‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ is the story of five strangers all coming together at a hotel right at the border between Nevada and California. These five people may seem like they have nothing in common, that maybe chance had put them together at this unique location past its prime. But each one carries a dark secret within them that sends them to a collision course with each other that leads to mayhem and truth and, strangely enough, to redemption.
Director and writer Drew Goddard spins a fascinating web of dark and mysterious characters who are all either running from or running towards something, and the El Royale hotel becomes a gateway to their unexpected journeys towards a sense of growth; more for some than others.
It’s a strange film, but wonderfully so, and it’s unafraid to reveal very little and very slowly, allowing all the delicious details of each character, and its late 1960s setting take center stage. These characters — a chatty salesman (Jon Hamm), a struggling singer (Cynthia Erivo), a priest (Jeff Bridges), a troubled hippie (Dakota Johnson), and the hotel’s only staff, Miles (Lewis Pullman) — all hint at a larger story that the film delves into one-by-one, but it does this by throwing just tiny little fragments deliberately to entice us to stay engaged long enough to see how the story expands. Each story begins to crash into each other in very frighteningly dark ways.
No one is what they seem and nothing can prepare you for what you are about to experience in ‘Bad Times at the El Royale.’
While the film is identified as a crime and mystery, it’s unusually funny and tongue-in-cheek despite its graphic violence that comes when you least expect it, and how deep it goes into the darkness in the hearts of man. At times, it feels almost senseless and nothing but an exercise in the destructive nature of mankind, but it builds a narrative that manages to find a beautiful heart at its center by the end of the film.
It’s rooted in such fine performances from the whole cast, most especially Pullman, Bridges, and Erivo, and a stunningly dark but charming turn by Chris Hemsworth, who utilizes his sex appeal with danger. It’s very much unlike what he’s done recently and he plays off well with everyone creating a finale that will leave you at the edge of your seats.
It’s a slow burn, though, to get to its amazing third act, but it’s never boring. Its close to two and half hour running time is filled with character development creating this tension. The more you know, the more afraid you become because the stakes get unbelievably higher. And while some of the characters you fall in love with (Erivo and Pullman, especially), the others you can’t stop watching (Johnson and Hemsworth).
There’s gorgeous use of music (including one of the best uses of ‘Unchained Melody’ in a movie sung wonderfully by Erivo) and intricately detailed production design that elevates ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ from being just an exercise in dark side of humanity. The setting in itself, a former hotspot on the border of two states, becomes this symbol for the characters being at a threshold; their lost innocence and the potential for something great.
I came in not knowing a thing about the film, and it’s probably one of the best ways to experience this film because it’s surprising at every turn. Its finale makes full use of its drawn out first two acts, and makes the whole experience worth it.
My Rating:
Bad Times At The El Royale opens in cinemas Wednesday, November 21, 2018.
