Iron Doors - DVD

Film: One man, one dead rat, one room. These are the ingredients of the German thriller Iron Doors, a low-budget experiment shot in 3D that is certainly well-intentioned but only partially successful in its execution.

Mark (Axel Wedekind) wakes up in a barren room. He doesn't know how he got here and thinks the whole thing is a bad joke by his friends. But when the heavy iron door that locks the room doesn't open even after hours, Mark slowly realizes that he has become a pawn in a very nasty game here. For several days he must try to dig his way through the wall to freedom with the few resources at his disposal, drinking his own urine and feeding on maggots. But when he finally makes the breakthrough, he must realize that his nightmare is far from over.

Substitutes from SAW or Cube are linked here to a not uninteresting initial situation, which would have had the potential to be a suspenseful thriller. But after ten minutes at the latest it becomes clear that this has only succeeded to a very limited extent. Because even though Axel Wedekind has been awarded for his role, his performance just can't be called convincing. The actor, who is also the producer of the movie, tries hard, but also acts strained cool. The constant swearing and sayings like I'm too young for this shit or No silicone, just the way I like it - uttered in what is probably the most unerotic (albeit deliberately ironic) sex scene in film history - are just embarrassing. It becomes clear time and again that Wedekind would like to be as cool as Bruce Willis in Die Hard, but he's just not. It may be that he's heavy on character, but he's just not strong enough as an actor to carry a psychological chamber drama like this all by himself for long stretches.

In terms of craftsmanship, Iron Doors also leaves something to be desired. For instance, the director quite obviously fell in love with the shot of a maggot crawling out of a dead rat's eye so much that he uses it multiple times. Admittedly, considering that the film was made in only ten days without any funding, the result is more than solid. And also the fact that most of the collaborators worked on fee reserve and still put their full heart and soul into the project is to be highly credited to the work. And yet, it simply has to be said that while there are always moments where the potential of the idea shines through. But it can break through far too seldom and so soon only boredom and mediocrity dominate.

The whole thing then also culminates in a finale that is stalled so quickly that there is not even the possibility to recognize, let alone appreciate, the director's perhaps brilliant intention. Rather, the ending just comes across as ridiculous. What's interesting here is that the original ending had been even more stalled, and the viewer was never meant to be shown what was behind the third door. It was only after the fact that the final image, which has a certain beauty and intrigue to it, was inserted. Whether a completely open ending would have been more effective is an open question. The fact is that the now existing finale can't achieve the effect that is hidden somewhere in the interesting idea.

I'm really sorry to pull such punches about the film, because on the one hand it's recognizable that good intentions went into the work here, on the other hand it's also clear how hard it is to get such a film off the ground with a low budget. But even the best intentions don't make a good movie, and that's exactly the case with Iron Doors. Therefore also applies: only for very loyal genre fans still worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Iron Doors was shot with a digital RED camera in 3D. But even in 2D, the results are impressive. The image is clean and even minor details have a high degree of sharpness. This is all the more pleasing since most of the film's scenes take place in the dark. In addition to the good picture quality, the sound is also convincing, with a rather subtle mix that captures the claustrophobic mood of the story well. For the technical implementation of the DVD there is therefore a deserved: very good!

Extras: Lack of enthusiasm can not be accused of the makers of Iron Doors truly. This can already be seen in the audio commentary by Stephen Manuel and his main actor Axel Wedekind. The two chat in a relaxed atmosphere about how Manuel got the script over the Internet, how long the two friendly men have been looking for a joint project, how the production was set up with little funding and what intentions are behind some moments. This is especially interesting for viewers like the author of this review, because it reveals the huge discrepancy between one's own perception and what the makers actually had in mind. The commentary makes it clear that the two love movies as well as filmmaking and therefore it is even harder to have to criticize the end result in such a way.

The short but sympathetic Making of (approx. 10 min.) does not make things much easier. Because also here the viewer is shown with how much passion and fun all participants went to work. For example, it can be seen how the atmospheric set was created from a former bunker in Cologne, which is now used as a parking garage, with a lot of wood and only one concrete block, how the staff fought against the cold on set and how Axel Wedekind prepared for the physically grueling scenes, which were sometimes shot in only one take due to time constraints.

Continue with a 7-minute look at the film's premiere, showing a proud and happy director and an enthusiastic premiere audience. The trailer for the film, as well as an image gallery close out the good bonus package.

Conclusion: Iron Doors is a claustrophobic thriller with a lot of potential, but it's all too rarely realized. What director Stephen Manuel and his team have put together with their own financial resources in just ten days is quite impressive, but unfortunately this does not make the film really good. The DVD conversion, on the other hand, is quite pleasing. The technical realization can be seen and heard, the bonus material pleases with the high enthusiasm of those involved. Those who are not bothered by the certainly justified points of criticism will certainly be able to recognize the good intentions behind the project and will be well entertained. But for all other genre fans: unfortunately only conditionally recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp