Thursday 11 October 2018

Bad Times at the El Royale

This is a gorgeously pulpy story of four strangers all spending the night at the El Royale, a hotel right on the border between California and Nevada, a former getaway for gangsters and celebrities alike that has fallen on poorer times as the 1960s draw to a close. Everybody has their secrets, including the hotel, and over the course of one night all of them will spill out in ways most dangerous and bloody.

There’s a whole lot of entertainment here, with a collection of great performances – Cynthia Errivo as a nightclub singer gets to also deliver a great range of soul classics in a voice that shows why she’s won Tony awards, and Jeff Bridges relishes the opportunities in the best role he’s had in years, but there’s not a weak link anywhere else. The narrative twists and turns as the stakes escalate, and how I wish I could tell you of the highlights, which include something with a bottle and something with a number. Writer-Director Drew Goddard shows a sure hand for mood and style in this thrilling little film that hit my delight buttons repeatedly.

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