Right at Your Door (2006) Reviews

• Will leave you thinking about what could have been

  Craig_McPherson2007-09-02

  Brad and Lexi are an unremarkable couple, no different from anyone else. Brad is an out of work musician, while Lexi, his spouse and the sole breadwinner, must face the daily drudge of commuting to her office job each day. The two have just moved into a modest bungalow in suburban Los Angeles, leaving Brad with the task of unpacking their things while Lexi is off at work. Thus begins the banality of everyday life that is the backdrop for director/screenwriter Chris Gorak's thriller "Right at Your Door". In slowly escalating, turn-of-the-screw fashion, Brad and Lexi's lives, along with those of the entire city of LA, are thrown into panic when, shortly after Lexi departs for work, terrorists detonate truck bombs at various points throughout the city, releasing unknown and potentially lethal contaminants into the air. Most of us can remember where we were, and the confusion took hold during the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, and it's precisely this state that Gorak taps into with Right at Your Door. His masterstroke comes from the decision to leave the audience as much in the dark as Brad, as he struggles to glean more info from his radio and whatever phone calls he can make as the networks become overloaded. His panic and subsequent survival decisions are motivated as much by self preservation as they are for concern about his wife, about whose welfare he knows nothing. As the city descends into the grip of martial law, Brad faces the task of sealing himself inside the house with duct tape and plastic, only to find himself confronted by the dilemma of what to do about his wife when she manages to make her way home, gravely ill, though the toxic wasteland that LA has become. The first half of Right at Your Door is as gripping as any movie you're likely to see, however Gorak's screenplay becomes bogged down in chatter between Brad and Lexi that allows the tension to evaporate and only serves to slow the film to a crawl. By the time the story arrives at its climax, it's almost a relief from the stagnation and boredom that nearly kills this initially promising film. In the end, the movie relies on a twist to bring about its conclusion, and does manage to leave the viewer pondering several "what ifs", which, I suppose, was Gorak's intention. The sad part is, one of those "what ifs" is how much better this movie would have been with a tighter third act.

• Tense and Scary Low Budget Movie

  claudio_carvalho2013-05-29

  In Los Angeles, Brad (Rory Cochrane) and his wife Lexi (Mary McCormack) live in the suburb and are in love for each other. Brad is an unemployed musician and Lexi is financially supporting the family. She wakes up in the morning and heads in her convertible to the highway to work downtown. Brad listens to the news that dirty bombs have just blown up in Los Angeles in a terrorist attack and the authorities warning people seal off doors, windows and any opening and stay home. The desperate Brad does not respect the curfew and drives his car to downtown, but he does not succeed in crossing the police barriers. He returns home and the worker Alvaro (Tony Perez) of his next door neighbor requests protection to Brad. They seal themselves off in the house and listen to the radio about the danger of the unknown chemicals and the panic of the population with the hospitals overcrowded. Out of the blue, Lexi returns home covered of chemical ashes. Brad has to come up to a decision about the unexpected return: should he open or not their house? "Right at Your Door" is a tense and scary low budget movie by Chris Gorak. The movie is like a theater play and is supported by the outstanding screenplay, magnificent direction and top-notch performances of Mary McCormack and Rory Cochrane. The twist in the end is absolutely unexpected and certainly makes the viewer think a lot about the attitude of Brad and how realistic this story is. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Toque de Recolher" ("Curfew")

• Low key and downbeat, but effective

  neil-4762011-11-30

  Unemployed musician Brad is at home when terrorists set off a dirty bomb in LA, where wife Lexi works. Brad manages to seal up the house against the clouds of toxic dust: Lexi manages to struggle home through the chaos and Brad, following instructions, won't let her in. This small scale movie is quietly horrifying on both personal and impersonal levels as Brad and Lexi start to come to terms with what has happened and its likely consequences. There is a twist which is, frankly, both unbelievable and unnecessary but, putting that to one side, there is an air of credibility surrounding this claustrophobic drama. It is quite well written, well performed and directed, and moderately gripping. But it is not likely to leave you with warm fuzzy feelings afterwards.

• Pretty good

  PhoenixRising19802006-07-17

  I had a chance to catch this at SUNDANCE. It was probably the best movie I saw at the festival, though I only saw a handful of other films. It's a solid debut by Chris Gorak and not a waste of 90 minutes. The setup is very good, as is the pacing and cinematography. They made the most out of what little money they had. I have to say that at times it bordered on horrifying, and could've been classified as a horror film if some of those moments continued. Since I've lived in Los Angeles for about five years, I was particularly affected by the scenario. It's a very real possibility LA could be hit with a dirty bomb, and the repercussions would probably be similar to what's in the film. It does suffer from some holes and stretches in logic and performance, but most thrillers do, so that's not necessarily a slam. I can't say I liked the ending, but I was gripped by the story and the way it was shot. A solid thriller.

• right or wrong?

  come2whereimfrom2006-09-21

  How do you make a modern day disaster movie? The main rule is play on the public fear and what is more frightening than the current climate of terror? So here we have Right At Your Door. A loving couple (or are they?) living together, working apart, he a struggling musician and she a city girl. It's a simple enough story, she leaves for work while he stays home and someone (for it is never said who) sets off a series of bombs across Los Angeles. Panicky husband try's everything to reach his wife before being told to go home. As more information comes through it turns out they were dirty bombs, toxic and lethal. With the aid of a neighbour's handyman, who has nowhere else to go, they reluctantly seal themselves in the house and wait. Filmed in a low-fi, hand held manner adds to the air of confusion and panic that besets the first half of the film. When his wife arrives back at the house in the now grey covered suburb it turns into a strange love/survival story. He's inside and she's out. What transpires next is a series of teary conversations through glass and plastic and via mobiles that could mirror any frantic calls made on 9/11 or 7/7. The film uses fade to blacks a lot to give the impression of passing time because in the hour and a half we go through three days with the separated couple. Help is seemingly not a lot of help at all and a bizarre twist wraps the whole thing up. One of the films most niggling questions is that of is she having an affair? Her reluctance to have sex with her husband, her throw away comment about ignoring the voice mails she has left on his phone and a random male work college turning up at the house to take her to hospital. None of these are explored or answered in the course of the film. Bleak and punctuated with loose ends the film is an uneasy and fictitious look at something that could all too easily be a reality. It's watchable and interesting if slightly flawed and poses questions of love and morality in an uncertain world. Watch right at your door and pray it never is.