The Trigger Effect (1996)

Screenwriter David Koepp (The Panic Room) did a tremendous job in bringing his directorial debut, The Trigger Effect, to the screen. Even in blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Koepp has always found a way to mix ideas and strong characterizations with suspense and action. The Trigger Effect was inspired by a BBC documentary series, Connections, and while it's nearly as unrelenting in its tension, it also makes salient points about society's tenuous grasp on civilization. There's already something menacing in the air in the first ten minutes of the film. The camera traverses a shopping mall, showing a series of strangers as they literally bump against one another. This bravura sequence cleverly ends in a movie theater, where Matthew (Kyle MacLachlan) and Annie (Elisabeth Shue) are disturbed by the loud conversation of two young black men sitting behind them. Koepp has the courage to handle this racial tension honestly, and later in the film, he trenchantly turns the main characters' (and the audience's) racial presumptions on their head. A massive blackout heightens every bad feeling, from disputes between neighbors, to marital discord, to racial and class tensions, and Koepp examines all of these in the context of a compelling drama. The film never matches the genius of its opening, but there are flashes of brilliance, and some memorable characters, including an unscrupulous gun shop owner (Richard Schiff) and a desperate drifter (Michael Rooker). As the violence and chaos spread, Koepp cleverly captures the breakdown of the couple's sheltered existence when Matthew asks a cop who's come to his neighborhood after a shooting, "Is it bad out there?" and the cop responds, "Out where?" The Trigger Effect will let down some viewers with its ambiguous and somewhat abrupt ending, but overall, it's a thoughtful and genuinely unsettling film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide