‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ review — A nostalgic 60s neo-noir

Bad Times at the El Royale is a thrilling, character-driven neo-noir homage that will keep you guessing from beginning to end.

Don’t let the flashy trailers, catchy title, or A-list stars fool you. Bad Times at the El Royale is not your typical popcorn thriller. Written and directed by Drew Goddard, who had a lot to live up to after his masterpiece debut film The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times unquestionably lives up to its pulpy title and delivers a twisting mystery with a cast of characters whose intentions are always in question.

However, Bad Times is not a straight-forward entry in the neo-noir genre. It’s not surprising considering Cabin is a loving deconstruction of the horror genre that presupposes — correctly — that both the machine putting out horror movies and the fans that flock to them are off on the wrong track. 

With Bad Times at the El Royale, he emulates the pulpy neo-noir genre that has found new life through Quentin Tarantino’s carefully crafted homages. The movie is complete with title cards introducing each section — each character’s section is defined by their assigned room. Unlike Tarantino, Goddard is more interested in the themes of the genre. Good and evil, right and wrong, alienation and paranoia. He explores those themes by directly tying them to the time period: 1969.

The El Royale hotel is split right down the middle. Half is in California and half is in Nevada. As the first two guests in our cast of characters arrive, the bright colors and whimsical 60s design of the hotel set us firmly in the time period. However, it’s not indicative of the rest of the movie.

For almost the whole running time—the movie is set over one night—the hotel is shrouded in darkness and pummeled by a storm that seems to react to the bad times happening in the hotel. And yes, they’re as bad as you imagine. 

You see, though the guests consist of hopeful lounge singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo) and old grizzled priest Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), not everyone has good intentions. The movie is patient. It doesn’t tip its hand too soon. It’s a reason it’s so mesmerizing.

The slow and methodical cold open where we watch a mystery man (Nick Offerman) arrive in a hotel room and take it apart to hide a bag with unknown contents is captivating even if the camera doesn’t move and nothing really happens. Even the next scene where we watch each guest arrive plays out slowly but with an underlying tension that doesn’t give any hints as to where the story is going. 

From there, the movie plays out like an Agatha Christie crime novel mixed with a Hitchcockian thriller with an added dose of Tarantino-esque style. Pieced together with clips from different characters perspectives — often covering the same event — and flashes to their pasts and what led them to the El Royale, the movie doesn’t necessarily have a linear narrative. However, all plotlines lead to one fateful event. 

The amiable southern vacuum salesman Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm) sulks around the hotel before coming across a corridor with two-way mirrors that look into each room — we’ll revisit this place a few times — he watches as each guest does increasingly strange things.

The nervous, but eager to please concierge/waiter/housekeeper Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) is struggling with things he’s done in his past that he assures to Father Flynn only get worse. Even more mysterious, and more sinister, is Emily Simmerspring (Dakota Johnson), who has an unusual cargo with her. 

Eventually, the ghosts that haunt each of the characters begin to intertwine as characters are unmasked to deadly results. Just as the El Royale straddles two states, the characters straddle moments in their lives. It’s a purgatory that each person will leave — alive or dead — as a good or bad person even if the line between the two isn’t as clear as you’d think. And it’s deliciously fun to watch where each guest ends up. 

Bad Times at the El Royale will be polarizing to mainstream audiences. I’m surprised it’s a wide release at all. At 140 minutes, it could feel like a bloated meandering thriller that takes too long to get to the point. In reality, it’s a slow-burn character drama that puts these seven characters to the test. I know, I only mentioned five. I’ll leave the rest to surprise. What I will say is one of them is an amiable cult leader played by Chris Hemsworth. I’ll let you imagine how he fits in.

However, if you take a chance and give yourself over to the movie, it’s an extremely fun and surprisingly emotional ride. That’s thanks to the ensemble, which is easily the best this year. In particular, the most junior members of the cast, at least on film, Cynthia Erivo and Lewis Pullman, give the two best performances.

Erivo belts out songs that often play under scenes to great effect. But she tinges every one of them with a hint of sadness and regret. On the other hand, Pullman’s physicality and delivery reveal a person that is struggling with who they are in a way that you genuinely ache for him. That’s what caught me off guard watching the movie.

In the end, as each character makes their exit, I was saddened saying goodbye to each of them. All their quirks and flaws. Their bad times at the El Royale were great times to watch in my book. 

Where to stream Bad Times at the El Royale: Available to rent or buy on Prime Video.