Displaying items by tag: Matt Damon

THE INSTIGATORS

US, 2024, 101 minutes, Colour.

Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Jack Harlow, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman, Toby Jones, Ronnie Cho, Ving Rhames, Paul Walter Hauser.

Directed by Doug Liman.

This is a robbery story with a very strong cast, intended as an enjoyable pastime. Audiences might like to ponder who the actual instigators are in this story and what they were instigating in reality!

The setup is a buddy film, but two unlikely characters forced to work together, involved in a high-stakes robbery. We are introduced to the two, Matt Damon, always a solid presence, in therapy with his psychiatrist, Hong Chau, wanting an exact amount of money to be able to reunite with his son. By contrast, there is the alcoholic ex-conman played by Casey Affleck.

The situation is an election in Boston, Ron Perlman as the Mayor, corrupt, aiming for re-election against his ethnic rival, played by Ronnie Cho. The mayor is surrounded by his yes-men, especially his lawyer, played by Toby Jones.

In the meantime, there is a range of criminals played by Michael Stuhlbarg and Alfred Molina. They have the plan for the buddies, with the young nephew, to rob the vans carrying the money before it is delivered to the mayor.

They might be instigators but, of course, everything goes wrong. The money has already been transferred, they go into the Mayor’s office, still his keepsake with the number of his safe, a shootout, and escape in the van, chases through the city…

Ving Rhames appears as a corrupt police investigator.

When they are taken, there is a siege situation and the therapist is invited into mediate – enabling her to get out with some of the money to pay off Damon’s debt in view of a happy ending, and Casey Affleck escaping to Canada. The reason that they do escape and there is a happy ending is that the new Mayor, coming into possession of the money, anonymous money from the previous corrupt Mayor, is not declared and they can keep it as long as the two are not arrested and brought to court. So, off to Canada and happy ending.

The director is Doug Lyman (Bourne Identity, Jumper, Edge of Tomorrow), skilled at some action shows – but this is more relaxed for streaming audience.

1. Title? Robberies? Who were the instigators?
2. The Boston setting, the neighbourhoods, public spaces, the streets, car chases and pursuits, the mayor’s office, meeting places planning the robberies? The election – the rooms, corridors, social areas, the strong room with the safe? The musical score?
3. The situation, introduction to Rory, therapy with the doctor, her questions, his responses, his crisis? The situation with his son? The need for money?
4. The setting up of the robbery, the mind behind the robbery, his moods, dealing with his men, with Scalvo, young and inexperienced, the connections with Richie at the bakery? The plan, the testing of Rory and Cobby, details of the plan? The corrupt Mayor, as target, corruption and money?
5. Rory and Cobby, personalities, interactions, slow, the as matter-of-fact, the precise amount needed, the bargain with the boss?
6. The setup, the vans, the election night, the television news, the alternate candidate, Rory praising him, the presumption the corrupt Mayor would win? The scenes of the Mayor, his staff, tough tactics, reliance on his attorney, Alan Flynn?
7. The comedy of the robbery gone wrong, the timing, the amount of money, the earlier van taking the money, guns and shooting, confrontations, the little money in the safe, Rory and the bag, the shooting, the deaths, Scalvo dead? Cobby wounded?
8. Going to the doctor, the pressure on her, the discussion about her being a hostage, going with them, treating the wound, the consequences? Her later being chosen as the mediator for the hostages, her bargain with Rory and getting the money out under her uniform, helping Rory with his debt – but continually asking how he was feeling, especially during the negotiations? And copy finally returning to her?
9. The mayor, his cronies, the defeat, Cobby with the money, the various positions, having the code number to the mayor’s safe, his not being able to remember, the various combinations?
10. The boss, fleeing, contact with Richie, Richie and the interviews, sending the henchmen, tracking down Rory and Cobby, their escaping him? Frank, in the pay of the mayor, the dealings with Richie, his continued pursuit of Rory and Cobby? The finale and their doing the deal with him? And the final credits seen of the boss dead in the snow?
11. The vans, the pursuits, the desperation of the chase, guns, Cobby wounded again, his complaints?
12. The confrontation with the mayor, his desperation, the arrest, in jail?
13. The return to the scene of the crime, Alan Flynn present, to do a bargain deal, opening the safe, all the money? The dilemma, the doctor as mediator? The device for escape, throwing the safes out the window, the scattering of money everywhere, the crowd racing for the money?
14. Rory, finally, deciding to give himself up? The new mayor – and the information about the contracts, the new potential corruption? The two men let out, Rory going to see his son, reconciliation?

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS

US, 2024, 84 minutes, Colour.

Margarette Qualey, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Joey Slotnick, C.J.Wilson, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, Matt Damon.

Directed by Ethan Coen.

This is the first film made by Ethan Coen without his brother, all. Joel Coen had also worked by himself with his version of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and his wife, Frances McDormand.

The Coen Brothers have always made films which can be described as offbeat, comic, rye, ironic, with particular perceptions and observations on American society.

This film could be described as a caper, with violence, especially with its opening and a cameo by Pedro Pascal nervously in a diner, clutching a case, confronting the owner, pursued, decapitated and the case stolen. This certainly offers an ironic tone. And the setting is 1999.

The film then changes tone quite completely, sex and sexuality, lesbian sex, frank, explicit, descriptions, language, and this continuing throughout.

There are two central characters, Jamie, Margaret Qualley, vivacious, from Texas, exuberantly extrovert (but many criticising her broad Texas accent as unreal, over the top), in a relationship with a policewoman, Suki, Beanie Feldstein. We are also introduced to a rather prim Marian, Geraldine Viswanathan, working in her office, her co-worker flirting but she looking severe, correcting his vocabulary. She is later seen reading Henry James the Europeans throughout the film. Jamie and Suki breaking up, a point of contention a small dog who will reappear throughout the film.

Marian has decided to travel to Tallahassee and Jamie decides to travel with her, going to driveaway company with the manager, Bill Camp (and a joke about his name, Curly and their being forward in addressing him but this only having just met him), then thugs turn up for the car which is transporting the case seen at the beginning of the film as Well Is the head of the victim. So, caper, and pursuit. The two thugs, in their characters, in their interactions and behaviour, the moments of violence, one smooth talking and explaining his tactics, reminiscent of the two thugs in Fargo.

And their Chief is played by Colman Domingo, answering to a boss on the phone. On the way, the girls see a poster of a politician wanting re-election, Conservative, values-stances, and he is played by Matt Damon.

Jamie decides that Marian is too buttoned up, takes her to various lesbian sex clubs, encounters with a lesbian sports team, Jamie intruding with a partner into a hotel room, later Marian going for a lonely walk and accosted by the police, having to spend a night in jail.

The two thugs are tracking down the women, misled by the lesbian sports team to go to a remote African-American club, chatting to an old man, finding that have been taken in – and the thugs continuing with the squabbling.

When the girls’car breaks down, they find what is in the boot of the car – not only the head, but the mysterious case contains models of various replica dildoes (Jamie trying one out). Jamie also phoned Suki with some information but is not believed, but finally Suki deciding to come down to Tallahassee.

There are some flashbacks which explain Marian’s sexual orientation, watching a nude bathing neighbour, making a peep hole in the fence…

When the girls are abducted, tied up, interrogated by the Chief, there are some absurd: twists on the plot, one of the thugs going berserk and shooting his partner and the Chief, the girls escaping. They then decide to get $1 million from the political candidate whose replica they have. They confront Matt Damon, then he decides to attack them, masked, but Suki is on the spot, shootout.

Marian finishes reading the Europeans. They have made copies of the candidates dildo, and the desire to go to Massachusetts, this is 1999, where same-sex marriages are available. Happy ending.

Many audiences will turn up to see a Coen film. It may be put off by the initial violence and decapitation. Others might be put off by the lesbian sequences and their explicitness. So, the film is for the broadminded, perhaps a bit more broadmindedly than usual.