Hilary Swank (The Reaping) stars in this thriller that’s based in
New York City. Swank appears here as Juliet, an ER doctor who’s had a bad breakup
with a guy who cheated on her. Living in a hotel, she’s busy looking for a new
apartment. After getting her fill of one-room apartments (one of which is shown
to her by a real estate agent who’s played by Deep Space Nine's Nana Visitor), she finds a nice
place in Brooklyn with a nice view, even nicer rent, and a REALLY nice landlord
named Max. Max is played by Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen, The Losers).
Oh, but if only Juliet knows what a sick puppy Max truly is! GASP! It’s not giving
much away when I reveal that Max is the villain of the piece. And while the film
is predictable, especially if you're an addicted viewer of really bad Lifetime movies,
it still tries to present its story with some originality. For one thing, the POV,
or Point Of View, is broken up between Juliet and Max, between victim and stalker.
This novel way of viewing this story (which, if made for Lifetime, would be
breathlessly told only from the POV of the damsel in distress) enables us to
understand the motivations of Max, even if we clearly don’t condone, nor agree
with them.
There’s a moment in the film when Max plaintively tells Juliet that he was hoping
she would pull him out of these walls. And that’s where you almost feel sympathy
for the big lug. Because even Max realizes that, deep down, there’s something
screwed up and maladjusted within him--something that he hoped Juliet would cure.
Morgan does a good job with his psycho role, without going over the top. Swank is
also extremely good here, playing a sympathetic woman in danger who's not an idiot.
Swank and Morgan's spot-on performances make this film very watchable.
I was pleasantly surprised to see
that The Resident was co-produced by Hammer. Yes, the very same legendary Hammer
movie studios has arisen from its crypt once more. And how apt is it to have
none other than Hammer film legend Christopher Lee in the cast? Lee plays Max’s
disapproving grandfather here, and this horror movie geek was in heaven at the
mere thought of watching a brand new Hammer film production in 2011, featuring
one of their brightest stars from their heyday. Here’s hoping Hammer keeps right on
making new films. --SF
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