Apple & Doug Liman’s The Instigators

Boston's two leading industries must be organized crime and political corruption. Frankly, the latter produces so much dirty money, a shady crime lord organizes a heist targeting the mayor’s dirty cash. However, the long-suffering voters complicate the caper in Doug Liman’s The Instigators, which opens today in theaters, ahead of its August 9^th premiere on Apple TV+.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the ruthless Mr. Besegai has a shortage of henchmen, so his impulse control-challenged lieutenant Scalvo must recruit from the bottom of the barrel. He finds Cobby, and ex-con who is decidedly rusty and Rory, a veteran with money trouble who will be committing his first illegal job ever.

According to the plan, the three will sneak into Mayor Miccelli’s primary election victory party and steal all the bribe money he collected in suspicious plain brown envelopes stashed in the safe, long after the revelers have gone home. Of course, everything goes wrong.

For starters, Miccelli and most of his cronies are still there, because this election is much closer than anticipated. In fact, it is pretty clear he lost. On the other hand, there is almost no cash, because a special armored car was requested for all his ill-gotten loot. Instead, Scalvo starts holding up party guests, including the Mayor, taking a very important bracelet with a critically important set of numbers inscribed on the back. Miccelli needs it back, especially since he apparently must soon vacate his office, so he calls Frank Toomey, his enforcer with a badge (and an armored assault vehicle for a car), to recover it.

Like his brother Ben, co-screenwriter and co-star Casey Affleck clearly has an affinity for Boston crooks. However, he and co-writer Chuck Maclean recognize the worst criminals are those plundering the public trust. In fact, their treatment of Beantown pols is unexpectedly shrewd including their depiction of the supposed progressive reformer.

Ron Perlman is perfectly cast, slyly chewing the scenery as the grotesquely corrupt Mayor Miccelli. Affleck and Matt Damon have amusing chemistry as the bickering blokes. Neither comes across as a complete idiot. Instead, Damon plays Rory a stubbornly naïve Joe Sixpack, who always has to do things the hard way, while Affleck leans into Cobby’s roguishly degenerate lunkheadedness.

However, as is often the case with caper movies, the colorful supporting cast far outshines the “stars.” Hong Chau gets a lion’s share of the film’s laughs as Rory’s VA counselor (and conveniently also a MD), who reluctantly serves as their hostage-accomplice. Toby Jones nicely compliments Perlman as Alan Flynn, the Mayor’s nervous top advisor and chief bag-man. Michael Stuhlbarg and Alfred Molina add further color and cranky energy as Besegai and his bagel-slinging deputy, Richie Dechico. Plus, the uncredited Ving Rhames does his thing portraying Toomey.

Liman is well within his comfort zone staging the mayhem and maintaining the right rhythm for the wisecracks. Despite its working-class aesthetic, The Instigators is a snappy film. It always aims to entertain, but indirectly delivers some surprisingly on-target commentary regarding Boston politics. Recommended for fans of heist movies and Boston crime films, The Instigators opens today (8/2) in theaters, including the Regal Union Square and releases on Apple TV+ next Friday (8/9).