User reviews

The Resident surprised me... first because stars Hillary Swank, who also is the producer and who also won 2 Academy Awards, and second because it's a Hammer production, which historically produced all of the most known B movies in history.

For me it's just a reworking of Sleeping With The Stranger (1991), the difference here is that the main character doesn't know it. This could be a lot entertaining if Hillary Swank wasn't attached to it, and could be a lot interesting and nostalgic if the movie wasn't too serious.

I can't blame the plot, which is very interesting though the great collection of clichés and some bad character's development destroy the main subject and entire movie.

It has a good beginning and is never hidden from the audience the mad obsession of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character. He portrays it perfectly when he's frustrated or punishing himself when rejected. There's a moment when he asks Hillary Swank's character what is happening between them because she was who kissed him first, and then she says: "THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO!". That scene is very interesting because we can feel his pain and the movie was exploring it great till that moment. Then everything become a completely mess and the movie transforms into another regular thriller with that ordinary 'cat & mouse' thing and Jeffrey's character, which was just a regular guy suffering from obsession, becomes an ordinary serial killer.

The movie ends as it should exactly in the moment that you were expecting since the very first minute, or the very first trailer if you have watched.

Is just an empty movie with some rare good moments and a lot of other lazy I've-seen-that-before moments, a waste in Hillary's career.

I have to admit i wasn't blown away by the film, but saying that it kept my attention from start to end and was watchable. Swank was excellent as the new resident of a seemingly cheap flat. She undoubtedly is a fantastic actress and she truly came alive in this film.

You pretty much know whats going to happen about 30 minutes in, as this kind of voyeuristic thriller has been done on countless occasions. But it bounces along at a rapid pace and without the audience getting bored.

Overall a good 7/10.

I expected Hilary Swank to produce so much better, but this film was merely a vehicle for her to show off her body which is a surprise from an Oscar-winning actress.

The direction and atmosphere was suspenseful, but the lack of depth to the plot and narrative was such a disappointment given such good production. There are unanswered questions and missed opportunities which are hugely frustrating given the quality of filming.

I was glad not to have watched this in a cinema because I would have felt trapped and assaulted to have sat all the way through the chasing and fighting in the last 20 minutes. As it was, with control of the fast forward, I could skip the repetitive hide and seek.

There was no satisfying explanation for this perverted stalking landlord choosing his tenant, and no intelligent reason for wanting to watch until the end, unless you just enjoy gratuitous violence.

Suitable for post-pub group viewing, Resident is fine for mindless scares; but the lack of whodunnit and whydunnit just leaves the viewer wondering why did I watch it.

I found this movie on Netflix and saw that Jeffrey Dean Morgan was in it, and that was more than enough of a sales pitch to make me sit down and watch "The Resident".

I have to admit that Jeffrey Dean Morgan was amazing in this movie and he really carried the movie quite nicely. Hillary Swank is certainly not among my most favorite of actresses, and she wasn't outstanding in this movie. Too bad that Christopher Lee wasn't given a bigger role in the movie, because he always brings something unique to the movies he was in.

The Max character was just genuinely disturbed and creepy, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan was really nicely cast for this role.

The storyline in "The Resident" was quite good and captivating, which made for some adequate entertainment.

While "The Resident" is indeed and entertaining movie, then it is hardly the type of movie that has enough contents in its storyline and plot to support more than a single viewing.

The acting in this movie is the only saving grace while it's a tried plot the 2011 Spanish movie Sleep Tight showed it can still be well written this movie however fell short there. If you liked this movie or just want something similar try Sleep Tight instead. If The Resident is a 5.5/10, Sleep Tight is 9/10.

In New York, Dr. Juliet Bliss Devereau (Hilary Swank) of the Brooklyn General Hospital has ended her relationship with her boyfriend Jack (Lee Pace) and is seeking an apartment in Brooklyn to live alone. She finds a bargain in an old apartment building owned by the handsome and lonely Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and one night she misinterprets his signals and dates him. However she concludes that it is too soon to have a love affair and she asks Max to leave her apartment. However she does not know that Max is a deranged man obsessed on her and that he spies her from secret openings in her apartment. Further, Max is drugging Juliet every night and sexually abusing of her. Juliet has troubles to wake up in the morning to go to the hospital and decides to install a monitoring system in her apartment. She learns the truth about Max but how to escape from the insane landlord?

"The Resident" is a predictable thriller that the viewer knows exactly what is going to happen in the next scene. I do not understand why an awarded actress like Hilary Swank that was Oscar winner twice in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category could accept to participate in a lame film like "The Resident". My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "A Inquilina" ("The Tennant")

Hillary is a young doctor seeking an apartment. She inquires at one, but likes neither price nor the view. She goes to see another, but it's not ready for habitation, as the landlord is renovating. The room is draped in plastic, and all of the walls are being redone.

Asking the rental price for this apparently spacious New York apartment, she finds it surprisingly low. While she is looking, one of the drawbacks appears: the sound of a train passing, which, while not oppressively loud, does indeed drown out normal levels of sound. Perhaps this could mask other sounds at some point.

She falls for the landlord, a handsome chap, in a big way. This seems to be a reaction to a rebound from a relationship gone sour just prior to the beginning of the story. However, as this budding relationship evolves into passion, something does not seem quite right.

I found this to be a quite entertaining story, with very subtle details, and told in a different manner. It won't be the greatest movie you've ever seen, but is certainly entertaining, and moves along briskly. Pay attention to details: the answers are there.

It's probably no more than coincidence, but still it's interesting to note how the two movies that have boldly dared to open alongside Marvel's summer superhero juggernaut "Thor" are both about a woman who becomes the target of someone else's dangerous obsession within their place of stay. While the stalker is said woman's new college roommate in the other movie, it is young doctor Juliet Devereau's landlord here in "The Resident"- and a male at that, in contrast to "The Roommate's" female.

Juliet is played by Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank, and while this thriller could not be further from her "Million Dollar Baby", the box-office reception to her movies in the years since (e.g. "The Reaping", "Amelia" and most recently "Conviction") hasn't been exactly kind. Nevertheless, Swank is more than a competent actress, and she carries the movie skilfully with a nuanced performance as the victim of another person's mania. Indeed, she lets her audience feel her character's naivety, helplessness and desperation keenly, which makes the eventual denouement between victim and stalker much more engrossing.

The stalker is the landlord of the building in which she rents an apartment overlooking New York's East River, having just separated from her boyfriend (Lee Pace). Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) at first appears to be the perfect proprietor, ever ready to attend to any problems in her apartment and hunky enough for Juliet to consider as a rebound guy- that is, until she gets cold feet and breaks it off. Big mistake- turns out Max ran into Juliet months ago at the hospital she works, decided he liked her, and deliberately set things up so she would come knocking to rent the apartment from him.

With the villain revealed within the first half-hour of the film, Finnish director Antti Jokinen- who makes her feature film debut- has an uphill task keeping her audience's attention on Max's increasingly intrusive and even violently obsessive ways. But Jokinen does an efficient job maintaining the suspense of the film, as we watch Max go from using her toothbrush and lying in the bathroom in the day to caressing her in bed at night after knocking her out with a drug mixture. If the film remains disturbingly riveting, it is because the film plays nicely on its audience's own fears of home invasion.

Jokinen however reserves any action for the last 20 minutes of the film after Juliet discovers Max's horrifying secret. It's an appropriately exciting, and vicious even, finale that uses the labyrinth of hidden passageways behind the walls of the apartment from which Max hides to spy on Juliet to great claustrophobic effect. Despite the visceral thrills, the conclusion leaves something to be wanting- particularly because Jokinen and her co-writer Rober Orr fail to offer stronger motivation behind Max's obsession.

There are some flashbacks and "Dracula" actor Christopher Lee's brief supporting role as Max's authoritarian granddad, but largely the story doesn't offer enough for us to believe in Max's lunacy. Morgan too doesn't command enough menace, and seems more comfortable playing Mr Nice Guy at the start of the film than Mr Crazy Guy by its end. One wonders if it would have been better if the writers had simply left out Max and Juliet's brief fling and cast someone more credible, like Morgan's fellow "Watchmen" actor Jackie Earle Haley, as Max.

Yet in spite of its flaws, those looking for a little counter-programming opposite "Thor" should find this a effective thriller that has its moments of genuine suspense and excitement. This is also legendary horror studio Hammer's third feature film since its recent comeback, and its first in 35 years with Christopher Lee- yet another solid effort after last year's "Let Me In" and should bode well for their return to mainstream territory.

The Resident (2011)

** (out of 4)

Really disappointing film from Hammer about an ER doctor (Hilary Swank) who moves into a lavished apartment in Brooklyn and soon discovers that her kind-hearted landlord (Jeffrey Dean MOrgan) is actually obsessed with her. THE RESIDENT has some nice performances, good direction and a few clever moments but in the end it's really a misfire as there's no energy in anything we're seeing and what we are seeing is something that has already been done to death and this film adds nothing new to the mix. What we've basically got here is a "psycho from hell" movie but it never works because there's never any tension going on. The entire film seems to run twice as long as it actually does and I think the main reason for this is that everything we're watching we've seen in much better movies. The only real difference is that the psycho has pretty much build the apartment so that there are many different areas where he can sneak into it or simply spy on his victim. This gives us some pretty silly moments including one where the landlord likes to hide under the bed until the victim falls asleep and then he sucks on her fingers! We also get a scene where he uses her toothbrush. Yeah, that's scary. Both Swank and Morgan do a very good job in their roles and there's no question that they have some nice chemistry during the early portion of the film. It's just the screenplay really gives neither one any place to go and the majority of the time we just see Swank taking her clothes off (including some nude scenes) and Morgan watching her. Christopher Lee has a supporting part here and it was nice to see him. THE RESIDENT has a clever idea here and there but sadly the majority of what we're watching is just downright boring and just leads to one predictable scene after another.

I will keep this one short as it does not warrant the effort of a proper review. The characters are so basic and one dimensional you wont care and the plot is so predictable you really do not need to watch it...you can guess what happens pretty quickly. No attempt to explain the motive of what made the bad guy a "bad guy" which would of probably made his character a lot more interesting and maybe he would of been somewhat fearsome but generally he wasn't. The film borrows heavily from Psycho and is in no way compelling enough to keep attention for the entire film.

I cannot understand the positive reviews this film is getting, who are these people?

I have put this flick on my list for my birthday but I received it a few months later for Xmas. When opening the package I saw the DVD sleeve and thought, what the hell is this, this isn't horror but when I turned over the box I saw the name Hammer. Then I knew why I asked for this flick, face it, Hilary Swank isn't a name that you came across in the genre.

I think that I don't have to explain the history of British horror in particularly Hammer Studio's. They were broke back then in the days when Gothic horror was over and the slashers came in. Hammer was known for Gothic and after a while nudity. Hammer was also known for a few names, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Cushing past away in 1994 but Lee is still alive and let him be in this Hammer production. So the link was pretty quick made, this could be a new Hammer classic.

Naturally people think that Hammer would go back to memory lane but they didn't. It's an up-to-date flick that deliver some creepy moments. It isn't bloody at all but it is something that could happen to you. But what makes the movie is indeed the face of Lee. He isn't that much in it but his face still can deliver some nasty looks. On the other hands the main parts were played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan who we knew from Watchmen (2009). He really did an excellent job and was believable but the biggest surprise came from Hilary Swank. I only have seen her in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby (2004) and the flop The Black Dahlia (2006) and by that she wasn't really knew to me as a scream bird. But look what she did here, she's playing the naive bachelor coming out of a relation and moving into the big city NY. She falls in love with her landlord but after a while she guesses that things aren't what they look like.

The first half hour is really getting to know the characters and again Hilary surprised me by going full nudity. There is even a close-up of her underwear were it was clearly to see how she shaved her pubic hair. Just when she's going for it with her landlord the movie flashbacks to the beginning of the movie and from that point it goes wrong with her.

It's a bit low on everything but the acting makes it watchable. It's a flick that goes from a love story were you really get involved with the characters towards a nasty flick. There is a bit of blood in it at the end but don't think that you will see a slasher or a return to the old Hammer flicks. It's a bit like The Stepfather or Single White Female.

I won't forget this flick due Hilary's performance and naturally as Hammer putting themselves back on the map.

Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 1/5 Story 3/5 Effects 2/5 Comedy 0/5

Academy Award winner Hilary Swank should stay away from the horror/thriller genre. Hey, the girl can act. She's got two golden statues on display somewhere in her home that would argue anyone's theory to the contrary. But her two major forays into the genre with The Reaping (2007) and The Resident (2011) are both weak and embarrassing entries in an otherwise enviable work history.

In The Resident, Swank plays Dr. Juliet Dremer, a New Yorker that moves into a new apartment after separating from her husband. The room is being rented by the good-looking Max played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen, The Losers) and the price is beyond enticing.

But after moving in, Juliet realizes that it is truly too good to be true and Max and his elderly father (Christopher Lee is a throw away performance) are hardly the innocent warm-hearted individuals that they seemed at first introduction.

With a standard 90-minute running time, there isn't much in The Resident to recommend. Swank does a commendable job in a paper thin character but the movie really hinges on Max and JD Morgan is neither convincing nor as creepy as he needs to be to elevate the film above a one-and-a-half star rating.

As things begin to reveal themselves and the Max becomes more aggressive as the antagonist of the film, we just don't buy into the ideas represented in the script penned by director Antti Jokinen. Max's penchant for spying on Juliet and sneaking into her bedroom each night to hover, touch and exude creepiness just doesn't translate through Morgan's hunk-able looks. One could not help but remember why Anthony Perkins was so damn creepy in the Psycho films. He looked like a freak – an outsider that might be capable for such atrocities due to stark raving madness. Trying to believe that Jeffrey Dean Morgan would slip into Juliet's apartment to sniff and cradle her laundry is just not plausible.

But maybe our biggest argument against The Resident is its use of sound. There must be six to ten jump scares in the film and they are all a result of an increased musical blast when unnecessary shocks are infused. We know that Jokinen wanted to take the best parts from Psycho, Pacific Heights and to some extent, Through the Eyes of a Killer, but this one just doesn't work on any attempted level.

And when the final confrontation between the two leads occurs and needles and knifes are brandished, you just won't care what happens to any of them. And that is the biggest flaw a horror/thriller film can make.

www.killerreviews.com

When a young doctor (Hilary Swank) suspects she may not be alone in her new Brooklyn loft, she learns that her landlord (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has formed a frightening obsession with her.

I loved this movie. While it seems to be getting lower scores than I would expect, the genius behind it is how real the scenario is. While it covers some of the elements in "Crawlspace" (and probably other films), it removes the fantasy angle and presents a story that is 100% plausible.

By far my favorite part was just before halfway in, when the film suddenly rewinds and we start from the beginning, only from another angle. While it would take a second viewing to fully appreciate this, I thought the duality of the perspectives was just amazingly beautiful. I never see that. We often get a first person or third person point of view, but rarely a double first person view.

I was a bit disturbed by the nudity. I mean, yes, when you are making a film about stalking, the nudity aspect makes sense. You have to taunt the stalker. But Hilary Swank? She has never been attractive, and more often than not has won acclaim playing boyish roles. Of all the actresses to cast... I just do not get it.

Christopher Lee, looking quite old, shows up here, which is great because this is a Hammer film. Not sure how i feel about Hammer's relaunch. I am glad to see them back, of course, but they can never make the films they used to. And even Lee played such a minor part here, it could have been filled by anyone. It was forgettable, whether played by Lee or anyone. (Star Trek fans may notice that Nana Visitor has a brief role, but one hardly worth mentioning.)

Maybe I am wrong, maybe all those people who gave this a lower rating are right. But with such incredible talent, a solid script and a creepy premise that could actually happen... this is a winner. There are plenty of things to fear about apartment living, and now there is one more.

Very stupid story and pretty mediocre acting. This movie was like made for TV morning program. Plot of the movie suppose to scare you but I actually laughed. Our heroine was playing with a wrong guy and then he become crazy. But instead of the creepy scenes and feeling of being scared of the guy I more felt sorry of him and after a while couldn't stop laughing. Our guy does not suggest a dangerous man being scary or frightening all the way to the end. If I didn't read the plot I would think that this is actually a social drama talking about the harmless patient of the local psychiatric hospital. No plot, no suspense. No character development at all. Just the guy who observes the woman he likes, getting into her apartment. Slow, dull and not entertaining at all - this is the best explanation of the movie. Disappointing.

I was watching this movie and for the life of me i was trying to figure out who was in charge of promoting this movie and how does this person have a job. Whoever said the acting was bad does not know what he is talking about this was a well acted bonafide thriller that deserved a release in theaters. The last 2 movies with Hilary Swank did not get very good attention. Conviction was fantastic and that did not receive much hype but was well received by critiques. This movie just fell through the crack and went straight to video. You pretty much know the story before you go in there is not much to figure out but you still get shocked what actually happens to Hilary.

To the movie company that released this and did absolutely nothing to get this released in theaters in the states your FIRED...If movies like gullivers travel (Terrible) can get releases you should of tried a little to get the public to know this even exists.

The stage curtains open ...

After I finished watching this movie, I was split - not really knowing if I liked it or not. So, I decided to give it a week to settle in and then I decided that I neither loved it, nor hated it. It was "okay". Even so, it had some very good performances in it. When you feel your ire go up and you want to reach into the screen and throttle the creepy stalker, then you know they did their job right.

Hillary Swank plays the part of an ER Surgeon named Juliet Devereau who is in search of living accomodations after her boyfriend has an affair. She can't believe her luck when she stumbles across a spacious apartment with a too-good-to-be-true owner/manager. There is an immediate attraction between then, but as time progresses, she finds that her heart may still belong to her estranged boyfriend who is making efforts for amends. Meanwhile, she is being stalked to the point where the sicko gets braver and braver with each occurrence and her very life is in danger.

First, I will say that this was a very well made film with tight direction and decent acting. I felt that Jeffrey Dean Morgan was awesome in his role and he completely sold me on it. He totally immersed himself into his character, and it is because of him, more than anything, that makes this psychological thriller work. It was also great fun to see Christopher Lee once more working with Hammer Films. The use of colors and shadows was excellent.

I just think that there were a few loopholes that can't be ignored here, and the rewatchability factor for "The Resident" is low. It is a film that accomplishes what it sets out to do. It will thrill and chill you, but as such, I don't necessarily recommend it. I give it 6 stars out of 10. It is worth a watch if you are into this type of thing - that's all.

This thin story goes nowhere other films haven't gone before with more excitement and meaning or at least shocks. The moody first 20 minutes quickly turn into a slog after a "twist" that any brief description of the film will spoil before you watch it anyway.

Like all of Hammer films recent (rebirth films--and much of their overall output and reputation) this is handsomely made film. Though most of it takes place on New Mexico shot interior sets it all looks seamlessly like NYC and features good real NYC exterior scenes. But so what? Jeffrey Dean Morgan proves that he has limits to what he can do here. I like the guy as a performer and he usually makes anything he is in better than it was before he arrived. Take the way he helped the second season of EXTANT TV series for example. But his acting isn't up to what's required here and his general vibe is all wrong. He is totally miscast here and can't overcome that. He seems too natural confident and relaxed to be the psychopathic obsessive loner we are supposed to believe him to be. The more they put him in situations that are to show how creepy his is the more the problem becomes and the situations become borderline silly.

Swank is equally miscast really, not being willing to do any nudity--which a film that partly is supposed to be about sexuality its repression and obsession--requires, and she never seems emotionally or physically vulnerable. Her talking about being exhausted or repressed just seems like dialogue, not reflected in how she looks or acts.

Why she'd be interested in being in a film like this is a bit of a puzzle. Being the center of almost every shot and probably being the largest single dollar amount in the budget would be appealing, sure.

The whole thing finally turns into protracted and not well done slasher chase scene inside the apartment's confined inner recesses.

Though the same director went on to do PURGE--leading to a successful theatrical run of movies--he does little here to show he has much interest in the genre. Only the classy production values separate this from a Lifetime movie and the fact that it barely got released is no surprise. This would be a not--too--good episode of Hammer's own previous television series in the 80's and it's just not, as made, a feature or worth feature length.

Music score is useless adds nothing to the characters or supposed scares. Mostly the middle hour of the film is dull and predictable.

Christopher Lee plays a part like his friend Peter Cushing did or might have were he still alive. That part is the old man. Really that's it, that's his role. He seems a little threatening....once.

Lee plays it with a vacant, almost lost, old man look--that is not how he, himself looked at the time--so it is a performance and his final scene is well done physically--as Lee was always among other things a physical actor--even in a role here that requires mostly no movement. But having him in the movie and doing as little as they do here shows another level of script and directing disinterest. Especially to have him "return" to Hammer to make a film they basically do as little as possible with him. Still fans will see the potential the filmmakers didn't.

The whole thing hardly seems worth the trouble of being made or watched.