‘The Instigators’ reviews: Matt Damon and Casey Affleck star in ‘fun’ heist comedy with ‘real panache’

The heist comedy “The Instigators” opened in theaters on August 2 from Apple Original Films, ahead of its streaming premiere on Apple TV+ on August 9. Starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as a pair of thieves on the run with a therapist (Hong Chau), the film is co-written by Affleck and Chuck MacLean, and directed by veteran action filmmaker Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Edge of Tomorrow”). What do critics think of it?

“The Instigators” has a MetaCritic score of 53 based on 16 reviews counted as of this writing. Six of those reviews are classified as positive, nine are somewhat mixed, and one is outright negative. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, which classifies reviews simply as positive or negative with nothing in-between, the film is rated 50% fresh based on 24 reviews so far.

Tania Hussain (Collider) admires the film, saying that it “expertly blends the perfect mix of humor and action with some complex nuances for an entry that is one of the year’s most surprising comedies.” James Mottram (Total Film) also rates it highly, calling it “a tremendously entertaining crime caper” written with “real panache.” Ross McIndoe (Slant) says, “Affleck and Damon are very much in their comfort zone. They have an affably antagonistic chemistry that can be traced back to their ‘Good Will Hunting’ days.” Peter Debruge (Variety) agrees about the lead actors: “The movie works best in the downtime, when there’s wry, slightly combative banter between the two antiheroes.”

David Ehrlich (IndieWire) has mixed feelings about the film, calling it “flimsy in most respects but fun enough in its fumbling.” David Rooney (Hollywood Reporter) thinks the film has an inconsistent tone, and “it might have helped for a start if the script … had committed to being either an action thriller, a buddy comedy or a gritty crime drama.” Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian) thinks Affleck is “at ease with the material,” but the film as a whole is only “passable.” Odie Henderson (Boston Globe), penning the only decisive pan on MC, says “The Instigators” “wastes the talents” of its cast.

But judging from the reviews as a whole, fans of Damon and Affleck may find enough appeal in their chemistry to make their heist worth undertaking.

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