Jon Watts directs George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Amy Ryan in this buddy comedy where two professional fixers turn up to deal with the same corpse.

Of the Apple TV streaming bound glossy thrillers that reunite two Ocean’s Elevens co-stars released last year Wolfs was the more promising… but I preferred The Instigators. That had a nice, unforced old school energy, this just tries too hard. Feels like something I would have attempted to write when I was 15 after watching Pulp Fiction on a loop. You can’t deny that Clooney and Pitt have spades of charisma or that it isn’t handsomely shot (like a wintery whisky commercial) but you never feel like the smart alec smooth talkers are ever in above their heads. It glides on a rail when it should be chaotic. Once it is over you’ll struggle to remember much but empty slickness.

5

Perfect Double Bill: The Instigators (2024)

You can follow me on Letterboxd here https://letterboxd.com/BobbyCarroll