The Resident

Nobody expected much from The Resident, but I believed it would turn out to be an at least above-par genre snack. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The plot couldn’t be more run-of-the-mill, which I wouldn’t mind that much if the film delivered something else, like a decent dose of tension, horror atmosphere or some interesting sick thing that the villain could do to the dazed Hilary. Alas, I didn’t get any of that. If the reanimated Hammer studios want to return to horror prominence with nonsense like The Resident or Let Me In, well, good luck with that… (07.02.2011)

The main reason to watch this is that I’m a fan of Hilary Swank. Plus I like thrillers. I have to admit, though, that I was quite confused here. The action is insane and senseless psycho, the music incredibly depressing, and the acting not that great. The atmosphere is so dramatic from the beginning that I wanted to cry. The ending is absolutely devoid of ideas and originality. Next time I'd rather watch some "failed" Canadian thriller with Shannen Doherty... at least it won't ruin my whole day. Even that one star is too much. (13.06.2011)

Tragically wasted potential, because even though it's a concept that's been rehashed a thousand times, Hilary Swank and J.D. Morgan make an excellent on-screen duo, and the whole thing would have turned out much better with just a slight effort at some sort of invention. The flatness of the script and, except for some precious exceptions, the lack of suspense join to create the impression of a rather poor genre film average that’s watchable but certainly not memorable. I guess I was just expecting something a little different from a Nordic director, given the genre. On the other hand, as a one-off with Hilary Swank exposing herself, it works quite well. (02.08.2014)