The Trigger Effect (1996)

Do yourself a favor and buy some canned goods, a flashlight, and a radio before you watch this film. Unfairly dismissed by the critics and missed by the public, this pre-Y2K suspense film by writer-director David Koepp (the writer of Jurassic Park and Apartment Zero) is a chilling, sobering experience that will turn any practical person into a paranoid, apocalyptic loon. When the power goes out in the big city and society starts to break down, husband and wife Matthew (Kyle MacLachlan) and Annie (Elisabeth Shue) find out that not even suburbia is safe. Complicating the situation is their mutual friend Joe (Dermot Mulroney), who stays with them during the blackout, partially because of his interest in Annie. Koepp's inventive and authentic take on interpersonal relationships (Shue and MacLachlan are great as a foundering couple) and the assault on the white-collar male ego are spot-on. Koepp doesn't stop there. He also plays and builds imaginatively on suspense conventions (including the casting of character-baddie Michael Rooker), race relations, and our prejudicial, judgmental attitudes toward strangers. The concatenation of events, how they affect us without our knowledge, and our dependence on the machinery and power that prop up our society complete this involving, perceptive analysis of our very weak social fabric. (The DVD includes some interesting production notes, including the fact that Annie and Matthew live on Maple and Willoughby, a nod to two famous episodes of The Twilight Zone, one of them being the paranoid "The Monsters Are Coming to Maple Street" episode.) --Keith Simanton Amazon.com

short, sweet and to the point

It's not overly complex and it's not profound, but the actors are good in their roles, the movie has a nice pace and interesting scenes, plus Shue it hot in this film. It's a great weekend afternoon flick on a dreary, lazy day. The only other movie I'd compare it to is Judgment Night, due to the overall feel of isolation and desperation. June 1, 2008

Well worth the rental / purchase price!

I've always kept the "The Trigger Effect" in the back of my memory after watching it on TV years ago, so when I was talking to my friend about the "breaking point" when people stop behaving in a civilized manner and become basically selfish savages, i told her about this movie and decided to purchase it; and needless to say, I wasn't dissapointed.

Despite the high quality cinematography and acting, this movie is not for everyone, specially for all those who are looking for cheap thrills with zombies and unknown creatures from outer space..
This is basically a thinking man's thriller, in the vein of the timeless Twilight Zone TV series, as some of the reviewers here have pointed out.

What makes this movie so effective is that it is based on solid reality ground!
All of the events and actions on the "Trigger Effect" are entirely plausible and i am sure sure people who have lived through catastrophic events and wars can relate to them.

Without giving away the plot, let's say this movie basically explores the continuous breakdown in "civilized" human relations between citizens and friends, when our daily conforts dissappear due to a catastrophic event, and fear, chaos, looting, murder follows, and normal people like you and I, are forced to resort to violence and force to ensure our family's survival.

Another event displayed in the movie that rings a bell more than 10 years later (May 2008) is the shortage of gasoline that leaves drivers stranded in the middle of nowhere, and nobody is willing to stop and help them for fear of being assaulted.
I am sure all those who've lived through the oil shortages of the 70s can relate, and now that the prices of gasoline have sky-rocketed in the last few months, one has to wonder if we are due for a replay of what happened more than 30 years ago.

The main point this movie makes is that our current civilized world as we know it, stands on a few pillars that could collapse in a matter of hours or days due catastrophic events, and this event would basically trigger a breakdown of our civilization as we know it, and questions how truly "considerate" and "civilized" we all really are! May 23, 2008

Pretty good

When a power failure sends their suburban town into chaos, Matthew (Kyle MacLachlan) and his wife (Elisabeth Shue) stoop to desperate measures to secure medication for their child. On the second day of the blackout, as the town descends into violence and looting, Matthew's rugged friend Joe (Dermot Mulroney) shows up, and tensions heighten. To escape the increasingly violent situation, the foursome hits the road ... but their troubles continue February 4, 2007

Horribly written stinker

One of the stupidest, badly-written dramatic movies I have ever encountered. They took an intriguing premise--what would happen if the thin veneer of civilized society is peeled away in a massive and long-lasting power outtage--and ruined it in distracting subplots about adultery and individual racial strife. Hey, people commit adultery all the time; however, people do not loot all the time. So which is the more interesting? I say the latter. This movie did not. It obsesses over the adultery and seldom focuses on the much more interesting looting and pillaging and whatnot which is part of the (very distant) background.
Moreover, inexplicably, the police and ambulance services continue to respond in minutes in this supposedly riotous situation. Uh, excuse me, but that does not happen in a riot. Isn't that the definition of a riot, that the police don't respond? And the characters they chose to make this story about were so ridiculously stupid, and continue making such stupid choices, one simply cannot sympathize with them in the slightest. Horrible movie. September 26, 2005

Doesn't explore the trigger concept to its full extent

Maybe I am on the wrong wavelength here but the film reminded me somewhat of Pay it Forward, i.e. the way people treat each other can have a profound influence on the world around us. Without giving too much away of the plot of The Trigger Effect it seemed to suggest that while everyone was treating each other badly (from a minor insult, to racial prejudice, to shooting someone dead) the entire world ended up on the path to destruction. But as soon as someone did something good, the trigger effect takes over and the world became a better place.
Interesting scenario. A bit simplistically portrayed in my view but an interesting look at what could happen when our society starts to fall apart. July 29, 2004

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