The Doorman is an action thriller by the very famous Ruby rose who has been the person behind John Wick 2, The Meg, and Pitch Perfect 3. The doorman is now streaming on VOD.
Let us review this and find out if this one is worth finding its way to your ‘to watch’ list? Or should you just put it away? Is this one worth inviting into your queue? Or should you kick it to the curb?
THE DOORMAN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Marine Ali (Rose) begins a new job as a doorman at a luxury apartment building while still reeling from the trauma of losing the people she was sworn to protect while working in Bucharest. The plot seems like the perfect setup in the beginning. But for a reason, we know how these kinds of movies go. It is evident that things can’t stay peaceful forever.
After a few minutes of the beginning, the haunted Ali finds herself caught off-guard. Just then, a group of criminals led by sophisticated villain Victor Dubois (Jean Reno) infiltrate the building and kill anyone who gets in their way. Well, do you also sense Die Hard? Yes, but in a New York apartment building where a Wagner-loving Frenchman wants to get his hands on some extremely valuable art!
Ali luckily has evaded the group capture, sneaked around the building, and attempted to foil this villainous plot. She fights anyone who comes in her way, triggers fire alarms to draw attention to the building, surprises people with every move she makes.
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There’s a lot of monologuing, hand-to-hand combat, gunfire, knife fights, an electrified pool, you name it. You might guess how the whole thing is coming to an end, but the movie is determined to see us through this 90-minute journey.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?
You will keep thinking about Die hard throughout the movie. It has included almost every genre. If you’ve seen any of the other variations on Die Hard – Under Siege, Skyscraper, Air Force One, etc; you have almost seen The Doorman.
Performance Worth Watching: Jean Reno has the most stacked resume of the entire cast, and he eats up this ridiculous role. The villain, Victor Dubois lives to play Wagner during his stunts and admires Goya and announces his name every time he enters a room. He’s pretty much the only thing this movie has going for it.
Memorable Dialogue: there are not many memorable dialogues as such. The one that made us laugh out loud during an early confrontation between Ali and one of Dubois’ henchmen: “I’m a Gemini,” he tells her menacingly, brandishing a knife. “What are you?”
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Our Take: the movie becomes less fun when you can anticipate every move that a movie is going to take. The Doorman is such a movie. It is predictable from its very first frame. Our protagonist needs to have some trauma in her past that will come full-circle by the end of the flick. Of course, there will be trouble at her new job, of course, she’s forced to do what she never wanted to have to do again.
And yes, she’s got some guilt she needs to resolve by performing some heroic deed. Rose’s character is a little refreshing; not necessarily revolving around being a woman in this scenario (though, yes, they do manage to slip in lines like “It’s just a girl. It’s nothing to worry about.”). She easily fills the shoes of a John McClane type, believably badass, effective on an emotional level. Despite the film’s remarkable averageness, she does a pretty good job.
As said, the movie is like Die Hard. It’s because The Doorman mimics a lot of the classic’s more memorable beats. The elevator doors closing on Reno’s villain echo that wonderful shot of Hans Gruber and his henchmen as they ascend in Die Hard. Unfortunately, there is nothing new that The Doorman has to say and there is no real substance to its action.
It’s simply a paint-by-numbers adventure with a few new faces. And when there are so many other options that are actually doing innovative things and making bold statements, it’s difficult to make an argument in The Doorman‘s favor.
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Our Call:
SKIP IT. although it’s watchable; but if you are really looking for such off things, you’re much better off diving into the Die Hard rip-offs of the ’90s that are available on a wide array of streaming platforms for free.