a bad rap. The action-comedy about a Boston heist gone wrong, which stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, currently achieves a lackluster 41% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. But those critics are missing the point. The Instigators is an unpretentious buddy film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The critics who panned the movie apparently don’t know how to sit back and enjoy a fun flick. (The Instigators’ audience score sits at a much higher 71%.) Here are three reasons you should give this underappreciated action-comedy a stream on Apple TV+.
3 reasons to watch The Instigators
Maybe you’ve noticed that Apple TV+ seems hell-bent on recruiting big-name stars and trying to win big-name awards. (Recent Apple TV+ movies like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon come to mind.) And while The Instigators does pack the star power in Damon and Affleck, it’s not going to sweep the Academy Awards. It delivers old-school fun rather than setting itself up as an Oscar-bait “serious film.”
Obviously, given the reviews, The Instigators isn’t for everyone. But framing it against other heist flicks like Ocean’s Eleven or The Town — movies with complicated plots and dark moods — doesn’t do the new film justice. The Instigators doesn’t try to fry your brain with intricate plot twists and rapid-fire banter. And it’s not a grim essay on the downsides of a life of crime.
You should watch The Instigators on Apple TV+ if:
1. You don’t want a super-intricate plot that requires you to take notes
Photo: Apple TV+
Much like The Sopranos, The Instigators starts off with Matt Damon’s character Rory talking to a shrink. Unlike Tony Soprano, Rory isn’t a professional criminal. He’s just a semi-suicidal sad sack who needs money to catch up on child support and earn his son’s respect. For some reason, committing a crime seems like a logical way out to Rory. He and ex-con Cobby (played by Casey Affleck) sign up for a poorly thought-out caper to rob a crooked mayor on election night.
As you might expect, things go wrong. And then they go more wrong. And even more wrong. Eventually, Rory’s therapist Dr. Donna Rivera (played by Hong Chau) winds up as Rory and Cobby’s “hostage” as they flee from an ever-growing contingent of East Coast cops. (There’s a bit of a Smokey and the Bandit vibe as the chase gets wilder and wilder.)
If you’re a fan of crime movies, you’ve seen this sort of cascading failure before. One bad thing inevitably leads to another. In The Instigators, the meltdown doesn’t seem as wild and whiplash-y as in some similar movies. But in that way, it seems a little more lived-in and believable. Like many Apple TV+ offerings, The Instigators isn’t crazily creative. (Severance takes the cake — or maybe the melon — on that front.) The Instigators doesn’t reinvent the genre the way Pulp Fiction did. But it won’t leave your head spinning, either.
2. You like a good chase scene or two
The Instigators director Doug Liman (Mr & Mrs. Smith, Swingers and The Bourne Identity) knows how to capture a thrilling car chase — and he’s not afraid to soundtrack it to Petula Clark’s mellow 1964 hit “Downtown.”
There’s plenty of rolling destruction in The Instigators, including one comical scene that features a firetruck and a tanklike tactical police vehicle. And yet, despite all the full-metal mayhem, these scenes play out differently than many other car chase scenes. There’s more banter among the participants, and less manic reverie induced by a roaring engine. Like everything else in The Instigators, the chase scenes play out with a more lighthearted feel than you might expect.
3. You’re looking for a laugh or three
Photo: Apple TV+
As mentioned, The Instigators is an Apple TV+ action-comedy. So, in addition to the car chases and shootouts, you need some laughs. The movie delivers, although once again, it’s not the kind of over-the-top comedy you get from more outrageous productions.
Still, Affleck consistently delivers the goods with his winning portrayal of sarcastic ex-con Cobby. The character won’t stop talking, and Affleck’s dry delivery makes Cobby’s constant comments consistently amusing. The way his low-key chatter grinds on Rory — and grows on Donna — feels legit. It’s an understated performance that will keep you chuckling.
The Instigators dangles other charms for Apple TV+ viewers
The Instigators might not be fun for the whole family — it’s rated R for “pervasive language and some violence” — but it’s tailor-made for a fun night eating popcorn and maybe pounding a few bottles of Sam Adams.
Actor Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy), who plays Boston’s corrupt mayor, is always fun to watch, although his performance seems somewhat restrained. (Guess that jibes with The Instigators’ overall vibe.) Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction, the Mission: Impossible movies) shines as unstoppable police detective Frank Toomey.
Plus, the movie clocks in at just one hour, 41 minutes. Tired of the 2.5-hour epics Hollywood seems so fond of foisting upon us these days? I am. And The Instigators feels like a refreshing throwback to a time when movies could deliver a frivolous bit of fun rather than an endurance test. It doesn’t waste any time — and the comedic timing feels right.
Ultimately, The Instigators won’t blow your mind, but the latest Apple TV+ action-comedy will keep you entertained. It’s a rib-tickler, not a brain teaser.
Watch The Instigators trailer for Apple TV+
Want a taste before you commit to the full stream? Watch The Instigators trailer:
Watch it on: Apple TV+
