Alarum

Alarum (2025): A Spy Thriller About Love, Betrayal, and Survival

Alarum is a 2025 American action-thriller that attempts to blend espionage, romance, and suspense into a high-stakes global pursuit. Directed by Michael Polish and written by Alexander Vesha, the film stars Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Mike Colter, and veteran action icon Sylvester Stallone. While it boasts a promising premise and a cast of genre-savvy performers, Alarum struggles to elevate itself beyond standard spy-thriller conventions.

The film centers around Joe and Lara Travers, played by Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald. Once elite government operatives, they fall in love, marry in secret, and vanish from public view, abandoning their agency lives in hopes of living off the grid. Their peaceful existence is shattered when they become targets of multiple intelligence organizations. The reason: a mysterious device known as “the flight pill,” a digital hard drive recovered from a downed aircraft, which allegedly contains sensitive intelligence capable of destabilizing global powers.

Joe and Lara are soon thrust back into the world they tried to escape. They are accused of being members of “Alarum,” an elusive rogue network believed to be manipulating world events. Whether this network truly exists is one of the film’s central mysteries. The couple must go on the run, not only to save themselves but also to protect the powerful information they inadvertently possess. This sets off a global manhunt led by Chester (Sylvester Stallone), a hardened government operative with a history of eliminating threats by any means necessary.

Stylistically, Alarum leans into sleek cinematography and quick-cut action. Scenes unfold across international locations, from remote safe houses to bustling European cities, adding a sense of scope and urgency. Stallone brings a weathered gravitas to Chester, a man caught between duty and disillusionment. Mike Colter also adds presence as Orlin, another figure with ambiguous motives. However, the true emotional core lies in Joe and Lara’s bond. Their relationship—built on trust, secrecy, and survival—drives much of the film’s tension and offers occasional quiet moments between the action.

Despite its strengths, Alarum falters in several areas. The plot, though initially intriguing, becomes overly complicated and weighed down by exposition. The pacing is inconsistent, with bursts of action separated by lengthy stretches of cryptic dialogue. Some character motivations remain unclear, and the film leans heavily on genre tropes such as double agents, encrypted data, and shadowy organizations. Critics have pointed out that the film, while stylish and competently acted, fails to break new ground.

Still, for fans of modern espionage thrillers, Alarum delivers enough high-octane chases, shootouts, and emotional stakes to be entertaining. Scott Eastwood proves he can carry a lead role with grit and charm, and Stallone’s seasoned performance reminds audiences why he remains a fixture in action cinema.

In the end, Alarum is a film about trust in a world defined by deception. It explores what happens when love is the only thing you can rely on—even when everything else, including your past, comes back to haunt you.