DVD Review: Right at your Door

January 31, 2008

Writer: Chris Gorak
Director: Chris Gorak
Cast: Mary McCormack, Rory Cochrane, Tony Perez, Scotty Noyd Jr., Jon Huertas
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: January 29, 2008

There is something utterly frightening about an unforeseen terrorist attack. What makes that fear even worse is knowing that someone you love is on the receiving end of the attack and while you might be safe, they could be dying. Films like this, when well made have a tendency to leave shivers running down your spine and raise questions of “What if”. These are inevitable signs of a good film. Right at your Door raises the idea of a chemical bomb being set off in a downtown area of Los Angeles where people are in traffic. Imagine going to work and not knowing that you are going to be trapped in a war zone before you make it to work. That’s the premise of this movie.

Right at your Door presents a very scary psychological horror without being a true horror movie. It also manages to evoke several emotions that run the gamut from good to bad. It may not be the best film I have seen and it certainly could have been made with a higher budget, but for what it is, it gets the job done. I wanted to see this because of the premise of the film though I honestly did not know what to expect. There were some ups and downs here, but overall I am glad that I saw this.

Release Information:
Right at your Door is a low budget drama/thriller that was put out courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The movie was released on DVD on January 29, 2008. The DVD includes a slew of special features along with the film. You should be able to pick this up at most major retailers, including Amazon where it retails for $19.99.

The Right at your Door Plot
In a day and age when you cannot watch the news without hearing about the threat of terrorists, Right at your Door certainly gives you something to think about. The question this movie raises is what if dirty chemical bombs went off all over a major city (Los Angeles in this case)? In Right at your Door these bombs are released one morning as commuters are traveling to work.

Naturally, chaos takes over the city. News reports are running rampant, but no one seems to have the same report or knows any real information. What’s worse is that the police do not know how to help people, so they too, begin to panic. Things start off simply when we meet Brad (Rory Cochrane) and Lexi (Mary McCormack) who are just waking up to start their day. The couple just moved into the city and Lexi has to get ready for work.

The attacks take place while she is on the road and Brad, though he tries valiantly, is unable to contact or find his wife. He drives towards town, but he doesn’t find her and eventually he is forced to head back home. He finds the neighbor’s handyman (Tony Perez) trying to get into his house when he returns home. It becomes their job to seal things up as the news reports are urging people to stay inside and seal their homes up tight to prevent outside air from getting in. Naturally, rolls of duct tape and plenty of plastic are able to do the trick. However, when Lexi gets home things get a whole lot trickier.

Prior to Lexi’s arrival at home, the film is utterly terrifying in that reality sense. You ask yourself what you would do if someone you love was lost in that sort of madness. Would you stay put like you were told? Would you go risk your own life to find them? Sealing up the house is hard to watch because it signifies what is likely to be the end of Lexi’s chances, should she be able to make it home at all. This is when things move fast and offer a strong sense of drama that allows you to ignore the low budget feel. This first 20-30 minutes really drive the message home and make you want to continue watching.

This first half is just the setup for the story. The real story begins and almost immediately starts fading when Lexi arrives home looking like she’s been in a war. Brad has to make the choice between letting her in or leaving her out in the air that has infected her to the point of possible, eventual death. You can’t help but wonder what you would do in this situation. It ends up being incredibly easy to criticize both individuals even though you have no real way of knowing what you would do in the same potentially fateful situation.

This is about where the film hits one of the major, if not the only, peak that it has. This is where the problem hits home. If the film were shorter there wouldn’t be a problem, but as a full length feature film there is little left to be said after this point. The point of dread is still there, but the level of supplemental and unnecessary material is too high to ignore. Unfortunately, this somewhat sour note diminishes some of the goodness that is present in the basic form of the plot.

A little boy (Scotty Noyd Jr.) is used to further the storyline, but considering he is more or less useless to the main story he does not help. The visits from the police in biohazard suits offer a bit of excitement and add to the fear factor, but you can only see one or two before they stop fulfilling their purpose. The same can be said for the round robin arguments between the cops and Brad or Lexi and Brad or anyone else for that matter.

The ending is a surprise that some might feel is too big for its britches. The writer didn’t appear to have anywhere to go at the end and something had to happen so he chose this. The ending is utterly bittersweet and cynically amusing as it teaches us that we cannot trust the government in our biggest time of need. The ending will be satisfying to some though anyway you look at it, it’s a huge, “I told you so.” For some, it may even be a bit predictable.

Despite its flaws, the main plot of this movie makes it worth watching. Yes, there are flaws and it certainly would have made a better short, but for what it’s worth it is watchable and deserves to be seen.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Thanks to some help from the anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 transfer it is hard to tell that this film was shot with low budget equipment. The colors are as bright as the director wanted them. There are moments of softness or apparent grain, but it is obvious that it was the look that was being sought after. The video was absolutely stunning, especially for something that is on the low budget end of things.

When it comes to the audio, things end up working equally well. The sound comes in as Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. All of the elements of the sound are working at their best ability. The dialogue is crisp and the music is dynamic without being overpowering.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There is a commentary track that is delivered with Empire Magazine’s, David Hughes and the director. Overall, the commentary is pretty dry and ends up being boring despite the inclusion of some informative tidbits about this film. Previews for Lionsgate titles are available prior to the beginning of the movie. Other special features include scripts for alternative endings and the following featurettes, “Film School: Tips on Making an Independent Film with Chris Gorak” and “Forearm Shiver: An Interview with Chris Gorak”.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Right at your Door had good and bad qualities though it succeeds for its intended purpose. It would have made a much better short film due to the fact that the script just wasn’t tight enough for 95 minutes without having some dull spots and unnecessary additions. Overall, this film is worth checking out. Rather than recommending an outright purchase you should rent this one though, because while it is worth a viewing you may come to find you do not want to see it twice.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Drama, Suspense, Lionsgate, Chemical Explosion, Terrorists, Commuter Traffic, Exposed, Deadly, Movie, DVD Review

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