Matt Damon and Casey Affleck reunite onscreen in the official trailer for their new film The Instigators — 27 years after famously starring together in the Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting.
In the upcoming Apple TV+ action comedy, the duo play robbers who attempt a heist but end up on the run together when their plan goes awry.
Damon, 53, plays a down-on-his-luck father and former Marine named Rory while Casey, 48, the younger brother of Damon’s BFF Ben Affleck, portrays an ex-con named Cobby.
In the action-packed teaser for the Boston-set flick, the unlikely duo join Jack Harlow’s character Scalvo as they attempt a robbery at the mayor’s election party.
When the comedic heist doesn’t go as planned, they try to evade the authorities and kidnap their psychiatrist Dr. Donna Rivera, who is played by actress Hong Chau, 44.
The video kicks off with a montage of the most action-packed scenes, including a chaotic high-speed chase, before the trailer officially begins.
The official trailer for The Instigators, which stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, was released on Thursday
In the upcoming Apple TV+ action comedy, the duo play robbers who attempt a heist but end up on the run together when their plan goes awry. Damon, 53, plays a down-on-his-luck father and former Marine named Rory while Casey, 48, the younger brother of Ben Affleck, portrays an ex-con named Cobby
Matt (right), Casey (left) and Casey’s older brother Ben Affleck (second right) famously starred together in the 1997 Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting
At the start, Damon as Rory is seen sitting in a therapist’s office and talking to Chau’s character, his psychiatrist, about his apparently estranged relationship with his kid.
His psychiatrist asks him: ‘Rory, do you want to fix things with your son?’
The trailer then cuts to a shot of Rory sitting in a delivery truck parked outside of an ice rink as he watches a group of children just to catch a glimpse of his son when they enter the building.
Back to his session with his psychiatrist, he admits to her: ‘Couldn’t look him in the eye. Mortgage, back child support. That’s on me.’
Rory leaves her office afterwards and as he is halfway down the hall, his psychiatrist leans out the door way and asks him one more question: ‘Rory, are you sure you’ve tried everything?’
‘Not everything,’ he replies, suggesting he is about to turn to an alternative, crime-related means to earn money and get his family back.
Rory is then seen walking through an empty baseball stadium — Fenway Park in Boston covered in snow — and meeting up with Harlow’s character Scalvo, who is guarding a doorway and leads him inside.
He meets up with a crime boss named Mr. Besegai played by Michael Stuhlbarg, 55.
In the action-packed teaser for the Boston-set flick, the unlikely duo join Jack Harlow’s character Scalvo as they attempt a robbery at the mayor’s election party
When the comedic heist doesn’t go as planned, they try to evade the authorities and kidnap their psychiatrist Dr. Donna Rivera, who is played by actress Hong Chau, 44
‘I got a once-in-a-lifetime score,’ he tells Rory and Casey’s character Cobby.
Besegai asks Rory: ‘You the marine?’
‘Yeah.’
He turns to Cobby: ‘You’re the ex-con?’
A scene from a different time shows Cobby going to extreme measures to ride his motorcycle while drunk as he is seen making a random kid take the breathalyzer test on his ignition interlock device.
‘Go,’ Cobby says. ‘I’m trying,’ the kid responds. ‘Good, stop talking,’ Cobby quips before he is seen passing the test and riding his motorcycle down a residential street.
Back at the meeting spot at the stadium, Cobby tells Besegai: ‘Yeah, I did time. But you don’t gotta cast aspersions at me, guy.’
Besegai is then seen explaining their plan for a heist. ‘In about a week, the mayor is gonna be holding a party on election night,’ he says as a clip shows with a crowded room celebrating the re-election of corrupt Mayor Mecelli, played by Ron Perlman. ‘There’s gonna be money there like none of you bums ever seen.’
The video kicks off with a montage of the most action-packed scenes, including a chaotic high-speed chase and big explosions, before the trailer officially begins
At the start, Damon as Rory is seen sitting in a therapist’s office and talking to Chau’s character, his psychiatrist, about his apparently estranged relationship with his kid. He then turns to an alternative, crime-related means to earn money and get his family back
On the day of the robbery, Rory, Cobby and Scalvo are seen getting on a boat at night to go to the location.
A flashback shows Cobby and Rory standing on a dock and talking.
Cobby asks him: ‘This your first job?
‘I know what I’m doing,’ Rory says, to which Cobby quips: ‘A little late for a career change, ain’t it? What are you 60?’
Back at the election party venue, the duo are joined by Scalvo as they put on their ski masks as they prepare to break into the commercial kitchen.
A flash back shows Rory showing his experience in the life of crime and asking a question that Scalvo and Cobby are flabberghasted by.
‘Quick question,’ Rory says. ‘If I’m giving instructions and they’re not doing them?’
Scalvo blinks. ‘Just say, “I have a gun.”‘
After meeting the crime lord behind the plan, Cobby is asked about his ex-con history. A scene from a different time shows Cobby going to extreme measures to ride his motorcycle while drunk as he is seen making a random kid take the breathalyzer test on his ignition interlock device
A flashback shows Cobby and Rory standing on a dock and talking. Cobby asks him: ‘This your first job? ‘I know what I’m doing,’ Rory says, to which Cobby quips: ‘A little late for a career change, ain’t it? What are you 60?’
Rory nods and is seen fervently writing on a notepad when Scalvo asks him incredulously. ‘What are you doing?’
Rory replies matter-of-factly that he’s ‘taking notes.’
‘Taking notes on a criminal conspiracy,’ Scalvo says, shaking his head.
Back to the heist, Rory walks into a room and tells the people to ‘get down on the floor,’ but then realizes there are too many people against just the three of them.
When Scalvo tells them to ‘tie them up,’ Cobby replies: ‘We got like six zip ties, genius.’
Then, Rory exclaims, ‘I have a gun!’ and holds up his weapon to effectively control the frightened staff members before making their boss open a safe full of money and robbing them at gunpoint.
The trio make their way through the election party as the attendees scream in shock. Exiting out a back door, a swarm of police officers are seen arriving on the scene.
Rory and Cobby then must begin evading the cops driving around the city and looking for them, which includes Ving Rhames as Frank Toomey, as well as the crime lord and his gang.
On the day of the robbery, Rory, Cobby and Scalvo are seen getting on a boat at night to go to the location
Back at the election party venue, the duo are joined by Scalvo as they put on their ski masks as they prepare to break into the commercial kitchen
Back to the heist, Rory walks into a room and tells the people to ‘get down on the floor,’ but then realizes there are too many people against just the three of them
Alfred Molina enters and playing Richie Dechico, he says: ‘We gotta find those guys before the cops do. And put them down before they can talk!
‘Everybody in New England is after us,’ Rory says as police cars and helicopters are seen frantically searching the streets for them.
He is then seen returning to his psychiatrist’s office and interrupting her session with a man dressed in military uniform. ‘Uh, I gotta speak to you,’ he says.
She appears shocked but steps outside to talk to him.
‘I really need you right now, doc,’ Rory tells her. She responds, ‘I would be breaking the law.
‘What if I took you hostage? I mean, like, you know, with your permission?’
Cobby is lying down in the truck they are standing besides and gives up his hiding spot when he exclaims: ‘What kind of conversation is this?’
‘You’re gonna love him,’ Rory tells his psychiatrist.
After the heist goes wrong, Rory and Cobby must begin evading the cops driving around the city and looking for them, which includes Ving Rhames as Frank Toomey, as well as the crime lord and his gang. ‘Everybody in New England is after us,’ Rory says as police cars and helicopters are seen frantically searching the streets for them
He is then seen returning to his psychiatrist’s office and interrupting her session with a man dressed in military uniform. ‘Uh, I gotta speak to you,’ he says. She appears shocked but steps outside to talk to him. They then take her with then as they go on the run
She ends up going with them and after they steal a different vehicle, they are being pursued by police in a high-speed chase. In the wrecked BMW with deployed airbags, Dr. Rivera exclaims, ‘Rory, you are driving recklessly.’
To her shock, he quips: ‘I’m in the middle of a high-speed car chase.’
She tells him to ‘think about the person you wanted to be.’ Cobby humorously repeats what she said and asks Rory too: ‘What kind of person do you wanna be?’
Near the end of the trailer, multiple explosions occur, seemingly caused by Rory and Cobby, and a military vehicle is seen crashing into a firetruck.
At one point, Cobby is also seen telling Rory to ‘go, go, go’ as a trailer carrying cars swerves and narrowly misses hitting them.
Rory and Cobby are also seen walking away from a house when another explosion happens and a person is seen flying through the air due to the impact.
A montage of action-packed scenes show Harlow as Scalvo in a gun fight with police and Rory later seen in fist-to-fist combat fighting someone.
Rhames finally finds Rory and Cobby hiding in a bar with their psychiatrist.
‘What if I took you hostage? I mean, like, you know, with your permission?’ Cobby is lying down in the truck they are standing besides and gives up his hiding spot when he exclaims: ‘What kind of conversation is this?’ ‘You’re gonna love him,’ Rory tells his psychiatrist
She ends up going with them and after they steal a different vehicle, they are being pursued by police in a high-speed chase. In the wrecked BMW with deployed airbags, Dr. Rivera exclaims, ‘Rory, you are driving recklessly.’ To her shock, he quips: ‘I’m in the middle of a high-speed car chase.’ She tells him to ‘think about the person you wanted to be.’ Cobby humorously repeats what she said and asks Rory too: ‘What kind of person do you wanna be?’
Rhames finally finds Rory and Cobby hiding in a bar with their psychiatrist. After a scene of them crashing into multiple police vans, the officer tells her: ‘You’re underpaid. ‘Yeah, no s***,’ she says — to which Rory throws up his hands and shrugs.
‘You walk out with me,’ he tells Rivera. She replies ‘But I’m their hostage…’
Cobby turns to look at Rory who frowns. ‘…And their psychiatrist,’ she adds.
After a scene of them crashing into multiple police vans, the officer tells her: ‘You’re underpaid.
‘Yeah, no s***,’ she says — to which Rory throws up his hands and shrugs.
The movie — which is written by Casey and Chuck MacLean as well as directed by Doug Liman — also stars Paul Walter Hauser and Toby Jones among many others.
According to the official logline, Rory and Cobby are ‘unlikely partners thrown together for a heist.’
‘However, when it goes awry, they team up to outrun police, backward bureaucrats, and a vengeful crime boss,’ the synopsis reads.
The Instigator will be released on Apple TV+ on August 2.
