'Trigger Warning' review: Jessica Alba gets back into action mode with 'Trigger Warning'

CNN
—

Jessica Alba wasn't even 20 when she became an action star in Fox's 2000 series Dark Angel, which provides some context for her return to ass-kicking mode in “Trigger Warning,” the kind of Netflix movie that always lands higher (or lower) Least Near) of the “Most Viewed” tier. Devoid of surprises, it's a blistering comeback for Alba after a long acting hiatus, interrupted briefly by the cop show LA's Finest.

A few months after stepping back from her other career as founder of The Honest Company, “Trigger Warning” essentially plays out as a subtle twist on Dwayne Johnson's remake of “Walking Tall,” which means there's nothing new here. There is little suspense around the plot features.

However, Alba comes armed with a steely attitude and a strong drive for revenge as Parker, a Special Forces commando who – after a brief introduction in the field – is called back to her hometown following the death of her father, which soon seems more serious than mere death. Accidental collapse of a mine shaft.

In addition to the mine, Dad ran the local watering hole, although Parker had little interest in taking over her inheritance. However, the longer she stays around, the more suspicious she becomes, which is complicated by her history with the local sheriff (Mark Webber), the fact that his brother (Jake Weary) seems to be unwell, and that their father (Anthony Michael Hall) He's a conservative senator who asks rude questions like what does “Latinx” mean.

Parker also receives some help from one of her father's employees, Mike (The Night Agent's Gabriel Basso), but she'll eventually have to Schwarzenegger her way through it all, having already shown a talent for close-quarters combat and wielding a knife weapon.

In her U.S. debut, Indonesian director Molly Soria brings a kinetic (if somewhat repetitive) feel to the events for those weaned on the “John Wick” style of fight choreography, where stabbing or shooting someone all at once doesn't seem like Good enough.

Alba handles this aspect believably, while portraying Parker as a grieving daughter (with gauzy flashbacks) to give her a little more depth than the usual robotic murder.

Netflix has found a fertile ground by featuring marketable stars in genre films where, frankly, reviews don't matter much, a recent example of which is Jennifer Lopez's sci-fi adventure Atlas.

“Trigger Warning” may not have anything unexpected in the room, but for those who come to it with the right mindset, the film doesn't end up shooting blanks either.

“Trigger Warning” will premiere June 21 on Netflix.