People at the bottom of the social ladder sometimes get tired. They get tired of the fact that the normal paths, those established by law, do not lead to success, and sometimes do not even guarantee the satisfaction of basic needs: obtaining food, family harmony or peace of mind. They rebel. Those "at the bottom" sometimes are rebels. They commit crimes.
This is what Cobby (Casey Affleck) did, tired of his meaningless life, surrounded by hypocrites ("heroes") everywhere; and Rory (Matt Damon), who needed the exact sum of $32,480 to be able to look his son in the eye, because he owed "child support, a mortgage, school and a loan for used hockey equipment with 10% interest."
So they decide to raid the mayor's office safe on election day!
I started to smile at that point. Really? I asked myself. But in this crazy world, anything is possible if you have the determination to do it. And determination is what Rory, the sixty-year-old soldier who is the funny counterpart to his fellow thief: Cobby, has in abundance.
I don't usually laugh at people's flaws, rather I feel sorry for them, but the flaws of the characters who are trying to carry out an 'impossible mission' create a wide variety of humorous situations on their own.
I laugh at their clumsiness in the middle of scenes that require concentration or speed; I laugh at their confusion and confusion when they don't understand what's going on; but above all, I find it very funny when they manage to make their colleagues lose their patience.
"What stupid conversation is that?" Cobby screams as he bleeds out from a gunshot wound, while Rory tries to come to a formal agreement with the doctor who will be treating him.
'The Instigators' left me hurt, but with a smile. I was hurt by the senselessness and political corruption that surrounds us every day and makes our lives miserable; but I was amused by this pair of madmen who try to take justice into their own hands, and get involved in one nonsense after another until the great nonsense that is modern society grants them some reason.
Robberies, murders, gunshot wounds, chases, explosions, blackmail... Nothing stops them. Cobby's rage against "bloody heroes everywhere" makes him relentless and determined at all costs.
I love Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. I enjoyed their performances together in 'Wild Will Hunting', where Damon plays the smart guy and Casey the dumb guy. In 'The Instigators', the roles are reversed, but it still left me with the same sad and sweet feeling, the same bittersweet mix that good tragicomedies leave behind, the excellent crime comedies of all time.
However, despite all the violence and disaster, the duo's persistence leads them to success. They escalate the crisis to improve their situation, as Cobby gets to keep the girl, while Rory attends her son's hockey game and manages to look him in the eye.
But when it happens the other way around....
Rory and Coby intensify the crisis of their respective lives and the city they live in, but as is logical, they are pursued for their crime of robbery.
Madeleine in 'Mom Crime' does the opposite: she turns herself in to the authorities (or rather, she accuses herself) because she is proud of having killed her attacker, once she understands that she acted in self-defense to save her honor and her life; and that the murder weapon did not belong to her.
Fuente
This innocent faith in the court of justice becomes a ladder of triumphs that turns her into what she always dreamed of: a successful actress.
So, taking Madeleine as a role model, women's crimes increase in the desire to gain notoriety and fortune.
It is remarkable how this French film recreates both the period atmosphere and the exaggerated and illogical situations of the American screwball comedy. But more than anything, it underlines that the position of victimizer will always be preferable to that of victim.
Although both films are comedies, they reflect that, for "those below," transgression is a possible way to balance the scales of life.
Sometimes you can think about it, then laugh (because they are very funny works), and then think about it again...