By: Peter Blandino | The Patriot Ledger | June 14, 2024
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QUINCY ‒ A dramatic explosion completely destroys Malachy’s Saloon in the new heist thriller starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. Fortunately for regulars of the Granite Street watering hole, producers of “The Instigators” use computer generated images to blow the lid off Malachy’s, and the building stands intact and in business today.
“The Instigators,” directed by Doug Liman, will premier globally on Apple TV+ on Aug. 9 after a limited release in theaters Aug. 2, according to Apple TV.
Its trailer, which dropped June 13, features scenes shot inside and outside Malachy’s, as well as by the Squantum Yacht Club at Wollaston Beach, where Affleck and Damon were spotted last December.
The movie also filmed in Boston and Cambridge.
The preview shows everything one would want and expect from a thriller with a Boston flavor, including car chases on Storrow Drive and in the Back Bay, Dunkin’ Donuts product placement and dialogue notably lacking in “r” sounds.
Damon co-stars as a former Marine and father desperate to reconnect with his son, according to Apple’s summary of the plot. Overwhelmed by a mortgage and mounting child-support bills, he turns to a shrink (Hong Chau) to cope with the stress.
As a way out of his financial problems, he reluctantly teams up with an ex-convict played by co-star Casey Affleck. The unlikely duo gradually bond as their plans to rob the ill-gotten gains of a corrupt politician go seriously awry.
Chased by law enforcement, criminals and a corrupt political machine, Damon convinces his therapist to assist in their high-stakes getaway.