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Three out of Five stars
Running time: 96 mins

Intense, harrowing and claustrophobic drama with strong performances and a judiciously aimed kick at both the authorities and the media.

What's it all about?
Written and directed by Chris Gorak, the film stars Mary McCormack and Rory Cochrane as Lexi and Brad, a normal couple who have just moved into their Los Angeles house when a series of dirty bombs explode across the city. With Lexi trapped outside on her way to work and contaminated by the toxic ash, Brad seals himself inside their home with only a neighbour's handyman (Tony Perez) for company.

The Good
The first 25 minutes with Brad frantically searching for Lexi, are brilliantly directed and nerve-shreddingly intense, heightened by an impressive soundtrack. In addition, Gorak maintains a terrifying atmosphere by keeping a tight focus on both characters and only showing us the bombings via brief glimpses of a darkening skyline.

The performances are terrific with both Cochrane and McCormack creating painfully real characters – there are no Bruce Willis-style heroics here. As such, we really feel their terror and their confusion, whilst asking ourselves what we'd do in their situation.

The Bad
The main problem is that once the set-up is in place (with Brad inside and Lexi outside), the film doesn't really have anywhere else to go dramatically, apart from an unconvincing twist that threatens to derail the entire film. It's also a hard film to recommend, because it's quite harrowing to sit through.

That said, the film deserves praise for displaying a timely sense of anger at both the authorities (the official response recalls that of the US government towards Hurricane Katrina, although the film pre-dates those events) and the media. Gorak is sharply critical of both, which gives the film a sharply relevant edge.

Worth seeing?
Right At Your Door is extremely intense and as such, difficult to sit through, but it's worth seeing for the performances by Cochrane and McCormack and for its disturbingly prescient script.