Movie Review

Right at Your Door (R)

Mike Szymanski

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Hollywood.com Says
A gripping, haunting psychological thriller about terrorism, Right at Your Door hits home and will get you talking.

Story
Los Angeles couple Brad (Rory Cochrane) and Lexi (Mary McCormack) start off their day like any other, bickering somewhat, making coffee for each other. As his wife goes off to her high-paying job, out-of-work Brad hears a radio report that says four dirty bombs have gone off around the city. They suggest people tape up their windows and doors as a cloud of gas is circling the city. Brad first gets in his car and tries to find his wife but is turned back by the panicked authorities. So, Brad closes off his house, along with his unwanted neighbor, handyman Alvaro (Tony Perez). Radio reports tell people to keep themselves quarantined and that help will arrive. But when Lexi arrives home, coughing and wheezing and insisting she be allowed into her house, Brad says "no."

Acting
Cochrane and McCormack play people we can easily identify with, the scared public who have to deal with a horrific nightmare which could become a reality someday. Their disbelief over the reports and their increasing desperation are all very palpable—and oddly enough, there's plenty of humor along the way. The frantic voices of family members calling from outside the city get more annoying than soothing, and Brad appropriately complains, "What do they want us to say?" Cochrane’s Brad transforms from a caring and helpful Everyman to a selfish, fearful creep, while McCormack’s Lexi changes from a professional and aloof snob to a sympathetic, frightened victim. The two are fascinating to watch.

Direction
With Right at Your Door, writer/director Chris Gorak basically asks the question, "What would you do?" Previously a production designer and art director for movies like Minority Report, Fight Club and Lords of Dogtown, Gorak doesn’t use fancy special effects to show any major devastation in the city when the bombs blow up. In fact, there's only a big cloud that looks a bit more like an overly-smoggy day. There's also white ash covering everything, which is rather ominous because official reports aren’t sure what it is, or how toxic it is. Instead, Gorak preys on your imagination, giving only scant details about jammed freeways and hospitals. The not knowing is so much more frightening.

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