The Trigger Effect
Encyclopedia
The Trigger Effect is a 1996 movie starring Kyle MacLachlan
, Elisabeth Shue
and Dermot Mulroney
.
, returning home from the movies to find their infant child (being cared for by a babysitter) screaming with a high temperature and an ear ache. The father calls the doctor, who promises to phone in a prescription to the pharmacist the following day.
During the night the neighborhood wakes up due to a blackout. The baby is still ill. The father goes to the pharmacist the next day, but is unable to get the required medicine due to the blackout preventing the doctor from phoning in the prescription. The father then steals the medicine when the pharmacist is not looking.
Chaos ensues due to the blackout, so the father and his long time best friend, Joe, played by Dermot Mulroney
, decide to buy a gun. An intruder breaks into the couple's house during the night, and the two friends manage to chase him out of the house, where a neighbor shoots the intruder. The neighbors then conspire to cover up the fact that the deceased intruder did not actually have a gun.
More chaos occurs, so the family and the friend decide to flee to the wife's parents' house. They do not have enough fuel to travel the whole way, so they stop by an abandoned car hoping to siphon some. A man is lying in the backseat. Joe notices that the man has a hand gun, so heads back to the car to get the shotgun. Joe aims the shotgun at the man to try and scare him off, but the man shoots him and steals the car.
Matthew then heads off to a nearby farmhouse to try to get help for his family. The man occupying the house refuses to help him initially, as he does not trust him. Matthew collects the shotgun and returns to the house, hoping to steal the car. Matthew breaks into the house to get the car keys, and a stand off ensues between him and the owner. The owner eventually agrees to help Matthew. The owner and his young daughter drive for help.
The movie then suddenly ends, as order is restored.
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan is an American actor. MacLachlan is best known for his roles in cult films Blue Velvet as Jeffrey Beaumont, Showgirls as Zack Carey, as Paul Atreides in Dune, and Ray Manzarek in the Oliver Stone film The Doors...
, Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
and Dermot Mulroney
Dermot Mulroney
-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
.
Plot
The story starts off with a young married couple, Annie and Matthew, played by Elizabeth Shue and Kyle MacLachlanKyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan is an American actor. MacLachlan is best known for his roles in cult films Blue Velvet as Jeffrey Beaumont, Showgirls as Zack Carey, as Paul Atreides in Dune, and Ray Manzarek in the Oliver Stone film The Doors...
, returning home from the movies to find their infant child (being cared for by a babysitter) screaming with a high temperature and an ear ache. The father calls the doctor, who promises to phone in a prescription to the pharmacist the following day.
During the night the neighborhood wakes up due to a blackout. The baby is still ill. The father goes to the pharmacist the next day, but is unable to get the required medicine due to the blackout preventing the doctor from phoning in the prescription. The father then steals the medicine when the pharmacist is not looking.
Chaos ensues due to the blackout, so the father and his long time best friend, Joe, played by Dermot Mulroney
Dermot Mulroney
-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
, decide to buy a gun. An intruder breaks into the couple's house during the night, and the two friends manage to chase him out of the house, where a neighbor shoots the intruder. The neighbors then conspire to cover up the fact that the deceased intruder did not actually have a gun.
More chaos occurs, so the family and the friend decide to flee to the wife's parents' house. They do not have enough fuel to travel the whole way, so they stop by an abandoned car hoping to siphon some. A man is lying in the backseat. Joe notices that the man has a hand gun, so heads back to the car to get the shotgun. Joe aims the shotgun at the man to try and scare him off, but the man shoots him and steals the car.
Matthew then heads off to a nearby farmhouse to try to get help for his family. The man occupying the house refuses to help him initially, as he does not trust him. Matthew collects the shotgun and returns to the house, hoping to steal the car. Matthew breaks into the house to get the car keys, and a stand off ensues between him and the owner. The owner eventually agrees to help Matthew. The owner and his young daughter drive for help.
The movie then suddenly ends, as order is restored.
Cast
- Kyle MacLachlanKyle MacLachlanKyle Merritt MacLachlan is an American actor. MacLachlan is best known for his roles in cult films Blue Velvet as Jeffrey Beaumont, Showgirls as Zack Carey, as Paul Atreides in Dune, and Ray Manzarek in the Oliver Stone film The Doors...
... Matthew - Elisabeth ShueElisabeth ShueElisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
... Annie Kay - Dermot MulroneyDermot Mulroney-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
... Joe - Bill SmitrovichBill Smitrovich-Personal life:Bill Smitrovich was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Anna and Stanley William Zmitrowicz, a tool and die maker. Bill is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport and holds an MFA from Smith College . He is married to Shaw Purnell from Pittsburgh, PA...
... Steph - Michael RookerMichael RookerMichael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
... Gary