"The Resident" hits UK cinemas on March 11th. It has been released on DVD in Germany last month and is scheduled to be released on US DVD on March 29th. A novelisation of the film (which probably will expand the story and characters) will be in bookstores on March 10th.
The critical response so far has been mixed, most critics praising cast und camera work, but find the story to predictable and to tame. Almost all critics agree, that Sir Christopher should have been given a bigger part and don't shy away from some harsh opinions.
Here's a sampling of a few critics regarding Mr. Lee:
"the best dose of weird comes from Max’s decrepit, half-dead grandfather August, played with a wink and a nod by Hammer alumnus Christopher Lee, instantly lending the mess a smidgen of credibility." (rating: 2 of 5 stars)
http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/reviews/review-the-resident-oscar-winning-hilary-swank-should-know-better.php
"The major strengths in The Resident are Swank and Morgan. They play well together and Christopher Lee does a good job with what little he has." ( rating: 2 1/2 of 5 stars)
http://www.filmshaft.com/the-resident-review/
"One of the biggest crimes was the fact that Christopher Lee had three tiny, almost invisible scenes which was a crime."
http://www.thenewcurrent.com/2011/03/08/film-review-the-resident-2011/
"Morgan and Pace are forgettable while Lee lends gravitas to his flimsy and sinister role, growling thankless lines with menace like when he sneers at Max, "Your mother married a weak man... then gave birth to another."
"Lee doesn't do much here at all—his presence is strictly an excuse to put his name in the credits, significant particularly since this film is from Hammer."
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/resident.php
"... it’s painful to see the Hammer name in front a film so boring and a genre mainstay like Lee completely squandered." (rating: 4/10)
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/review/2305
"And to those who thought that Christopher Lee's insultingly pointless role in this year's Season of the Witch was an egregious waste of a horror lord's talent, just wait until you get a load of the 3.4 scenes of pointlessness he's offered here. The man may as well be holding a sign that says "I'm only here to put in the trailer and on the DVD cover. Horror fans love me, you know." Granted, the man is very old, but if you have Christopher Lee for only 3 or 4 scenes, let the awesome veteran be interesting in some small way. The character he plays is entirely superfluous, which is a bit of an insult to the audience, if you think about it."
http://www.fearnet.com/news/reviews/b21798_resident_movie_review.html
"He’s given a meager few moments on screen that fail to capture his brilliance as an actor, with most of these moments having been presented in the trailer to the film, which tells me he was brought on solely to beef up the Hammer brand name, though I would hardly call The Resident worthy of the venerable Hammer name."
http://www.brutalashell.com/2011/02/film-review-the-resident/
Thought the film was a very
Thought the film was a very well made and good thriller. I do not think Lee's part is nothing, a lot more of his films see him in worse appearences, look at Burke
and Hare, what a dreadful film anyway! At least in THE RESIDENT he has some more scnes and his role is not pointless,there are hints that he isnt that nice, and
certainly Jeffrey Dean Morgan has suffered at his hands.
While I wished they would
While I wished they would have elaborated on his character a little more (and not cut that extended scene for goodness sake...it's great and reveals more about his character!) I thought film was a very well put together thriller.
I think Sir Christopher did a very sinister job, and his character did serve a purpose...as a red herring. The way the film is written in the beginning, the audience is led to believe that he is the stalker. In fact, I believe that is why they marketed the film in such a way...with him prominently on the cover and in the trailer... so that audiences think that he, in fact, may be the baddy.
New Clips
IMDb.com has some clips from the movie, including an extended scene with Sir Christopher that is not in the movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334102/videogallery