Bad Times At the El Royale - Review

Bad Times At the El Royale

Seven times Academy Award Nominated actor Jeff Bridges, who won an Oscar as Best Actor in the film “Crazy Heart”, along with Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor) and Dakota Johnson (the series of “Shades of Grey” films) team up to compile a group of seven strangers who coincidentally arrive at a hardly occupied hotel in 1959 called ‘The El Royale”.

Upon their respective arrivals the strangers discover that the physical structure of the hotel itself is literally divided right down the middle. One wing of available rooms off the lobby resides in the state of California and the other wing of rooms off the lobby resides in the state of Nevada. The only discernable difference is California charges higher taxes on the same rooms than the Nevada.

While they collectively gather in the lobby waiting for the desk clerk to appear to check them room in, this odd assortment of seemingly out of place guest grow more and more suspicious of the other with night falling and a terrible thunder storm quickly approaching. Translation, are they who they say there are? Well, lets see who they say there are in the first place.

First, actor Jeff Bridges plays a Priest named Father Flynn who seems to have both an unquenchable thirst for booze and yet seems to  a bit forgettable and confused about the nature of why he is there. Secondly there is actress Cynthia Erivo who plays Darlene Sweet a backup singer for big-name acts who has never been able to break through is looking for a work to eventually break through as a solo act. Third there is actress Dakota Johnson who plays Emily a foul-mouthed moody hippie chick with her odd ball younger sister in tow named Rose (fourth) played by actress Cailee Spaeny. Fifth is a slick-talking traveling salesman with a southern drawl named Laramie Seymour Sullivan played by actor Jon Hamm who insists he has first dibs on what room he wants. Sixth is the hotel sole employee and desk clerk played by actor Lewis Pullman as Miles who is deeply troubled  and  who has a  very emotional soul. And finally the seventh with actor Chris Hemsworth who plays perpetual odd ball Billy Lee, a complete sociopath cult leader who dances like half Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison with his shirt always open or totally bare chested while talking repetitively about odd ball religious suicide cult leader Jim Jones.

So, what happens next? Well, we find out very shortly not everyone above is exactly who they said there were ……………..NOW WHAT A SHOCK.!!!

REVIEW: A mix of sexy drama, sexual voyeuristic, Forrest Gump and old fashion cops and robbers, "Bad Times At the El Royale", is a 100% homage tribute to Quentin Tarantino, especially his earlier works “Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction”. And while some of the moments are a tad too drawn out being overly"wordy"  in an attempt to being deeply serious and introspective with a mix of QT's style in conversational nuance, the others moments were brilliantly executed and smart with one in particular being where you see Darlene Sweet singing to herself in a mirror and a hammer being used. 

Ultimately the film holds up just enough to be fun; even funny and wickedly slick …………here and there. Filled with genuine surprises both emotionally and violently the full scope of the film does work in the end with some plausible twist and turns that will amuse you and a few others that will "Tarantino-esque" shock you.

"Bad Times at the El Royale" is pulp-ish light fun.

3.25 Stars