PLOT: Two rogue spies go off-grid, marry, and come under attack at their remote cabin hideaway by various intel agencies seeking a stolen hard drive.

REVIEW: Two spies get married and their bosses aren’t happy about it. Whether it’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith or… well, that’s really the major one, this trope has been tested in the world of cinema and the results can be quite fun. But any tried and true story needs interesting execution to really stand out. Especially with so many films released on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, Alarum would rather meander through moments than excite in any unique or fun way. And the story feels like a mishmash of several other, better films.

Alarum follows Joe and Laura, two spies who have been off the grid for five years. They’ve been living a happily married life but all that changes when a plane crashes in the woods nearby. They find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and other agencies are desperate to recover the hard drive in the crashed plane. There are standoffs, betrayals, and everything else you would expect from an action film. While repetition isn’t a dealbreaker, especially within the action genre, the execution needs to be top-notch to overcome any generalities.

I’m just not sure I’m convinced that Scott Eastwood is an action lead. I’ve never had a problem with him when he appears as a side character that sometimes doesn’t make it but as a lead, there’s something that just doesn’t click here. He’s not serious enough in moments when he needs to be and his attempts at levity come across as misguided. I can’t tell if they were trying for a Ryan Reynolds-type performance, but it doesn’t work. I liked his interactions with Willa Fitzgerald but that’s because she’s absolutely incredible and could probably have chemistry with a piece of wood. But she gets the short end of the stick in terms of screentime between the two spies.

Mike Colter is having the time of his life and he brings the only tension in the film. He’s such a loose cannon, that the screen comes alive when he’s around. I needed a full movie just based around him causing chaos. I’m sure most expected Sylvester Stallone to be taking more of a backseat here, and don’t get me wrong, he does. But he still has more to do than I expected. It’s a pretty basic part and Stallone doesn’t have a scene partner most of the time, so I’m sure his role was shot very quickly. Even still, he leaves an impact on the film, though I’m sure Stallone fans will be disappointed by his limited screen time.

There are good ideas at play but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The cinematography can look good one moment but then the blocking is stilted and makes things feel unnatural. I think the key to a good gunfight is making it feel chaotic yet everything always feels contained here. Not to mention the number of times that someone fully exposed their own body to get a shot off made my head start to spin. The action just doesn’t work in any way and, in an era where even TV can have decent shootouts, this is just inexcusable. Alarum feels like multiple spy tropes all rolled into one. There were many times when I felt like they had just aped an idea from a recent Mission: Impossible movie. This isn’t a bad thing in theory, but the execution leaves plenty to be desired as it just has you thinking about better, more accomplished films.

ALARUM will be in Theaters, On Digital and On Demand January 17, 2025.