Qualcuno dietro la porta

Back in the good old days, before the success of "Death Wish" forced him into playing the same role of the angry vigilante over and over again, Charles Bronson was a fine, versatile actor; in this 1971 film, he actually plays the victim of a larger scheme (though he does some victimizing of his own, too), and he's the best - if not the only - reason to see this otherwise static, plodding thriller. Anthony Perkins disappoints as the slightly deranged brain surgeon. The version I saw was in French, though the actors clearly spoke English on the set; this only added to the strangeness of the experience. Oh, and good luck to anyone trying to figure out what the title has to do with anything else. (**)

Nicolas Gessner adapted well this story from a french bestseller,with two great stars Charles Bronson,and Anthony Perekins.

Now it's really about acting and story,I mean this just could not be a bad movie.

I feel like most of us wanted to see Charles Bronson playing a character we could not decide who is he in this situation.This role shows he's real acting skills are better than what you think.

This film was not just a mirror exercises for him,today when we just crying back real character filling,this film has real right to exist for crime -thriller fans,and all for those wants to see a good drama.

While this is not a feel good movie,you have to understand it's about how important something that now I can not tell you cause,it will hurt your watch.

7/10-recommended.

Outlandish , stagy drama excellently performed by a phenomenal trio . Dealing with a neurosurgeon named Laurence (efficiently performed by Anthony Perkins) who extremely dedicated to his work neglects his cheating wife Frances (Jill Ireland) . As the frustrated , philandering woman accordingly takes a lover, Paul Damien , a French journalist (Henri Garcin) . When he realizes what is going on , Laurence has only one thing in mind : vendetta , and a diabolical idea comes to him . Then he takes a patient , an allegedly killer (Charles Bronson, a cast against type at his 49 years) into his tool for revenge by implanting murderous suggestions into psychopathic amnesia victim , making him believe that Frances is his wife , and after that , instructs him to commit grisly acts . No Memory, No Name , No Conscience! Bronson's Back! This Time He's the Bad Guy . No memory, no name, no mind: This man will act out someone else's insanity and revenge.

This is an offbeat and intelligent drama-suspense with good performances and plenty of plot twists , though some moments resulting to be slow-moving . Based on a short story written by Jacques Robert with adaptation & dialogue from Lorenzo Ventavoli and director Nicolas Gessner himself . Casting is really magnificent with a sensational trio of main actors . Anthony Perkins is very nice as the evil brain surgeon Dr. Laurence Jeffries, a cunning neurosurgeon who implants murderous suggestions , and Jill Ireland is fine as his cheating wife . But is Charles Bronson who steals the show as an amnesiac patient who's used as an instrument of revenge by conditioning him to believe that the adulterous wife is his own and to take the appropriate action . This is an unusual Bronson film , as he casts against type , and he was about 50 years old when he showed up in this picture . It belongs to his period when he played two-fisted characters . As Charles Bronson was at his best period , but it was one of the last movies during Charles Bronson's European phase , combining the American ¨Michael Winner's Death Wish¨series that became him a big star in the US and while playing some 70s westerns ; his westerns made during the 1970s include ¨Chino¨ by John Sturges (1973) , ¨Red sun¨ (1971) by Terence Young , ¨Chato the Apache¨ by Michael Winner (1972), ¨From noon till three¨ by Francis D Gilroy (1976) , ¨Nevada Express¨ by Tom Gries (1975) and ¨The White Buffalo¨ by J. L. Thompson (1977) . The star is partnered by attractive Jill Ireland , his then wife , in fact she previously married David McCallum and often accompanied to Bronson in his films .

The movie displays an atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Pierre Lhomme and appropriate soundtrack by French composer Georges Garvarentz . This uneven motion picture was professionally directed by Nicolas Gessner . He's an acceptable director who has made a few films . As he has shot ¨The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane¨ (1976) his best movie starred by Jodie Foster , Martin Sheen and he directed to Ben Gazzara in ¨Quicker than the eye¨ and to Charles Bronson in this ¨Someone behind the door¨. The film will appeal to Charles Bronson and Anthony Perkins fans. Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable .

Average thriller of a psychological nature about Anthony Perkins as a brain specialist finding amnesiac Charles Bronson and convincing him that his wife is his wife and is having an affair - all the while having a real affair. This is Perkin's way of dealing with the messy affair. There is quite a bit of plodding here as well as some leaps of logic in the script that are not easily believed. Perkins and Bronson are able to create convincing enough characters to make it work relatively well. Perkins plays the malevolent, to a large degree impotent(of taking command of the situation)doctor with his customary workmanlike manner. Bronson does get to act and though looks a little too lost at times fares well enough too. Lovely Jill Ireland plays the good doctor's sexy wife but does little for her role or the film other than looking quite appealing. The end is really not effective as it leaves no real resolution to any of the plot strands revealed. The director does have some obvious talent and the film moves briskly mercifully.

Two legendary movie stars make the most of the situation in this enjoyable, if not exactly that believable, drama. Anthony Perkins is Laurence Jefferies, a neurosurgeon working in Britain who intends to do something about his cheating wife Frances (Jill Ireland, a.k.a. Mrs. Charles Bronson). He realizes that an amnesiac (Bronson) whom he's just met will make the perfect patsy. All he has to do is convince the stranger that Frances is *his* wife, lay out evidence of the affair, and let the stranger get revenge on behalf of him.

The script (adapted from a novel by Jacques Robert) may not exactly be airtight, but the set-up is still pretty irresistible. Director Nicolas Gessner ("The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane") handles things in capable if not overly stylish fashion. Part of the effectiveness stems from enjoying the machinations of this doctor, and how he's spent so much time working on solving his problem. True enough that he may be tops in his field, but as we can see, he's been a highly inadequate husband. Perkins is so much fun to watch in this antagonistic role.

But any fan of Bronson will find this particularly compelling since Bronson is not a macho man of action, but a highly suggestible and vulnerable character (who doesn't even receive a proper name). Ireland delivers one of her better performances as the wife; good support is provided by Henri Garcin as the lover, Adriano Magistretti as Jefferies' brother-in-law, Agathe Natanson as Lucy, and Colin Mann as the police sergeant.

The conclusion to the film may come as disappointing to some viewers, since very little is resolved, but others may find it intriguing that the film ends with a question mark. (All those cuts, back and forth, between two of the main characters get annoying quickly, however.)

Thankfully, "Someone Behind the Door" is over and done in a reasonable amount of time, so at least it doesn't go on longer than it really should.

Seven out of 10.