Who would’ve thought Jessica Alba’s latest would be a high-octane Netflix action thriller that would end her long hiatus on screen? Ever since the once-hard-to-avoid star decided to launch her own production company, “Trigger Warning” marks her first time taking on a bona fide lead since 2016’s little-known horror flick “The Veil.” It’s a smart choice on the part of both her and the streaming giant: a Netflix action movie that should be an easy win. Her brand of 2000s fame, along with an avid demographic on the platform looking for a thriller, make this just the ideal viewing experience over the weekend. Moreover, the film also came out over a rather dead weekend for new releases at the cinema. Alba stars as Parker, a Special Forces commando serving overseas. She is one day called back home, where she learns about the death of her father. But she soon suspects the death of her father wasn’t an accident and she enlists the help of one of her commando colleagues, Spider to help along in investigating his murder. The film has not only tapped into Netflix’s undemanding action audience who have gladly made hits from a string of recent duds, but also debuted at No. 1 on the platform among Global Top 10 Movies chart for the week of June 17-23. In this list, we take that opportunity to look at five movies like “Trigger Warning” that will take you on an enthralling ride over the weekend.
1. The Equalizer (2014)
Antoine Fuqua has, over the decades, proven his flair at nail-biting action thrillers that take us into the bristling underbelly of the underworld. His 2014 film with long time collaborator Denzel Washington remains one of his best works. From a screenplay by Richard Wenk, the film is based on a 1980s series of the same name created by Richard Lindheim and Michael Sloan. It follows the story of Robert McCall, a former USMC and skilled DIA agent trying to live a solitary life. However, when he comes across a young girl being manipulated at the hands of violent gangsters, he calls his duty back into action by getting involved in violence to deliver justice for her.
The movie remains one of Washington’s highest-grossing releases in his career so far and for all the right reasons. McCall works a dull job at a big box store by day, but both professional and personal stakes come at stake when he decides to save this young girl. Watching him show his true hand as a former spec ops Marine to the gang members provides equal entertainment upon countless rewatches, making it a worthy companion piece to Netflix’s latest “Trigger Warning.” “The Equalizer” also stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, Kazy Tauginas, Haley Bennett, David Harbour, and Dan Bilzerian in supporting roles.
2. Atomic Blonde (2017)
Set in the last days of the period leading to the collapse of the Berlin war, “Atomic Blonde” follows MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton who teams up with an CIA agent to go deep into the heart of the city to retrieve a priceless dossier. It then leads to a plan of taking down a ruthless espionage ring. Sensual and brutal, Broughton is the most elite spy in MI6. Here’s an agent who’s willing to use all her lethal skills to stay alive during a life-or-death mission. With no one left to trust entirely, she now must avenge her fallen comrade and recover a critical piece of intel he left behind.
The distinctive period setting and the ultra-stylistic professional female lead, played by Charlize Theron, make this among the best entries on the list. David Lietch’s unique approach behind the camera accentuates the genre elements here making it a worthy companion piece to “Trigger Warning”, considering the two films’ grandiloquent similarities.
3. Nobody (2021)
A film that came out of nowhere and somehow managed to make its own reputation despite sharing similarities with popular contemporary films such as “John Wick,” this one also highlights the consequences of enveloping the personal with the profession. “Nobody” is about a middle-aged family man, Hutch Mansell, who turns to his former dangerous life when two thieves break into his house. While he tries his best to defend and save his family without resorting to violence, the aftermath of the burglary leads him to become the key target of a vindictive Russian crime lord.
A suburban father and an overlooked husband, Hutch soon embraces his closeted skills to protect his family which leads him to uncover dark secrets he left behind to lead a normal life. Directed by Ilya Naishuller from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, the 2021 movie reaffirmed (and in some ways reinvented) Bob Odenkirk’s career whom we had already grown to love in the long form storytelling format. What elevates this one beyond other recent action films is the skilled fight choreography and a truly riveting ending that stands as a testament to how similar story beats can be worked as long as the grammar of the filmmaking feels refreshing. So glad that this one has been greenlit for an official sequel.
4. The Man From Nowhere (2010)
Easily one of the most versatile entries on our list, “The Man From Nowhere” is yet another blaring example of just how good South Korean cinema is at providing enthralling thrillers. The 2010 flick was one of the highest grossing films in the domestic market of the country that year, and it wouldn’t be an understatement to say how it deserved all the critical and audience acclaim. In the film, a mysterious man, called Cha Tae-Sik, embarks on an unforgiving rampage when the only person who seems to care for him is kidnapped. He is a former secret agent, and his only contact is with a girl named So-mi, whose mother smuggles drugs for a gang. When the gang realizes who he really is, they kidnap the girl and her mother, demanding that Tae-shik make a crucial drug delivery.
When Tae-Sik goes full-throttle upon his past experience as a trained killer, the gangsters soon find themselves in the middle of a bloody wrath before they realize they have picked the wrong target. Packed with engrossing action set pieces and deft camera moves, “The Man From Nowhere” will keep you hooked with its balance between kinetic storytelling and effective emotional beats. Audiences who appreciated “Trigger Warning” will be glad to hear that this is one movie that doesn’t shy away from some absolutely brutally well-lit fight sequences.
5. Peppermint (2018)
Unlike some vigilantes on our list, our lead this time around has no prior service with any mysterious agencies or syndicates to call upon in her potential reawakening. For years, Riley North emboldens her skills and transforms herself from a regular bank employee to a professional killer guided by an appetite for revenge. That’s only after she and her family become the victims of a drug kingpin’s wrath. Now, Riley must struggle to pick up the pieces of what’s left of her former life. However, when law enforcement fails to bring family’s killers to trial, her hope for justice comes crashing down before she eventually plans for some bloody retribution on her own.
When her plan of action finally arrives, the mobsters who pulled the trigger aren’t the only ones to find themselves on her kill list. While critics weren’t fully enthusiastic about Riley’s personal journey to transform herself from an everyday citizen to urban guerrilla, the film has garnered staunch following from the genre lovers. It knew exactly how to channel societal and feminine frustration into real life motivation, vicariously depicted here through the unraveling story of a young widow who gradually becomes an unstoppable force.
