Review: 'Bad Times at the El Royal'

After the trailer debuted, not much was known about the latest movie from The Cabin In The Woods director, Drew Goddard. We were exposed to the tone, texture, feel and title for the movie, but what was Bad Times at the El Royale? The film opened this week and we got to see it, and whilst the movie was great, we wouldn’t like to check in!

One aspect that is evident throughout the whole movie, is the film-noir tone. It breathes through every scene, shot and cell encompassing the script and plot from beginning to end.

It is hard not to reminisce over old thriller movies, those where a collection of different characters from all walks of life are thrown into a peculiar and questioning circumstance. El Royale, does this brilliantly, fleshing out the characters one by one, developing on the unravelling plot.

There are many twists and turns which keep the audience guessing, and whilst we don’t want to spoil them for you, we’ll quickly run through the general premise.

Set in 1969, six strangers who each are hiding dark secrets travel to a shady hotel on the California-Nevada border. One night their pasts come to a head in a dramatic and brutal way.

The plot takes off from this premise building on a simple foundation and evolving into a completely different movie. The evolution isn’t to the extreme of Cabin In The Woods but still there are surprises along the way. Most notable, are the performances from the cast.

With names like, Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Chris Hemsworth the movie is bound to attract some attention. Hemsworth's performance as hippy cult leader Billy Lee is as seductive as it is menacing.

For a lot of the film, Lee is mentioned ominously through the characters of Emily and Rose Summerspring, escapees from Billy’s cult played by Dakota Johnson and Cailee Spaeny. Billy arrives in the midst of a storm and begins a frightening game with dangerous results.

Hemsworth is brilliant and Lee is a major departure from previous roles he has played. The way in which he fills out the part is exemplary, forging a charismatic but sinister leader who like a giant fly-catcher, draws you in and leaves you burnt. It is from Hemsworth’s entrance where El Royale feels like it starts to gathering traction.

Of all the criticisms, and there aren’t many, perhaps the running time lasted too long. This led to moments of the film feeling unwarranted and didn’t add much to the plot of character building. It instead gave an impression of aspects of the movie feeling unfinished. It is a hard truth to suggest that parts of El Royale left in the movie should have been more thoroughly cut as they didn’t feel needed.

Though the runtime was a questionable factor, the performances falling on from Hemsworth were superb. Jeff Bridges, as to be expected, is astounding as Donald “Dock” O’Kelly/Daniel Flynn, an aging criminal masquerading as a priest. Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, and Cailee Spaeny light up the screen. Their performances standout without overshadowing anyone else’s, a skill for such a large focal cast. Instead they complement the plot line, moving the narrative onwards, building it towards the smart, explosive finale.

Bad Times At The El Royale is smart, stylishly brutal and fun. It encapsulates the essence of those famous film-noir thrillers that packed out cinemas in times gone by. With stellar performances, Chris Hemsworth in particular and a satisfying ending, you leave feeling you’ve been along for the chaotic ride, your hands at the wheel, not in the passenger’s seat. And whilst we were impressed with the movie, we’d much rather choose to stay elsewhere than the El Royale.

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