WFG RATING: B+

Lionsgate and Grindstone Entertainment present a Convergence Film Production in association with Highland Film Group, Dream Team, and BondIt Media Capital. Directed by Michael Polish. Produced by Joel Cohen, Randall Emmett, and Gwen Osborne. Written by Alexander Vesha. Editing by Paul Buhl. 

Stars Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Mike Colter, Joel Cohen, Isis Valverde, D.W. Moffett, Anton Narinskiy, and Sylvester Stallone. 

Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald have targets on their backs in this espionage thriller from director Michael Polish.

Joe, a professional assassin for the CIA, was hired to kill a fellow assassin, Laura. However, after their tussle, the two actually fall for each other and both decide to give up the assassin life in hopes for a more peaceful one. At least that is the case for Joe. However, Laura is hired to protect a businessman, Roland Rousseau, during their honeymoon at a winter resort in Poland. However, during a hike with Roland’s wife, Joe witnesses a plane crash and finds a mysterious device among one of the passengers along with an insignia. 

Joe soon finds himself targeted by the mysterious Orlan, an arms dealer who is looking for the device Joe has in his possession. Meanwhile, the CIA is convinced that Joe, former name Archibald, may be a part of a covert dark ops force codenamed Alarum. They decide to send their best man to confront Joe and terminate him. The man in question is Joe’s mentor and former partner Chester. When Chester arrives, all hell is set to break loose. 

Directed by Michael Polish from a script by Alexander Vesha, this is quite an intriguing spy thriller that has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing who is good and who is bad. The film is driven by both the performances of its cast along with some pretty good action set pieces with mainly firepower but add a wicked fight scene involving Willa Fitzgerald’s Laura against Orlan’s goons, who have taken a group hostage. 

Scott Eastwood proves to have the charm of his legendary father Clint in the role of Joe, a former hitman who is seen in our intro fighting and trying to kill Laura. It is after they both fall out of a window that she makes the first move that leads to their relationship. While the film is mostly a solid action film, there are small beats of comic relief. Some in a smartalecky form by Mike Colter’s Orlan, while when he enters the picture, Sylvester Stallone’s Chester has this buddy action chemistry with Joe. 

Kudos also goes out to Fitzgerlad for having the only main hand-to-hand combat scene in the film. In her attempt to rescue the hostages from the resort against Orlan’s men, she unleashes a barrage of kickboxing and judo moves towards the various thugs, especially the lead guy Krol, played by a very menacing Anton Narinskiy. And Laura does something extremely ingenious to protect herself from the inevitable in a moment of desperation. However, there are some unlikable characters in the film, notably that of CIA analyst Henry, who assumes Joe is part of the titular Alarum because of his disappearance and reappearance in a location involving the group. 

Alarum is a solid action thriller to kick off the new year, thanks to the performances of its cast and some pretty good action scenes mixed in with plot twists and turns that will keep you guessing. 

The film will be released in select theaters, On Demand, and Digital on January 17, 2025