Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack star as Brad and Lexi, a married couple waking up to a smog-filled morning in the city of angels.  Brad, the loser musician, kisses his working wife goodbye, as she heads off to a real job, before going about his typical routine of doing nothing around the house.

While brushing his teeth, the radio, playing his morning news and cheerful tunes, is suddenly interrupted by an emergency broadcast.  After a few moments of natural confusion, Brad starts to realize what he is listening to... the first reports of a horrific sequence of explosions all across the city.  A few quick steps out onto his front lawn allows him to gaze on the distant plumes of smoke rising from the downtown skyline.

Panic sets in as he realizes where his lovely wife was headed just a few minutes earlier.  He jumps in his car with the intention of going to find her.  However, along with everyone else in his neighborhood, he is penned in by police barricades.  The radio reporters are warning of gasses and fumes, urging citizens to return home as soon as possible.  Brad manages to make an emergency trip to the local hardware store where he stocks up on duct tape and plastic wrap.

It is in these early moments of the film that the film works best.  It plays out very much like one would imagine it would in real life.  It is a riveting beginning.

A local neighborhood worker barges into Brad's house saying he has nowhere else to go.  They both go to work sealing up the house from the outside air... And all the while, Brad is panicking because he has had no word from Lexi.  The phone lines are totally jammed.

After a few hours of duct taping and listening to the shocking radio reports, Lexi arrives home in bad shape.  She has been out in the dirty air for hours, white ash and soot raining down on her as she made her way back from her wrecked car.  And when she finally makes it home, Brad is faced with a horrific dilemma... Does he let her in or not?

I will stop the plot recap there... This film will play better if you don't know what happens in the second and third acts.  I will note that "Right at Your Door" dives into a fascinating premise and presents it with some brilliant acting.

I've been a fan of Mary McCormack for years.  In this film, she delivers some of her best work as a woman in a harrowing and desperate situation.  She really stretches herself to the limit in every scene.  It is brave work.

Rory Cochrane also delivers in some key scenes, although there are a few moments that strike me as forced and false.  Those occur primarily in the final few scenes when the desperation is at its highest level.

I also liked the political commentary presented here.  There are some quite overt references to the insularity of present day America and the lack of governmental leadership and organization.  There are times in this film that really reminded me of the debacle in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

There is a great deal to admire about the focus of this film.  It reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs", where a worldwide disaster is shown through the eyes of one solitary family trapped inside their own home.

And the final reference I want to point out is in regards to the style, tone and look of the film.  I was reminded of the viral zombie film, "28 Days Later".  Both films play out with that washed-out doomsday look and a realistic approach to an insane disaster scenario.

All in all, "Right at Your Door" is a solid effort that wanes a little from time to time as the screenplay runs out of things to say.  I mean, how many times can you listen to a character cough up a lung?  It seemed like the film was being stretched to fill the required 90 minutes.  Still, I respect the effort, loved the performance by McCormack and appreciated the observant references and political implications... especially in the final act.  This film felt real from credits to credits and serves as a warning to us all.