When I stumble upon the 1988 Japanese thriller "Door", by random chance here in 2024, I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch it, as I have always been a fan of Asian cinema. In fact, I had never even heard about the movie, so I virtually had no idea what I was in for here.
Writers Ataru Oikawa and Banmei Takahashi didn't exactly put together a script and storyline that I found particularly entertaining, much less actually thrilling. The narrative was bland and sluggishly slow paced, which made sitting through 95 minutes of watching the movie quite an ordeal.
I wasn't familiar with the actresses and actors on the cast list. But the acting performances were fair, despite the fact that the actors and actresses didn't have a whole lot to work with.
The insanely annoying music just didn't help further the movie one bit. And I just don't understand why some of the characters in the movie sounded like they were speaking through a sound-distorting microphone, whereas others were clear as day.
I have to say that the apartment complex where the movie takes place has amazingly poor acoustics, since the footsteps of people walking outside on the hallway could be heard with loudly resounding echoing inside the apartment.
"Door" was a swing and a miss of a thriller, and I found very little entertainment as the movie moved on with the speed of a snail. This is hardly a movie I would recommend to fans of Asian thrillers. And after having suffered through "Door", I must admit that I have zero interest in tracking down parts 2 and 3.
My rating of director Banmei Takahashi's 1988 movie "Door" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.
