REVIEW: ‘Trigger Warning’ Is Why We Need More Jessica Alba Action

Netflix has been investing in women-led action films to varying success. But in a landscape that only wants to get 100 million plus franchise blockbusters in the genre greenlit, the platform’s streaming genre fair has been something to hold onto for mid-budget action lovers. Directed by Mouly Surya, written by John Brancato & Josh Olson, and Halley Gross Trigger Warning (2024) is the latest in this being.

In it, Jessica Alba is a Special Forces commando who’s active duty status is interrupted when she gest devastating news. Parker returns to their hometown, her old love; the only thing missing is her father. Loving called Pops (Alejandro De Hoyos), Parker mourns his death and has to tackle the circumstances surrounding it.

Now the owner of the family bar, Parker reconnects with her former boyfriend-turned-sheriff Jesse (Mark Webber), his hot-tempered brother Elvis (Jake Weary), and their powerful father Senator Swann (Anthony Michael Hall) as she tries to unpack what happened to her father and figure out what home looks like now that he’s gone.

But Pops’ death isn’t a simple accident. Parker’s search for answers quickly goes south as she comes to blows with a violent gang running rampant in her hometown of Swann County. Unsure of who she can truly trust, Parker pushes forward on her own. Her quest for answers turns into one centered on vengeance as the world she knew closes in around her. She leans on the people she can like her Special Ops partner Spider (Tone Bell) and connected local dealer Mike (Gabriel Basso), but ultimately she can only finish the job alone.

Trigger Warning (2024) is rough around the edges but in an endearing way. The mustache-twirling villain is a racist politician who rings familiar notes for any Latino living in Texas or the non-descript Southwest state that the film is set in. But where it leans in on some cringe moments like the usage of the word “Latinx,” it also gives Alba the space to be what she rarely has been in film: A Latina.

It’s weird to say since Alba has always been proud of her heritage, but throughout her career from Dark Angel to the blue contact and blond wig in Fantastic Four, Alba has had to be ethnically ambiguous at best. In Trigger Warning (2024), her Latinidad is central to who she is as a character.

The third act of the film begins with “La Llorona” playing. Parker grieves her father but decides to move forward as a vengeful woman on a mission. This choice works extremely well and is echoed by her father popping in and out of the film speaking Spanish, a moment of comfort among the chaos around her at times and a memory at others.

The film doesn’t have the best special effects on large action set pieces, particularly where fire is involved. That said, those idiosyncracies somehow feel more akin to beloved early aughts rough action edges than something to be completely thrown out. Even the pacing, with its sometimes left-field twists, doesn’t ever go too far into being the wrong kind of ridiculous. And through it all, Jessica Alba’s action prowess keeps everything grounded and moving forward.

Alba is an actress who began in action, and it’s clear in Trigger Warning (2024) that it’s also where her heart is. Battered and bruised by the film’s end, Alba is unafraid to get ugly (thought, c’mon, it’s Jessica Alba), and her fight choreography isn’t either. While Alba’s Parker is a trained fighter and special forces operative, she is still just a petite framed 5’7″ woman fighting men twice her weight and half a foot taller.

The action doesn’t forget that. Instead, she has to be inventive, exploit quick movements, and use her small frame where she can. It’s an element that others may not think about, but action is at its best when the protagonists are fighting uphill and when their frame informs how they fight.

In Trigger Warning (2024), it’s clear that director Surya and the stunt team trust Alba’s physicality to handle her choreography. Outside of high CGI moments like in a burning building, the action sequences can breathe without panning too close to Alba’s face or body. Instead, you can see her fighting, where her punches land, and where his kicks come from. She is framed like an action star, and the jump cuts are limited for effect, adding to that.

Trigger Warning (2024) isn’t the best action film I’ve seen this year, but it is more than a serviceable attempt for folks looking for revenge stories with compelling leads. Even when you may want to roll your eyes, it’s still a good time. Add in Alba’s humor and fierce attitude as Parker, and it’s a recipe for a good weekend watch—underbaked political commentary and all.

Trigger Warning (2024) is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.