Right at Your Door dir. by Chris Gorak

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from this film, but I didn’t get it. The plot should have been able to create tension and drama easily enough. After all you can’t really get more tension filled than a terrorist attack now can you? Well, maybe if you through in the fact that the bombs were “dirty bombs” and so anyone contaminated by the blast may be a threat to you. Your loved ones, the ones you are hoping come home to you, they might be the very people to kill you.

Sounds as though it could be interesting doesn’t it?

Well it isn’t. The most entertaining section of the entire film is watching the opening credits. And even they got a little wearisome after a few names had shown up.

I don’t really know why it didn’t work. The actors were fine. They were believable in their roles, although I suppose some of their actions were a little strange. The characters themselves were also fine. Although maybe the writer could have let us get to know them a bit better before launching in with the action.

Actually, I think that is where the problem lies. There is no real action. It is all a waiting game. We don’t see the bombs go off, we hear about them and then see the clouds of smoke and ash in the distance. We don’t even get tv shots, instead we hear the radio. Which for some reason always seems to be tuned to the same station. But that is irrelevant. The fact is that in order for this set-up to work tension has to be created by the fact that as viewers we do not know what is happening, not whom to trust. The police, army and so-called medical teams don’t really seem to be helping.

But I just didn’t care about these characters at all. They failed to engage me and I didn’t care whether they lived or died. Even the introduction of a young boy didn’t work, because he wasn’t used properly. And you’d hope that a film with one of the central protagonists is trapped inside his house by duct tape and the threat of what lurks in the air outside might be a little claustrophobic, but alas, no. Not a hint.

I suppose it could be seen as an achievement, of sorts. Managing to make a huge terrorist attack, complete with distrust, paranoia and toxic germs, seem boring. But not an achievement I want to celebrate.

Overall very disappointing, and boring film. Show Spoiler ▼

IMDb | Stuntgoats’ Pad | Pixelsurgeon | Alex Crawford on Film