An Action-Packed Movie…Sometimes: ‘Trigger Warning’ Review
Netflix’s Trigger Warning - labeled as an “action-packed movie” in a brief description on the streamer - is a feature that never feels like it lives up to that description. Action is present in the feature, but it takes a backseat to a story that, while fascinating, feels like it could have been presented better.
The film follows Parker Calvo (Jessica Alba), a military affiliate who returns from abroad to her hometown of Creation when a call from a past romantic interest, Jesse Swann (Mark Webber), reveals to her that her father, Harry (Alejandro De Hoyos), died in a mining accident. Upon her return home, though, suspicions surrounding her father’s passing arise, causing Parker to uncover a dangerous plot involving the very thing that her father’s life surrounded. Her investigation brings her into conflict with Jesse’s father, local senator Ezekiel (Anthony Michael Hall), and Ezekiel’s son Elvis (Jake Weary). With her conflict also including criminals frequenting Creation, Parker’s combat skills are on display more than once.
Labeling Trigger Warning as an action-thriller may be accurate, but the film leans much more towards the latter description in the hyphenate than the former. The crux of the film is put into play by Parker’s aforementioned questioning of her father’s death; her investigation leads to so many up-in-the-air questions that the pursuit of answers is something we, like Parker, are interested in uncovering. Watching Parker take action is another element of the feature that works - it sports an engaging, intriguing story. The film also contains a supporting cast of enjoyable characters, such as Parker’s military acquaintance Spider (Tone Bell) and friends Mike (Gabriel Basso) and Frank (James Cady). They cement themselves quickly, and eventually come to help Parker in her mission.
As I watched Trigger Warning, though, I couldn’t help but think about what type of film it could have been - mainly regarding its presentation of action beats and sequences. I say that the film plays more like a thriller than an action film because action - at least of the one-on-one combat variety - feels sparse here. In instances where it does occur in Trigger Warning, the sparring matches end quickly, which always left me disappointed and feeling that the film could be wasting opportunities to indulge in creative setpieces or entertaining action choreography. Even the film’s climax, which feels set-up to be an all-out battle, showcases its action sparingly, with multiple moments in which I wanted more from the conflict at hand. Sometimes, when those moments of quick one-on-one combat do occur, combatants seem sped-up, as if edited, which additionally cheapens the choreography. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for Trigger Warning to be a film similar to the John Wick or Extraction franchises, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that every quick bout of action could have been something more.
A lot of Trigger Warning feels like it could have been better, for that matter. For example, awkward editing in certain parts of the film makes scenes feel like they end abruptly. The most disappointing instance in which I was hoping for a better result to come from something in the film is in regards to a revelation regarding the film’s main storyline - a genuinely shocking, interesting twist that complicates character relationships and left me curious about what was to come. That storyline’s resolution, though - one that I was genuinely unsure of - turns out to be quick and unsatisfying. On multiple occasions, it feels like the film simply could have been showcased better. Again, though, I want to make clear that the problems I had with the film were not in regards to its story, but rather with how it was presented.
While containing fun characters and an engaging, thorough central plot, the majority of Trigger Warning fell short in presentation. While its mysteries draw you in, the film never stopped raising in me a feeling of disappointment at what it could have done differently.
