Trigger Warning (2024) is directed by Mouly Surya and stars Jessica Alba, Mark Webber, Gabriel Basso, Anthony Michael Hall, Tone Bell, Jake Weary, Alejandro De Hoyos, and Kaiwi Lyman. The film follows Parker (Alba), a special forces commando who returns to her hometown after her father (Hoyos) dies under mysterious circumstances. With the help of fellow commando, Spider (Bell), and an old acquaintance from high school, Mike (Basso), Parker sets out to avenge her father’s death by taking on the town’s corrupt police department led by her ex-boyfriend, Jesse (Webber), and his senator father, Ezekiel (Hall). 

The film is mostly filled with lifeless performances throughout, but I am surprised that Alba seems right at home in this kind of action-hero role. Naturally, her acting chops seem to have only improved with age, and although the script is mostly a dull affair, her natural charisma remains one of the film’s few bright spots. Although I never once believed a woman of her stature could take on trained mercenaries twice her size, her hardened yet human attitude hits all the right notes. 

It’s nice to see Anthony Michael Hall cast in this kind of ultra-conservative villain role, it’s just a shame the movie never seems interested in taking advantage of his character. As for the rest of the cast/characters, they’re the epitome of generic and forgettable. I mean, for God’s sake, two of the main male characters look exactly alike – middle-aged white guys with thinning hairlines and blonde beards. I think these characters fade into the background so miserably because there’s a lack of complex dynamics between one another. Besides Parker, characters have little to no clear motivations and just do whatever the script requires to keep the action chugging along. 

Oftentimes, the film features moments that signal to the viewer that the filmmakers don’t understand some of the fundamentals of action filmmaking. For example, why is there a scene where a decorated spec ops commando refers to an AR-15 as a “machine gun.” I’m not much of a gun guy, but even I know that’s the number one signal of someone who doesn’t know how to classify different kinds of guns. There are also a handful of “that’s not how reality works” moments that make the viewer scratch their head. It’s as if the unreality of the action clashes with the realistic tone of everything in between.

This is essentially just a crappier version of First Blood (1982), Reacher (2022-), or even this year’s Rebel Ridge. The dialogue is often choppy and although the story is one we’ve seen countless times before, it’s a formula that’s tried and true. That’s not saying much though; this pretty much just feels like a script generated by AI, but at least it moves along at a decent enough pace.

Overall, this is yet another Netflix release destined to be forgotten almost immediately. It’s not a completely insulting experience, but it makes a person wonder if creatively is all but lost in Hollywood. I actually have a hard time believing anyone chose to do this project for any reason other than a paycheck. Unless you’re a Jessica Alba superfan, this is an easy movie to recommend you skip. D