After ‘The Instigators’, Doug Liman Should Return to His Indie Roots

The big picture

• Doug Liman’s recent movies streaming
  The instigators
  AND
  Street house
  They were disappointing because they wasted talent on known plots.
• Liman’s independent works such as
  Swingers
  AND
  Go
  were influential and presented innovative storytelling outside of the studio system.
• Liman has had mixed results with big-budget films, ranging from
  The Bourne Identity
  TO
  Walking in chaos
  .

Based on how productive he’s been, especially after the COVID-19 shutdown and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, no one could blame him. Doug Liman of not being one of Hollywood’s most industrious directors. Liman is the rare director who has been able to make groundbreaking work at the studio level, and has managed to work across multiple genres without ever feeling derivative. At his best, he can create ambitious, thought-provoking works of populist entertainment that stand out in an industry dominated by superhero films, but Liman’s latest effort, making original streaming films, has been the most disappointing of his career so far.

2024 has already seen the release of two new films from Liman, both of which felt like they wasted or mismanaged the talent involved. While the remake of Street house It definitely had some innovative fight scenes and an incredible performance from Jake Gyllenhaalthe strange mix of tones resulted in a remake that wasn’t nearly as funny or outrageous as its predecessor. Likewise, Apple TV+’s new heist thriller The instigators features an incredible chemistry between Matt Damon AND Casey Affleckbut wastes it on a boring, stealthy plot that seems all too familiar to anyone who’s seen Ocean’s Eleven OR The Blues BrothersSure, Liman could certainly make mediocre films for streaming for the rest of his career, but It would be in his best interest if he returned to his independent roots.

Doug Liman’s independent films have been influential

It’s easy to forget that before establishing itself as an action giant with The Bourne Identity, Liman made several highly influential independent films in the 1990s which showed how innovative storytelling could exist outside of the studio system. While his directorial debut Enter was largely underrated, his next film Swingers was easily one of the funniest films of the decade. In addition to its authenticity in examining the plight of actors working in Los Angeles and struggling to get jobs, Swingers It was a pretty serious look at dating in the modern world, presenting a much more sensitive portrayal of masculinity than most studio comedies would dare to do. Swingers may be best known for launching the respective careers of Vince Vaughn AND Jon Favreaubut Liman deserves credit for having created their partnership for the big screen, which immediately became iconic.

Liman’s most underrated film was a gem ahead of its timeand it certainly stands out from the many other neo-noir crime films of the 90s that attempted to use the same non-linear narrative style as Pulp Fiction. Go is essentially a whodunit in which the audience is introduced to a new protagonist and mystery every few minutes; Liman’s multifaceted drug thriller weaves together multiple narrative threads to tell a complex story about a drug deal gone wrong on Christmas Eve. Disturbingly accurate in its depiction of addiction, yet absurdly hilarious in its darker jokes, I’ll goIt’s the work of a director who isn’t afraid to take risks. While it was certainly the film that signaled to studios that Liman was someone worth watching, it would probably have been difficult to make. Go today with studio executives constantly monitoring him.

Doug Liman has had mixed results with big budget films

Liman’s best work in the blockbuster category should not be underestimated. The Bourne Identity It’s definitely one of the best spy movies of the 21st century, and it launched the idea that Matt Damon could be an action star at a time when he was still best known as “the nerdy kid from Good Will Hunting.” Likewise, The limit of tomorrow It turned out to be an inventive mix of Aliens AND Groundhog Day which challenged the public’s perspective Tom’s Cruise making him cowardly. However, Liman’s most successful projects have suffered from considerable behind-the-scenes chaos.. I shoot The Bourne Identity it was so chaotic that Universal decided to replace Liman with Paul Greengrass on the next two sequels, and there has been little news on the progression of a The limit of tomorrow sequel in the decade since its release.

Unfortunately, Liman felt shackled by studio films in which he is unable to seize the opportunities that could benefit the experience. A film like Sweater failed because he was so concerned with creating a bigger franchise that there wasn’t much Liman could do except navigate through bland moments of exposition; similarly, the infamous box office disaster Walking in chaos seemed to be trying to revitalize the young adult adaptation genre, a genre that hadn’t really seemed relevant since the conclusion of the Hunger Games franchise. It’s no coincidence that Liman’s best film of the last decade, 2017’s, The Wall hero John Cenawas a smaller war film with only three characters; it is a narratively restrained work, with innovative storytelling that allowed Liman to find untraditional ways to increase tension.

Liman has been active in his support of the theatrical experience, and was even willing to bite the hand that feeds him when discussing the importance of movie theaters. After Street house was determined to be a streaming original and not granted the benefit of a wide theatrical release, Liman wrote a lengthy op-ed condemning Amazon Studios for their decision, and even briefly considered boycotting the film’s premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. While reviews for both Street house AND The instigators have been mixed, both films would certainly benefit from being seen by audiences on the biggest screen possible, and it would be exciting to see Liman generate the same level of enthusiasm for smaller, independent films.

The instigators is available to watch on Apple TV+ in the US

Watch on Apple TV+