The Resident - Film Review (Spoilers Covered)

This was going to have be seen on the big screen.  It was Hammer, it had Sir Christopher Lee and it wasn't an unnecessary English Language remake.

Then there were the doubts.  Looming large, Hilary Swank.  I just don't like watching the woman on screen.  She does nothing to drag me into a story.  It wasn't set in England.  Is this new Hammer really Hammer or have they bought the name?

I can't say The Resident has sold me on Hammer as a company.  It had some good points. Big, creepy, part derelict old house apartment building.  The damsel wasn't really to my taste as a distress victim.  Hell, it's ridiculous but I wanted it to be English!

Has anyone ever seen Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem in the same room together?  The cast were quite competent but I don't think they had much script-wise to get their teeth into.  I would liked to have seen more of the Security Man.  He seems to have a good screen presence.

The rest I'll cover as spoilers.  In case you want to see this yourself.  Rollover the space below to view.

First of all there's nowhere near enough Christopher Lee.  What there is is good but I wanted more.  Secondly things happen and are brushed aside with no explanations.  Christopher Lee's character is killed and never mentioned again.  You'd think if you were one third of the population of an apartment building you'd notice if another third disappeared.

The plot is one of the most predictable I've seen on screen.  I was actually waiting for things to happen.  they always did.  Especially in the final, boring, act.

This wasn't a horror film but a thriller.  It lacked anything that would 'Hammerise' it.  

All in all, I was disappointed.  The best thing I can say it that at only 90 minutes I didn't have to grow to hate it.  I really, really hope The Woman in Black is done much better and more in the style I want and expect from a film company named Hammer. 

2.5 pawprints out of 5