Normally, I am all for films that are set in locations that relate to the actors in them.  I like it best when this pertains to Chicago and the talent that has come from my home town.  Short of that, I appreciate the movies done by those hailing from Boston.  The work of Matt Damon, the Afflecks, and Mark Wahlberg to a lesser degree, in the environs in which they were raised are typically of an acceptable quality.  More broadly, I feel a certain kindred spirit with Boston.  Like Chicago, it has a less corporate, more homey feeling, particularly in certain areas.  Put differently, since I lived in Chicago, I understand these kinds of films on a more intrinsic level.  For these reasons, I had been meaning to see The Instigators (2024) for a little while.  I wish I could say it was worth the wait, and let me explain to you why.

Dr. Donna Rivera (Hong Chau) is waiting for ex-Marine Rory (Matt Damon) to open up about his feelings in the first scene of The Instigators.  He talks about a lot of the issues in his life with his therapist, but never how he feels about them.  I wish I could say he talks to God about them, but this is not that kind of movie.  What is going on is that he is divorced and about to lose visitation rights with his son due to missing alimony checks unless he can come up with the right amount of money.  According to him, he has exhausted all possibilities and is contemplating suicide, hence the therapy.  She asks if that is true, and he replies that maybe not being everything has been tried before departing.  Meanwhile, crime boss Mr. Besegai (Michael Stuhlbarg) devises a plan to make that kind of money, illegally speaking, and then some.  Meeting at a bakery belonging to his associate, Richie Dechico (Alfred Molina), Mr. Besegai asks one of his foot soldiers, Scalvo (Jack Harlow), to assemble a crew.  The target is Mayor Miccelli’s (Ron Perlman) election day fund raiser.  The local politician holds the event every time he has run for office, and millions of untraceable dollars are funneled into his coffers.  In other words, he is corrupt.  One of the guys Scalvo suggests is the ex-con Cobby Murphy (Casey Affleck), who is also a motormouth.  They rendezvous at a wharf, and Rory is the third member of a group that are going to rob the mayor.  Because Rory is new to law breaking, he has a lot of questions that get on the nerves of Mr. Besegai.  Rory is redeemed, however, when he says that he plans on taking only the amount of money he needs for his legal fees.  He also points out that the mayor could lose to his challenger, Mark Choi (Ronny Cho), which would mean less money in the safe.  Of course, that is exactly what happens, though much of it had also already been moved to the mayor’s office.  Panicking, Scalvo moves through the building looking for other items to loot.  He comes upon the mayor in the process of filming a video to state his plans to contest the election.  Scalvo has a gun on the chief of police, and they end up shooting and killing each other.  Cobby and Rory escape, though Cobby is shot in the process.  They seek refuge in the beachside house of the bartender, Mr. Kelly (André de Shields), and Cobby calls Richie for help.  Instead, Mr. Dechico orders Cobby and Rory to be killed before fleeing the city on the heels of the botched heist.  The two dispatched to kill Cobby and Rory are not the brightest, and the erstwhile criminals escape.  Because of Cobby’s injury, Rory turns to Dr. Rivera to treat the wound, who also happens to have a medical doctor’s license.  She wants to help, but insists that they turn themselves into the authorities.  Rory says he will do so, but that he must first obtain the sought after dollar amount.  As a compromise, she comes up with the idea that they take her hostage, this way she can exercise a legal loophole to operate on Cobby.  Still, upon removing the bullet, she calls the cops, and once again they are on the run. They find temporary refuge until they are visited by Frank Toomey (Ving Rhames) of the Boston Police Department’s (BPD) special operations unit (SOU).  He has been tasked by Mayor Miccelli to locate Cobby and Rory and reacquire what Cobby and Rory stole.  Of importance to the mayor is a bracelet containing the combination to the safe in his office containing all his dirty money.  Frank catches up with the inept thieves at Rory’s bar, taking the bracelet and Dr. Rivera.  To avoid capture, Cobby and Rory create a distraction and head out the backdoor.  They are debating on whether they need to flee to Canada when Cobby realizes he remembered the combination to the safe.  Going back downtown to city hall, they disguise themselves as firemen, and basically pull the fire alarm.  While the mayor is being dragged out against his will, Cobby and Rory get to the designated room.  This does not go unnoticed, and soon Cobby and Rory are forced to again take a hostage.  This time, it is Alan Flynn (Toby Jones), the mayor’s attorney.  A brief barrage of bullets nearly kills them all before Dr. Rivera is called upon to be negotiate Alan’s release.  It becomes another therapy session, with Rory finally admitting that he does not want to die.  Alan also entrusts hard drives into Cobby’s care, evidence that could put the mayor in jail for corruption.  Dr. Rivera promises to take the proper amount of money out for Rory while telling him he should not get caught.  Hence, they sneak away, still dressed as firemen, only to again be found by Frank.  Cobby tries to use the hard drives as a bargaining chip, but they are nonetheless arrested.  However, when word of the money reaches the newly elected Mark, he allows Cobby and Rory to be released in exchange for the funds.  We conclude with Rory going to see his son, while Cobby meets with Dr. Rivera.

In The Instigators, whether you are talking about Cobby and Rory, or Dr. Rivera, there seems to be a sense that their desperate situations provide the needed excuse for breaking the law.  If they are in need, it is okay for them to steal money, or at least that seems to be the logic.  With Dr. Rivera and Rory especially, they have noble causes for doing what they do, hence the title.  Dr. Rivera’s work as a therapist is God’s work.  There are some Christians that think seeing somebody for your mental health is wrong, but thankfully that is not how it is with Catholics.  For instance, I have been going to a Catholic mental health professional for over ten years.  It is about getting help with our woundedness, and that is something God wishes us all to seek.  As for Rory, while his broken home is not ideal, he is at least trying to do right by his son.  No matter the situation, the vocation of fatherhood is a responsibility, and one that he takes seriously.  Still, there is a specifically Catholic quibble about his attitude towards his marriage.  We never meet this person, but he concludes that there is no fixing it.  Even the Church would allow in certain instances that the union between a husband and wife is irreparable.  I am also speculating because we are not given any specifics of the situation.  What bothers me is his adamancy that there is nothing to be done about it.  Nothing is impossible for God.  I do not think you need any other proof of this fact than to look at the totality of His Creation.  If He can make all that, He can certainly correct your marital failures.  Of course, it is not that simple.  You have to want it, and to allow Him to do so.  God never forces anything upon us.  It is always a choice, just like Faith.  The same can be said about turning to crime to get what you need rather than seeking out more conventional means.

What can be said about The Instigators is that it is a pretty conventional movie.  The idea of a down-on-his-luck guy becoming a criminal is not new.  It also has car chases you have seen before, and familiar political corruption.  The banter between Cobby and Rory is sometimes fun, but otherwise this is a pass.