THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9608300072
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 58 lines
``THE TRIGGER EFFECT'' promises to say something about the way we have relinquished control of our lives to the technical conveniences that surround us.
It presents the perplexing question: What would we do if the lights went out for good? No power. No telephones. No television.
Since it was rushed into release after the massive power outage on the West Coast, one had every right to suspect that it is some type of epic ``disaster'' flick with masses of people in peril. The surprise in David Koepp's directorial debut is that it is a much more personal and quirky little drama than you'd expect. It's much closer to a ``Twilight Zone'' episode than it is to ``Earthquake'' or ``Twister.''
When all the subplots are removed, what we have is two men and one woman - the triangle that can be more threatening than a twister.
In the opening scene, Elisabeth Shue (the stunning actress from ``Leaving Las Vegas'') and Kyle MacLachlan (the ``Twin Peaks'' guy who plays her uptight husband) are at the movies. They are increasingly irritated by the loud talkers behind them, but he does nothing about it. The wife is put off by the fact that her husband acts like a wimp. The audience, in turn, is put off by her.
From a simple, everyday annoyance, the makings of a drama have been set up.
When the power goes off, she is equally put off that he can't get the medicine their infant needs, and she pushes him to go out and steal it. When their friend, supposedly a hunk type, arrives, the sexual tension is clear.
MacLachlan is effective at suggesting an undercurrent. He's all-American, but there's something underneath. Mulroney, though, is a dullard as the would-be visiting hunk. The script doesn't give him the dangerous sparks.
Shue, on the other hand, is excellent in suggesting a woman who was once a wild child and maybe longs to be again. She's given up her career for married life, and obviously feels she hasn't received enough in exchange.
The possibilities inherent in the massive loss of technology are largely ignored in favor of the personal threat. These people seem remarkably calm about the outage. There's very little questioning about what happened (and no answers).
``The Trigger Effect'' wisely emphasizes the effect rather than the trigger. Its dramatic, personal situation may be a little implausible at times, but it is never uninteresting. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GRAMERCY PICTURES
Matt (Kyle MacLachlan) learns how far he is willing to go for the
people he loves in ``The Trigger Effect.''
Graphic
``THE TRIGGER EFFECT''
Rated: R (some language, violence)
Starring: Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney, Kyle MacLachlan
Mal's rating: Three stars by CNB