The Doorman

Kitamura makes Die Hard on a budget. No doubt he's happy to work in the US, but as a fan of his older films it's not always pleasant to see him struggle with these underfunded, tightly controlled shelf fillers. If you look closely, you'll see Kitamura's talent shine through, but he's capable of so much more.

After a short prelude that introduces us to the lethal skills of Ali, we see her take on a job as doorman in New York. It's easy money, as the building is closing for renovations. Only a few residents remain, but when a crew of criminals take over the building Ali is going to need all her wits to get out of there alive.

Performances are mediocre, even Jean Reno has trouble lending his character the necessary flair. Ruby Rose is a decent fighter but doesn't really have the charisma to lead an action film. The action itself is pretty decent though and the pacing is solid, but the film never rises above the level of decent action filler. I expect more from Kitamura.