There is a genre in Hollywood for films starring men, especially in their middle age: “heist movies”, or films about robberies and big heists. They follow a group of (good-hearted) con artists, each one excellent at what they do, who come together for a big heist, usually against a corrupt and arrogant jerk. They manage to get a thousand twists and turns and whenever it seems like they are going to get screwed, wow, there is a “happy” ending. Invariably with the crooks free, rich, and avenged.

You can see that in many cases these are projects where stars who are friends and want to work together also want to have fun. Paid vacations and bonuses. Frank Sinatra led the Rat Pack that was updated by George Clooney when he embraced the Ocean’s 11 franchise, remaking the Sinatra and Co. version with a cast that included Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, and Matt Damon, among others.

But others have made their fame and fortune in the same school: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Ben Stiller are just a few of them, there are many. A perfect “heist movie” is, for example, the original Crown, the Magnificent, with Steve McQueen, or all those that brought together Paul Newman and Robert Redford. And now we have Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, not the usual Ben Affleck, for his new foray into the genre with The Instigators.

The premise here has few elements of difference: the two con artists are middle-aged men, with no experience or particular rivalry to participate in the heist. They just need the money and they don’t even want millions; a little over 30 thousand dollars is enough. This lack of energy on their part, supposedly the comic part of the story, weighs down the plot, unfortunately, because at times it seems like a film without energy, without purpose, and almost on autopilot.

Of course, there are moments of laughter and surprises, but in general, it is very full of inside jokes between the two childhood friends (Damon and Casey), and also a lot about their hometown: Boston. The puns about the city’s accent, and the teasing jokes about other states, do not travel outside the United States with the same efficiency and therefore lose a lot of the jokes.

Another who has had a long-standing partnership with Damon is the director, Doug Liman, who turned the dramatic actor into an action star with the Bourne franchise. So we can expect – and do have – chases, fights, and shootouts. But Liman is in a very difficult situation: after getting angry with the treatment of his remake of The Road House, which went straight to the platform without much time in theaters, he made The Instigators, which also arrived on streaming faster than the wind. This time, he claims, on purpose.

In this celebration of love for Boston and male partnerships, The Instigator doesn’t live up to its name of instigating us much, but it’s perfectly fine to watch and have fun. No strings attached.

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