Title: THE RESIDENT
Directed by: Antti Jokinen
Starring: Hillary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Christopher Lee.
Running Time: 91 minutes, Rated R
Juliet (Hillary Swank) is a workaholic ER doctor who just broke up with her cheating boyfriend and needs a new place to live. She gets a call from the owner of a palatial apartment building in a prime location that seems almost too good to be true, and the owner/landlord Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) seems almost too eager to have her move in.
I saw the trailer for this movie a few months back and it reminded me of a mash-up of Sliver and Single White Female, and that’s basically what I took from viewing The Resident; however it maybe should’ve been titled “The Landlord.”
I felt this film contained many good lessons for single women.
Lesson 1: If a rental seems too good to be true, it is and there’s probably some creepy guy watching you from behind the walls.
Lesson 2: Make sure you keep your open wine bottles on your person or within your sight at all times.
Lesson 3: If you run into your landlord in a random setting that he would have no reason to be at, it’s not a coincidence.
Lesson 4: Cover your unused electrical outlets with duct tape.
Lesson 5: Install ADP’s motion detectors in every corner of your apartment.
Lesson 6: Invest in a chastity belt to avoid that rapey feeling when you wake up.
Lesson 7: Look under your bed before going to sleep.
Lesson 8: A nail gun is a good weapon only when you press it against something.
Lesson 9: Bleach your bathtub before you use it. You don’t know who was doing what in it last.
There was some good suspense and acting. Hillary Swank played a strong female character, albeit somewhat naïve. Jeffrey Dean Morgan had some practice playing a pervy villain from his role as The Comedian in Watchmen, and is maybe too good at portraying a creeper. Christopher Lee as Max’s grandfather August, was maybe cast for just his name on the poster. He had less screen time than Judy Dench in Shakespeare in Love; and more than half the time he had no lines or was partially unconscious.
The editing was slightly confusing at times. I wasn’t entirely sure if some scenes were Max’s fantasy, or if they were actually happening. I liked the replaying of scenes from both Juliet & Max’s point of view. Some completely innocent scenes were quite lurid in another characters eye.
This is one of the few films of this genre I would actually watch again.
Suspense: 3 out of 5
Acting: 4 out of 5
Story: 2 out of 5
Total Rating: 3 out of 5
Reviewed by JM Willis
