Sale temps à l'hôtel El Royale

A pretty solid crime thriller with loads of retro cool, a well-stocked cast and gorgeous cinematography - and a glut of extraneous flashbacks. If Bad Times at the El Royale has a weakness, it's pacing. It's not a problem during the opening act, as the hotel's emptiness (as well as who the hell are these people?) offers ample intrigue. Plus, there are the sets, I mean this looks incredible. But eventually night falls, backstories start piling up and ... it's enough already.

I have the same problem with El Royale that I did with The Hateful Eight; lots of talent and craft put into the film overall, but it's never again as good as its opening.

And absurdly long-winded.

Writer/director Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale is a long and entertaining sendup of Quentin Tarantino's crime world (think Hateful 8 and Pulp Fiction), post-Tarantino caper movies, and a bit of Hitchcock for suspense. It's the late 60's when eccentric characters converge on the seedy El Royale motel to recover cash from a heist 10 years ago hidden under the floorboards of a room.

By far the most interesting visitor is Father Daniel Flynn, aka Dock O'Kelly (Jeff Bridges), who set the heist in motion back then, did time for it, and returns to the half-closed motel to recover the loot. As symbol of a corrupt society that still clings to some semblance of religiosity, Flynn navigates the other crooks with caution.

Until the incarnation of the devil, or at least Charles Manson, arrives, Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth), muscled and amoral but not loath to preach about a simple life for his devotees and seek the money for himself. With the motel's roaring fireplaces enfolding these untrustworthy survivors, Goddard must surely be thinking of hell on earth as earthlings grapple for lucre.

Surprises abound (be careful with that shotgun!), and not all the players make it out alive. Heck, even undercover cops are vulnerable. And women, watch out, for the bad girls are trigger happy. The exception is a lounge singer, Darlene Sweet (impressive Tony winner, Cynthia Erivo), who needs to hookup with the corrupt priest to escape this hell, but with loot.

The location is Lake Tahoe on the border of Nevada and California, a figurative crossroads for everyone, where the wrong step can take you to life or death. I'm beginning to sound like Twilight Zone's Rod Serling, and rightfully so because there's a claustrophobia to these surroundings, wherein the sins of mankind are scrutinized for their immorality, where redemption is rare, and a lesson can be learned.

As Father Flynn candidly comments, "I'm Old. S**t happens. Get the whiskey." That's Goddard's charmingly amoral world, where even a priest has issues.

Bad Times at the El Royale is an incredibly captivating mystery / thriller, and completely subverts expectations within the first 10 minutes. With an all-star cast, the acting is solid from start to finish, and Lewis Pullman (Miles, the hotel manager) steals the spotlight even with Chris Hemsworth in the mix. The structure of the film feels fresh and simulating, with non-linear storytelling and scenes from multiple perspectives, though at times, the pacing does tend to drag at certain parts. The more energetic scenes are accompanied by an incredible soundtrack, with classics from the 60's; that create a warm and versed vibe. The topics of ultimatums and self reflection are presented, and exceptionally highlight by the cinematography. Several scenes have the character looking through a one-way mirror, presenting a shot with what the character sees and, in the reflection, his/her reaction. There are also parts with vivid color and or contrast paired with beautiful composition that forms a stylistic vintage look. One of the film's problems is leaving open plot threads to hang, one character is believed to be promising and crucial in the beginning of the film but slowly dwindles away all, and connection and potential is lost. Overall Bad Times at the El Royale does a phenomenal job at luring the audience into a story that is at points unpredictable.

...from 20th Century Fox and writer-director Drew Goddard. Circa 1972, various characters, including a doddering priest (Jeff Bridges), a struggling singer (Cynthia Erivo), a traveling salesman (Jon Hamm), and an anti-social mystery woman (Dakota Johnson), converge on the title locale, a former hot spot that straddles the California/Nevada border that has started to go to seed. Each person has their own reasons for being there, and most are not what they profess. Their secrets are revealed over one long, stormy, bloody night.

Goddard was responsible for the excellent horror genre send-up The Cabin in the Woods back in 2011, and this is his long-awaited follow-up. It's nowhere near as good, in my opinion, but fans of crime thrillers going in with diminished expectations will find a watch worthwhile. Bridges is very good, as is Cynthia Erivo, who I wasn't familiar with but who, at the time of release, garnered a lot of awards buzz for her performance here. I also liked Lewis (son of Bill) Pullman as the hotel's struggling sole employee in attendance.

The movie starts to fall flat in the last stretch, when Chris Hemsworth, as a Manson-esque cult leader, shows up and the film's former momentum grinds to a screeching halt. I don't dislike Hemsworth normally, but he's all sculpted abs and chiseled looks, and his character needed a bit more than that to make the last act compelling.

For the most part this is a really good, if not excellent film, with a fantastic central performance from Jeff Bridges, ably supported with an equally compelling performance from Londoner Cynthia Erivo who I recently saw in Stephen King's The Outside TV series. beautifully shot and confidently and surely constructed to have us spellbound but not fully aware of just what is going on. Is it the hotel that is weird or just the people? Jon Hamm is great in the early stages and looked a bit like a young Robert de Niro. Things really only go wrong, for me, in the last half hour. The film is certainly some fifteen minutes too long and there is simply too much time allowed for Chris Hemsworth to unconvincingly develop his character and similarly with Lewis Pullman who had been great as the hapless bellboy cum hotel manager but with whom we spend a little too long in the end. Disappointing end or not this is well worth a watch and always going to be worth it for a late great showing from Jeff Bridges, and those 60s songs where even just a line or two can be surprisingly effective, indeed it is 'strange how potent cheap music is.'