A woman returns from combat and befriends a family in NYC. A gang of thieves plot to take the family’s valuables, and she is all that stands between them and their lives.
An ex-Marine named Ali (Ruby Rose) ends up living in New York as a doorman at an upscale hotel. Her new job leads up to her being unexpectedly reunited with some of her family. However, the Easter holiday proves to be dangerous for Ali and her family as a team of art thieves break into the hotel looking for priceless art stashed within the walls of the hotel.
Ruby Rose is positioning herself to be the next female action star. She already impressed in “John Wick: Chapter 2” and was Batwoman (for a season) on the CW series of the same name. Despite her growing celebrity, I have not seen her in much and she does not impress me here. However, she does not have much to work with. Her action scenes are watchable enough, but the character is pretty one-dimensional. Like most action heroes, she kicks butt and utters one-liners, but though she is a Marine dealing with PTSD, she is not fearful of the situation though she is outnumbered. She does not show excitement when she gets to see her family again. Yes, she is a badass, but there is nothing to relate to when it comes to her character.
I think if the film revolved around Ali’s Marine life and the events of the first 10 minutes of the film, I would have been more intrigued. Instead, “The Doorman” feels like a cheap “Die Hard” rip off. These thieves came for art hidden in the hotel, and Ali manages to evade them, sneak around the building, and takes them out one by one.
The dialogue was absolutely atrocious. There’s one scene where someone eyes up Ali while she is struggling with some luggage and says, “I remember when doormen were only men.” And there’s another scene where a bad guy Ali is standing off against starts talking about their zodiac signs. It’s all very cringeworthy.
The acting was also bad, especially from the two kids. Max, the teenager, is moody that his dad is always working. While the little girl, Lily, I just found to be annoying. The way she delivered her lines did not feel authentic. Jean Reno, who plays the villain, seems like he’s having a good enough time, and is the best part of the film, but he never gets in on the action which is a bit of a shame.
Overall, “The Doorman” is a clichéd mess of a film. The acting, dialogue, and plot were simply bad. If you’re a fan of action films, then this one is watchable enough, but the odds are you have seen films like “The Doorman” plenty of times before, and those are probably better.
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