Alarum Movie Review - Sylvester Stallone and Scott Eastwood's So-So Action Movie Needed a Better Director

Sylvester Stallone looks to be cashing in on his name value and starring in B-movie action movies nowadays. First, it was the drab Armor alongside Jason Patric, now it’s Alarum with Scott Eastwood and Mike Colter. Fortunately, the latter isn’t entirely bleach in the eyes like the former, but it’s still a movie that could have been far better under a more deft hand than director Michael Polish’s. It isn’t too difficult to imagine Isaac Florentine or Jesse V. Johnson turning this into a mega hit for a streaming platform like Prime Video or Netflix.

Alarum’s setup feels like a mash-up of Mr. & Mrs. Smith and every popular spy thriller from the past 20 years. Rival spies Joe (Eastwood) and Lara (Willa Fitzgerald) fall in love, get married, and disappear off the grid. One day, their resort holiday is interrupted by the mysterious Orlin (Colter) and his goons, while Joe’s former employer realizes he’s still around and sends another agent, Chester (Stallone), to tie up the loose ends.

Sylvester Stallone and Scott Eastwood need to do another movie together

Alarum Movie Sylvester Stallone and Scott Eastwood — [L-R] Scott Eastwood as “Joe” and Sylvester Stallone as “Chester” in the action crime thriller ALARUM, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

From a storyline perspective, don’t expect too much from Alexander Vesha’s script. It’s a tale told a million times before; however, it brings with it a comforting familiarity. It’s like hot chocolate in the evening in the sense that you know what you’re getting, but it doesn’t offend and becomes routine. Expect the typical plot twists of betrayals, new alliances, and the revelation that everyone has their own motivations beyond what’s initially revealed.

What propels Alarum above becoming a completely forgettable action movie is the chemistry between the four leads: Scott Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Willa Fitzgerald, and Mike Colter. Eastwood and Stallone, in particular, prove to be a pairing that needs to be put together again – whether it be in Alarum 2 or another film. They roll back the years to a different era of cinema where reluctant rivals turn into suspicious allies. Eastwood’s Joe and Stallone’s Chester are stronger together and would be the best of pals under different circumstances, but they never fully trust each other, which adds another dynamic layer to their complicated relationship.

The action scenes are certainly a choice

Alarum‘s action scenes are nothing short of puzzling. The editor’s scissor runs riot in the hand-to-hand combat sequences, chopping them to within an inch of their life and destroying believability. Now, it’s tough to determine if the actors just didn’t have enough time to train and prepare, the choreographer took extra long lunches, or it was a stylistic choice, but these scenes fail to hit the mark or elevate the story.

On the other hand, the gunfights turn out pretty great. When Joe and Chester get into a shooting battle with Orlin’s team, it proves to be one of the best moments of the entire film. That said, it’s good until the point of an explosion, which is a general problem throughout the film. Michael Polish appeared to be adamant to include a lot of explosions in this film, but the main issue is the special effects look horrendous and fake – most likely due to budget constraints. It’s surprising how no one looked at this in the edit and thought it might be better to cut around the explosions, especially considering the approach taken on the hand-to-hand combat scenes.

Is Alarum worth watching?

Alarum won’t have people rushing out to buy a ticket. This is definitely the kind of film where someone can wait until it hits the streaming platforms. Overall, it’s disappointing that Alarum possesses all the right ingredients for it to become a fan-favorite action movie and a franchise starter, but it’s let down by the execution in the filmmaking.