Netflix’s new action thriller film Trigger Warning brings Jessica Alba back into the limelight as she plays the tough protagonist fighting her way through the corrupt secrets of her quaint hometown. The plot follows Parker, an experienced US Army Special Forces officer, who returns to her small hometown of Creation following the sudden death of her beloved father. But her return uncovers a grand-scale conspiracy that threatens US internal security and also poses an active danger to the protagonist. Overall, Trigger Warning is an out-and-out action film, and its adequate pacing and tight plot keep it fairly enjoyable.
Spoilers Ahead
What is the Netflix film about?
Trigger Warning begins amidst intense action on the vast Badiyat al-Sham desert in Syria, as a certain US operation codenamed Alice 116 is ongoing. A US aid van is being shot at by two militant cars, making it clear that the aid team was actually conducting some covert military operation in the country against the terrorists. While the militants aim to shoot the van off with rocket launchers, a woman soldier of the US army shoots back at them and manages to survive even when the van crashes in the sand. She then actively brings down two terrorists to ensure her safety, and then signals to her team that it is safe to approach the spot. The woman is introduced as Parker, the protagonist of our plot, and her dislike for unnecessary violence and bloodshed is also highlighted next, as she stops the army general from killing the Syrian informants. Parker is a Green Beret US Army Special Forces officer, and she is close friends with a hacker colleague, Spider, who is currently concerned about the fact that their general is not in favor of Parker.
But this conversation is interrupted by a phone call, as Parker’s phone has been ringing for quite some time now. She states that the caller is her date from prom night, and he happens to be the current sheriff of Creation, a small town where she was born and brought up. The sheriff, Jesse Swann, was once Parker’s boyfriend as well, but now informs her of a sad incident. Her father, Harry, had recently gone into a mine cave close to his house, which was really a common practice for men. However, in a recent accident, the old cave had collapsed, and Harry was found dead amidst the rubble later on. Hearing the tragic news of her father’s death, Parker takes a few days off from her professional service and returns to Creation. She meets up with all the old but familiar faces, which include Jesse and Mike, a man her own age who used to work for her father. She soon also runs into Elvis, the brash son of the local politician, Senator Ezekiel Swann. Parker does not intend to stay in town long, wishing to return to service soon after the funeral, but her plan has to be changed when she starts to suspect some mystery about her father’s death.
Why does Parker suspect that her father did not die in the mine collapse?
When Jesse and Parker meet at the police station after her return, the sheriff shows her a letter written by Harry, which had apparently been found on his work table back at his house. This letter, addressed to Parker, had a certain grim tone to it, as if Harry had written it with a sense of finality, which makes Jesse suspect that he might have taken his own life. Both he and Mike mention how the man had been losing his memory and his otherwise strong mind, and therefore, the possibility of suicide is made to seem all the more probable. Jesse feels that Harry must have walked into his usual spot at the mine cave and then caused an explosion himself, which took his life. But Parker has a hard time believing this theory, especially because of how strong she knew her father’s character to be. Harry had once been a Green Beret too, and so fear or intimidation just because of old age is not coherent with his general attitude towards life. Parker also mentions how she and her father used to regularly exchange letters with each other, which would often be just about how much they missed each other, and so the note found on his desk might be part of one such letter he was writing. Therefore, she rules out the possibility of her father having killed himself but still has to grieve his loss all by herself.
Harry used to run a bar in Creation named Maria’s, which he always wanted his daughter to inherit and run after his death. It is at Maria’s bar that Parker spends most of her time after returning to town, and the establishment is also located just beside the mine cave that Harry used to frequent. Upon learning that it was Mike who had first found the body, Parker asks him to show the exact spot of the discovery. This is when she first starts to have a bit of suspicion about her father’s death, as she sees security cameras fitted at the entrance of the mine. Although Harry had earlier fixed cameras inside his bar as well, they were fake ones kept only to intimidate people that they were being monitored. However, these cameras at the entrance of the mines are very real, which is perhaps a bit odd considering Harry’s character. Mike states that the man had grown very wary and serious about the mine cave since a few weeks before his death, but what exactly made him fix cameras at the place is unknown.
Finally, when Parker sees the rubble of rocks amidst which her father’s body had been found, she is almost sure that he had not taken his own life. This is because of the physical appearances of the rocks, which clearly show indications that they had been loosened due to a grenade blast. Having served in the US army, Harry would have never blasted a grenade inside an old mine cave, and so Parker suspects that she is not being told the real truth about his death. She contacts Spider and sends him details of the security cameras so that he can hack into their servers and go through the footage recorded on them. She also sends him a photo of the supposed suicide note, and later on in the film, Spider confirms through text that the note is actually a fake. Although going through the camera footage does take a lot of time, he also confirms at the end of Trigger Warning that Harry’s death had been recorded by one of the cameras as well.
What is the mystery behind the death of Parker’s father?
Soon, it becomes clear that Harry’s real valued possession was the mine cave that he used to often go to, for it has very special access to underground tunnels that run all across the town of Creation. The small town is actually home to a US Army weapons depot as well, where stocks of guns and ammunition to be used by the soldiers in times of need are kept. The underground tunnels inside Harry’s mine cave actually lead to a specific spot inside the army depot, which was being exploited by certain perpetrators for their own benefit. They had even secured the entrance into the depot by hiding it inside a metal container, making it seem like there was no underground access at the spot. Parker already guesses, quite rightly, who the perpetrators are, and her investigation into the matter soon confirms her belief.
The Swann family has a real stronghold over the town of Creation, not just because Ezekiel Swann is the senator representing the place, but also in an administrative sense as well. His eldest son, Jesse, is the town’s sheriff, and so every aspect of law and order is technically in their hands. But the other son, Elvis, is a wastrel who does not have the intelligence or the patience to reach high positions in society like his father and brother. Nonetheless, Elvis still has an inflated ego, which makes him want to get the same respect and love in his family as Ezekiel and Jesse, which soon leads him to commit some grave acts. After having discovered the wonders of the dark web, Jesse decided to use it to create his own successful but unlawful business.
The young man had discovered how the underground tunnels could be used to access the army depot, and he started stealing guns from the place and then found buyers for them on the internet. Elvis had already sold stashes of guns to various buyers that he connected with on the dark web, and at present, he had made acquaintance with a villainous terrorist known as Ghost. The client, Ghost, is a noted criminal who is also on the FBI’s list of most wanted men, and he is clearly shopping for some terrorist plan that is in the works. Ghost asks to buy a huge stash of guns, including rocket launchers, in exchange for a considerable amount of money, and Elvis agrees to the deal. Although his father and brother are perplexed about the almost impossible order, he is not ready to back out from the deal.
It is quite natural that Ezekiel and Jesse are both involved in this illegal arms theft and sale, and the sheriff regularly helps Elvis in the operations as well. Being the lawman at the town, Jesse can easily cover up murders and other crimes that are involved in this trade, and so he is an important piece of it. Ezekiel, on the other hand, reaps more benefit from the business than the other two, for he gets to use most of the money that is earned by selling the weapons. This money is spent by the politician to run his re-election campaign and possibly other corrupt operations as well. Because of the large order placed by Ghost, the Swanns had to steal way more guns than they were used to, and so getting secure access through Harry’s mine cave would have been extremely beneficial.
This is why Jesse and Elvis approached the man, wanting to buy his land or even willingly make him a part of the illegal trade in exchange for profits. Harry obviously denied being a part of it, and because he was once a part of the US Army, the man’s high principles were also a threat to the Swann family members. It was for this reason that they killed Harry, and the whole act had been recorded on the security camera. But since both Ezekiel and Jesse admit to the murder, Parker refuses to watch the heartbreaking video of her father being killed.
What Happens To Parker In The End?
Parker sets out on a vengeful mission at the end of Trigger Warning, aiming to bring her father’s murderers to justice and also to put a stop to their illegal business. She storms the Swann manor and first takes down the senator, Ezekiel, leaving him tied to his chair. It is not made clear as to whether she kills the politician, but the man surely dies, as confirmed by a radio program at the end of the film. She then reaches the mines, and together with a group of allies from the town, Parker tracks down and kills Elvis next. The terrorist, Ghost, had also been shot dead by this time by Parker and her friends. The only member that momentarily gets away is Jesse, and Parker follows him into the army depot, which is a really dangerous thing to do since both of them would be punished for intrusion if caught.
Eventually, the protagonist is able to find and confront Jesse, too, and the latter completely gives up, intending to kill himself with a grenade. The two characters had once been lovers in their younger days, and this is why Jesse’s betrayal had hurt Parker the most. However, she now also understands the pressure he felt from his family members and wants to save him from any rash decision. Moreover, Parker surely wants Jesse to face the consequences of murdering her father in a legal manner, which is more painful than a quick death, and so she tries to get hold of the grenade. But the plan fails, and Jesse ultimately takes his own life by causing an explosion. The army obviously launches an investigation into the matter, and the evil acts of the Swann family are exposed to the world.
Trigger Warning ends with scenes from four weeks later, when Parker is finally ready to leave Creation and return to her job in the Special Forces. She does rebuild her father’s bar, though, and instead of selling it off, she gives Mike and his mother the responsibility of running the establishment. She is accompanied by Spider, who had also come down to the town and fought alongside Parker against the Swanns. Although some soldiers are still in search of Parker, wanting to speak to her about her role in the events, Spider states that they must reach her only through the CIA and after getting permission from the intelligence agency. Finally, Trigger Warning ends with Parker and Spider driving away into the horizon.
