The Doorman is an action thriller film directed by Japanese filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura. Although it looks minimalist, this film was produced long before the pandemic (2019) and was released late in our cinemas. The film stars Ruby Rose, Jean Reno, Rupert Evans, and Aksel Hennie. The Doorman has a Die Hard plot concept, so how do you compare it to similar films?
Ali (Rose) is a tough ex-marine who is still traumatized by her past, where he failed to protect the ambassador and her daughter. Her uncle offered her a job in an old apartment where he worked back in his hometown. Because the apartment is currently being renovated, the building is almost empty, leaving two occupants, a pair of parents and brother-in-law Ali and their two children. A group of armed men led by Victor (Reno) entered the apartment to visit a resident who turned out to have a painting of high value. Ali is trapped in a situation similar to his past trauma.
After remembering, the plot is similar to Force of Nature; only the weather factor dominates in the story. The Doorman is practically just showing the “cat & mouse” action between Ali and the terrorists from floor to floor. There is hardly any meaningful suspense action, except for the fast fighting action presented fairly well. The story’s logic (plot holes) is the most propelling factor which the story can be presented more interestingly. Even the building was never shown in its entirety, so we never know how tall this building is.
We see Ali skillfully shooting dozens of terrorists to protect the ambassador and her daughter in the opening segment. But now, only a handful of terrorists, she mostly relents and runs here and there. Yes, indeed, the situation was different, but it felt like she could do it easily do it again. Then, how hard is it to get people’s attention outside the building in such a precarious situation? Why didn’t you ever think of just shooting a window from the lower lobby of the building? It’s all over.
The Doorman is a variant of Die Hard with an interesting premise but fails in all executions. The concept of this kind of plot is simple, but it is not easy to develop the story. Maintaining the intensity of the tension is the main key to the film’s success. Until then, Die Hard is hard to beat. However, several films such as The Rock, Speed, to Air Force One are ideal variants by providing suspenseful action and entertaining spectacle. We are still waiting for another more promising Die Hard plot.
