The “Die Hard in/on a [insert mode of transport/location here]” subgenre has thrown up plenty of action movies that can be deemed as classics in their own right, and the common theme is they each boasted fresh twists, plenty of star power, and inventive action sequences.
Whether it’s a bus (Speed), a plane (Con Air, Air Force One), Alcatraz (The Rock), a boat (Under Siege), a mountain (Cliffhanger), or anything else, the basic setup of a lone hero overcoming insurmountable odds within the confines of a single space has always been ripe for updating and reinventing. The Doorman, however, fails on all counts.
Ruby Rose has been doing her best to establish genuine action hero credentials, but the forgotten 2020 effort was another reminder that she’s struggling to find strong enough material to make an impression. A 24% Rotten Tomatoes score and 23% user rating reveals that everyone was in agreement that The Doorman wasn’t up to much, but that hasn’t stopped it from doing a decent turn on Netflix.
As per FlixPatrol, the run-of-the-mill actioner following an ex-soldier’s battle to protect her family from a gang of thieves trying to heist a raft of priceless art pieces from a New York City building has been rocketing up the platform’s global most-watched list, which is understandable when 97-minute genre films are ideal weekend fodder.
There’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from one of the greatest Hollywood thrill rides ever made, but it would at least help if The Doorman were to provide anything that hasn’t been seen before, and done ten times better, on countless occasions already.
Published: Apr 3, 2022 03:20 am