'Bad Times at the El Royale' Review

Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption before everything goes to hell. 

Bad Times at the El Royale is the second feature film to be written and directed by Drew Goddard following The Cabin in the Woods. In the vein of a Tarantino film, Bad Times at the El Royale is a crime thriller with a stylish retro aesthetic and plenty of pulp to spare. However, non-chronological storytelling is the one Tarantino trademark which ultimately restrains the narrative flow of Bad Times. Goddard's assembled a star-studded ensemble of eccentric personalities, so you're invested in uncovering their backstory, but Goddard often does so at the expense of the moment - frequently inserting flashbacks in the midst of a tense scene to stretch out the runtime and deflate the suspense.

This is by design, but you can't help but wonder if this story would have been better paced if told differently. While this approach undoubtedly uncovers the layered nature of this collection of characters, the trade-off seems geared towards enhancing subsequent viewings. Otherwise, the story's got plenty of exciting twists and turns that will surely maintain your attention while the cinematography, camera-work, production design, soundtrack, and score are all aces!

Meanwhile, the film's main draw is its all-star cast, and they each deliver in spades. Between the likes of Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Chris Hemsworth, a wide variety of seedy types interact with one another and their layered dynamic proves to be the pinnacle of this pulpy mystery. While the entire cast fires on all cylinders, I'd declare Bridges, Erivo, Pullman, and Hemsworth as the stand-outs.

In spite of some pacing problems, Bad Times at the El Royale upends its namesake. Whatever you do, don't let the title fool you. You're sure to have a good time if you book a two-and-a-half hour stay at the El Royale! 

Film Assessment: B