| Poche Pictures |
| e-mail: rich@pochepictures.com |
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| I am a sucker for the majority of these terrorism/drama movies. I loved Showtime's "Sleeper Cell". HBO showcased a British produced feature about a dirty bomb exploding in London (the film's title escapes me). I thought "United 93" was one of the best produced movies of its year. It isn't so much the subject matter but the few movies I've seen with this element have been very well made. "Right At Your Door" is no exception and a worthy inclusion to the genre (what do we call it, "Terror-core"?) Independently produced with very little money, the movie achieves its maximum potential and more considering its budget. Jobless musician Brad (Rory Cochrane) is home alone when multiple dirty bombs hit downtown Los Angeles. Unable to reach his bread-winning wife Lexi (Mary McCormack) by cell, Brad sets out to downtown L.A. and finds it to be a veritable war zone. After he witnesses some cops gun down an innocent civilian (?), Brad doubles back home and seals the doors with the help of the neighbor's handyman. Lexi makes it home but Brad decides not to allow her in because her exposure to the radiation...Lexi is incredulous that Brad lets in a total stranger in the handyman but does not allow her in. Lexi goes off, succeeds in partially breaking the window but eventually relents and waits out her fate on the back porch. And here is where the heart of the drama takes place. If Brad lets her in, he in essence dooms himself. But the alternative is just to stand there and watch the woman he loves die. Rory Cochrane is a top notch actor. He gives Brad a superficial layer of defensiveness but underneath it all he's a good guy. Initially, you feel his frantic need to find his wife, no matter what is going on...And later feel his split desire to let her in despite the danger to himself...Despite its low budget, "Right At Your Door" does manage to portray the kind of wild emotion one would feel if something the equivalent of a *dirty bomb* would happen right at your door. The budget actually works in its favor. Rather than give us stupendous explosions, director Gorak gives us everything from Brad's perspective. We see what he sees, the fall out, people ransacking stores hurriedly grabbing supplies, police blockading sections of the city...There is a surprise ending to all this which I won't give away but you won't see it coming. |