Matt Damon Reunites With ‘The Bourne Identity’ Director & the Result Is an ‘Action/Comedy/Crime/Mystery & Thriller’
When a film is coded as “Action/Comedy/Crime/Mystery & Thriller,” we can already tell we’re in for a wild ride. Matt Damon’s newest movie, The Instigators, fits that bill to a T, and we don’t have to wait long to watch it from the comfort of our own home.
The Instigators was written by Chuck MacLean and Casey Affleck. (Affleck also stars in the film because as we keep seeing, actions don’t really have serious consequences for white men in Hollywood.) It’s directed by Doug Liman, and this the first time Damon has worked with Linman since they collaborated on The Bourne Identity in 2002. Linman’s most recent entry into streaming films was Amazon Prime’s Road House, which was an unexpected hit among fans and critics alike. The director has a talent for shooting exciting action sequences, a fact made evident in the movie’s official trailer.
The Instigators trailer and plot
Affleck stars as ex-con Cobby, who teams up with desperate dad Rory (Damon) to steal money from Boston’s corrupt Mayor Miccelli’s (Ron Perlman) campaign fund. The two men are reluctantly thrust together when their plot goes awry. Their attempt to pull a “Robin Hood” lands them on the run from a score of bad guys, including bureaucrats on the take, mob bosses out for revenge, and of course, the police.
The two bumbling would-be crooks kidnap Rory’s therapist, Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau) and take her hostage. (With her “permission,” of course!) It seems Dr. Rivera will act as the voice of reason throughout the car chases, explosions, and shoot outs that ensue. In the trailer, when someone says she’s underpaid for serving as Rory and Cobby’s “hostage … and their psychiatrist,” she replies with a dry, “Yeah, no s–t.”
The Instigators release date
The Instigators premieres in select theaters in the United States on August 2, 2024. However, Apple TV+ subscribers don’t have to bother heading to the cinema, because the movie will stream exclusively on that platform on August 9.
The Instigators is rated R and runs about an hour and forty minutes. Aside from Damon and Affleck, cast members include Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, and Toby Jones, with Jack Harlow.
You can stream The Instigators on Apple TV+ beginning August 9, 2024.
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