The Trigger Effect

Synopsis: How tenuous is man's hold on civilization when survival becomes an issue? When the lights go out and stay out for several days, suburbanites Matthew and Annie learn the hard way that man is "by nature" a predatory creature. Matthew's long-time friend, Joe, happens by on the second day and a rivalry between the two friends simmers as Annie cares for her sick baby. When rumors of looting spread through the neighborhood, the two men buy a shotgun for protection but Annie throws it in the pool. Later, that same night, Joe hears a prowler downstairs and awakens Matthew. They chase the stranger from the house and out into the street where a neighbor shoots him to death. No longer safe in their own home, they decide to drive to Annie's parents some 500 miles away. Before they reach their destination, more trouble comes their way when they stop to siphon gas from an abandoned car and discover the driver in the back seat... Is this what is meant by "man's inhumanity to man?"
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director(s): David Koepp
Production: MCA Universal Home Video
 
IMDB:
5.7
Rotten Tomatoes:
75%
R
Year:
1996
94 min
149 Views


"It was a cold bitter wind...

and it blew,

and it blew.

It blew through the trees

and the little town too.

It blew past the houses where

the children were sleeping.

It blew through the keyholes

where peepers were peeping.

It blew down the streets

that were shrouded in slumber.

- Rattled the roofs

right down to the lumber. "

- Oh! Oh!

- I'm so sorry.

- What? I don't understand

what you're sayin'.

I'm sorry.

Ah!

Five thousand dollar suit.

Ah.

- Hey! You don't say excuse me?

- Come on.

Come on.

We're late.

- You see that?

- He's a jerk.

- I can't believe he did that to me.

- Forget about it.

Did you see what he just did to me?

Yeah? You want to do

somethin' about it? Do ya?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

- Don't worry...

- Would you stop touching me?

I'm sorry.

- Hey, hey!

- Hi, guys!

- Got the tickets.

- Thanks, Greg.

- See what I mean about him?

- What?

Look. I don't even know

why we go out with them.

He's in a bad mood.

Come on. We're late.

I want to get

somethin' to eat.

- Next.

- Hey! I was waiting.

- I didn't see you.

- You see me now.

- No. She was next.

- Was somebody talkin' to you?

Popcorns. One with no butter.

One with really light butter.

Two medium Diet Pepsis.

Wait. How much is a large?

One seventy-five.

I want to spend $10 total.

So can I go to a smaller size?

And she done made me miss

the beginning of the movie.

Sh*t.

Hey? Johnny?

Johnny?

- Over here.

- Where? Oh.

Ow.

Hey, where the f***

is the popcorn?

I'm standing in line, right?

This chick walks right in front of me.

Blows past me like I don't exist

and goes to the counter.

- What?

- I'm like, "Hey, there's a line here. "

She basically says,

"F*** you. "

- That's f***ed up, man.

- Yeah, I know it's f***ed up.

Hate coming to movies around here.

Hate this whole neighborhood.

- She blows right past me.

- What'd the girl look like?

- I don't know.

- You don't know what the girl looked like?

I don't. I didn't take her picture.

She had curly hair.

They have to talk about this right now?

It can't wait?

Check this out.

Kenny told me about this.

- I gotta say something.

- You should.

Sh*t, my brother's got

a truck like that.

He's got a truck

just like that.

- Yo, what'd she say about me?

- Who?

Right here.

She said something about me.

- What the f*** she say?

- I don't know.

- I don't know what the other girl looked like.

- Shhh!

Hey, f*** you.

You're the one that should

shut the f*** up, b*tch.

Turn your narrow ass around

and watch the motherfucking movie.

Pff.

You want to move?

Come on. Let's move.

Thank you.

It got hotter?

- Did you like it?

- Yeah, it was all right.

- Yeah.

- Let's use the elevator.

I liked it.

I was scared.

- Yeah, you like to be scared.

- Yeah.

- Where we gonna get a beer?

- Let's go to that place around the corner.

- Cool.

- Yeah. Let's go.

- I thought we were on three.

- No. No, we're here.

- Boy, those guys, huh?

- Yeah.

- Those guys behind us.

- Yeah, I know.

- You think I should have said something?

- What?

Should I go back in there?

They're probably

gone by now.

I'm almost certain we're on three.

Oh, baby.

- You gonna go see?

- Yeah.

Thanks.

Debbie? Is everything

all right?

What a night.

Hmm?

Debbie's been

chowin' again.

God.

Two more weeks.

Mm-hmm.

I don't think so.

Aw...

Jesus Christ.

Money well spent.

I hate these guys.

Oh, God, you're so hot.

- You're so hot. It's okay.

- What's the matter?

She's burning up.

She has a really bad fever. Feel her.

- Will you get the thermometer?

- Yeah!

- It's in the second drawer.

- I know where it is!

Oh, God.

You're so upset.

- How much do we owe you?

- Twenty-eight bucks. Please.

Maybe she has

another ear infection.

- You should really call him.

- Here. Twenty bucks.

I will. I'll ask him

for the pink stuff.

One guess what he said.

Not to worry unless it's over 103, and

he'll phone a prescription in the morning.

- You got it.

- Same thing he always says.

- He mentioned that too.

- He actually said that?

Why does he make us

feel like such idiots?

- Did you tell him?

- No, I didn't tell him.

Have you seen my other watch?

I think I lost it.

See what I've been

saying lately?

- Probably just left it in New York.

- Oh, yeah, right.

What do you want me to do?

Start accusing the world?

Pointing fingers,

conducting strip searches?

- Things have been missing lately, right?

- That's a sweeping statement.

There have been a lot

of workmen in the house.

I'm not making any accusations,

but isn't it true?

I think we mislaid a few things.

That's all.

God. Go run

for congress.

I don't think

you love me anymore.

No. Not for years.

Tell me you love me.

Why should I?

'Cause I want to hear it.

Hang on.

I'm thinking.

You are evil.

Profoundly evil.

No, I'm a nice girl now.

Yeah. Whatever happened

to the wild child?

I wonder.

Oh. Why don't you

come over here?

Why don't you come here

and sit down?

Say something, Annie.

Gee, it's my turn again.

Harry, what's happening?

- It's all right!

Look, there's

Bartholomew, see? Right there.

He's in his window.

His hair is blowing from the wind.

Whoosh!

He's getting

ready to fly away.

He's gonna fly over the town.

See?

Hey. Want to turn the page?

Want to turn the page?

Here. Let's do it together.

Ready? There we go.

Yeah. Yeah.

Who's that?

What color is he, huh?

He's red.

He's red.

"The wind whistled past

lampposts, screamed over the lake...

- all in search of a boy

who was still wide awake.

Bartholomew went

to the window and stared.

- He wasn't much drowsy

and wasn't much scared.

He knew that old wind

was nothing to fear.

With a bedsheet to sail

and a pillow to steer...

he could ride that old wind

right into the night.

Take off like a rocket,

a Bartholomew kite.

But this would be no breeze,

it's safe to assume.

Granddaddy of winds had blown

straight to his room. "

Oh, God.

- What?

- The power's out.

Don't move. Either it'll

come back on right away...

or it's gone for good.

All right.

We're waitin'.

Ah!

Check the

circuit breakers.

Maybe it's just us.

Nope. It's the

whole neighborhood.

- Really?

- Mm-hmm.

A blackout. Fun.

Yeah. Hysterical.

Steph? Is that you?

- Matt... Matt?

- Yeah.

- Hey.

- Oh, sorry.

So, what do you make

of this, huh?

Uh, blackout?

- Do you mind?

- Oh, sorry.

Got any idea

what caused it?

Seemed like a storm was coming.

Maybe that was it.

Yeah, or Raji using

those weird power tools again.

Oh, Christ.

Here comes Chuckles.

How are you, Mr. Schaefer?

"How are you,

Mr. Schaefer?"

The power's out.

We hadn't noticed, Rudy. We were just

tryin' out our new flashlights.

- One of you call it in?

- I think they know.

One of you

should call it in.

Don't get involved,

Rudy.

You never know what kind of list

you're gonna end up on.

That's almost funny.

Oh. Have one for me, will ya?

Okay. Hey, Sunday.

- Football?

- Oh, yeah.

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James Burke

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Trigger Effect" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_trigger_effect_21505>.

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