Weekly Review -- Single white... male?

The Resident (2011) -- Innocuous on the outside, apartments can be rather creepy locales, as proven to us by the numerous film and television characters that found out about this fact the hard way. Filmmakers have been exploring and demonizing urban living for decades; indeed, the sequestered isolation of unit dwelling is fertile ground for nightmare narratives. Somewhere in between the suspenseful Single White Female and the disappointing-yet-intriguing Sliver, a peculiar space is inhabited by director Antti Jokinen's uncomfortable thriller.

Dr. Juliet Deverau (Hilary Swank) is looking for a new place to live. Soon enough, she manages to find a gorgeous and decently priced apartment, in a convenient location to boot. In the character's words, "what is the catch?" It turns out that friendly building owner Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is an obsessive psycho, one of the if-I-can't-have-you variety, who swiftly ingratiates himself to Juliet and starts spying on her, all the while posing as the ultimate neighbor. By the time Juliet finds out the truth, will it be too late?

The movie boasts plot holes and cliches all over the map. The main problem I had was Juliet's lack of common sense. It is always frustrating to see a dimwitted characterization of a female who is supposed to be a sensible professional. If a woman moves alone into an apartment in present day New York City, the first thing she has to do is inquire about an alarm system, no ifs, ands or buts. If the building does not have the alarms set up already, the aforementioned woman should ask questions, many questions and more questions, AND then she should have one installed herself before moving day. I find it hard to believe that Juliet did not think she needed one or, even worse, that she was so consumed by her breakup, she neglected the basics of her personal safety.

**HUGE SPOILERS (please highlight to read)**

Another thing that frustrated me to no end was that darn laptop, open for everyone -- including the stalker -- to see. I did not get the impression that Juliet was hiding it that well in general, and was wondering about Max not seeing the recordings prompt upon entering that room. There were at least two instances when he could find out that she knew about his extra-curricular activities, so why did he not notice anything? Come to think of it, is it really plausible that even the owner of a building can have that much access to a unit? Has the building never been inspected and how come the secret tunnels have never been discovered? On another note, Max's past is too horrific for a mere mention and should have been closely examined in the context of his psychosis. These plot holes diminish any credibility that this movie could have had, and the whole piece feels forced and rushed in order to make the quick proverbial buck.

**END OF SPOILERS**

It goes without saying that both leads are light years ahead of the screenplay. I am not even going to discuss the realms of emotion that Swank is capable of depicting in her performances; the half-baked character of Juliet is not up to par here. As for Morgan, he makes for one hell of a villain -- some scenes truly made me cringe -- and deserves a complex, intriguing horror tale to sink his teeth into. The two actors had previously worked together in P.S. I Love You and obviously have good chemistry, but they deserve writing that is worth it. Both Christopher Lee and Lee Pace have nothing more to do than mope around, which brings the grand total of squandered actors to four.

It is no wonder that you have not heard or read much about The Resident. If you are looking for a casual, thrill-a-minute potboiler, this is the perfect movie to watch -- see it for what it is and enjoy the guilty pleasure. If you like to use your noodle, well... let us just say that the filmmakers require you to check your brain at the door, along with your expectations. This one is a fixer-upper.

5/10