‘Alarum’ released following production in Oxford

After nearly a year of anticipation from Miami University students, ‘Alarum,’ the film that took over Oxford’s Uptown areas and Hueston Woods, is out. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald and Mike Colter, ‘Alarum’ was officially released on Jan. 15, but it did not make much of an impact in the box office.

The plot follows two former spies, Joe (Eastwood) and Lara (Fitzgerald), from rival organizations who went rogue after they met on a mission. Now, they are suspected of joining the organization “Alarum.”

The movie opens with a shot of Action Lake from Hueston Woods, and is followed by shots of the Hueston Woods Lodge and Conference Center, where Joe and Lara are on their honeymoon in Poland. The flagpole outside of the lodge is replaced with a Polish flag in the film, and the setting is modified to look like a resort.

When a plane crashes near the resort, Joe finds the pilots shot by an assassin and a flash drive in one of the pilot’s stomachs. He quickly finds himself under the attack of an international spy organization who wants the flash drive and him dead.

Eventually, Joe’s former spy organization sends Agent Chester (Stallone) to figure out what is going on and “help” Joe. In less than 24 hours, Joe, Chester and Lara embark on a mission to fight off the other spies and determine where their alliance falls.

Outside of filming, Somerville-native Tammy Anders found the plane crash while horseback riding with a few of her friends. Anders said she and her friends saw a lot of white vans driving around nearby before finding the plane crash 25 feet into the trailhead at Hueston Woods.

However, they quickly realized that the crash was staged. There were shovels nearby, showing that the ground had been dug up to place the plane, and none of the trees were disheveled.

Scenes later on in “Alarum” happen outside of Oxford Pub (O’Pub). O’Pub is destroyed as the international spy organization tries to get Joe and Chester out of hiding. Signs outside the buildings used in the film were replaced with Polish signs; however, any Oxford native can tell the buildings are clearly from Oxford’s Uptown landscape, and the Oxford Memorial Park can be seen in the background.

“Alarum” also features scenes from different streets in Oxford and uses the interior of Lee & Rosemary Innovation College on Elm Street.

“Alarum” received an estimated $5.9 million in refundable tax credits from Ohio, making it the ideal, budget-friendly place for the action-packed scenes.

mulforsj@miamioh.edu