Bad Times at the El Royale

I’m not saying I’m jumping in joy, but this retro stuff hit the spot of my mood and my tastes. If I had the skills to write and direct in Hollywood, stories with unpredictable characters and set in a small, often symbolic places like this would probably be the kind I’d be interested in the most; also thanks to the soundtrack, with which in this case Goddard checks all the boxes to build a period backdrop that is impossible not to love. It’s true that the script relies mostly on effect, that it lays down the cards too early and that you won’t find many memorable lines, but it’s still an adorably extravagant piece of filmmaking that, thanks to well timed explanatory flashbacks, has no trouble holding the attention of the viewer and keeping the tension about which of the interestingly written characters will come out with their head still on its place. The hotel itself is great, the actors are precise and it’s amazing how Goddard manages to defame the morals of America with only a handful of characters, a mysterious place and an even more mysterious filmstrip (though it’s not too hard to figure out which overseas idol committed the atrocities captured in it). It could certainly be more genre subversive and the escalation in the first half could be better, but I’m satisfied regardless. 75% (17/10/2018)

Perhaps a little too long, but otherwise very, very, very good. The cast is dominated by the fantastic Jeff Bridges and the super-appealing Cynthia Erivo, the script is full of surprises and, thanks to its unpredictability, is decently suspenseful as well (as the finale approached, I was thinking that now truly anything could happen, except perhaps an alien invasion), the colorful cinematography and various directorial ideas match the song soundtrack, and Giacchino's instrumentals manage to impress appropriately. I literally fell in love with the scene with the singing and the dismantling of the floor, but it's far from the only great scene. I'll spare you the unfair comparisons to Tarantino. (26/08/2019)

Several people arrive at a small hotel in the middle of nowhere. They have nothing in common at first glance, but in a few hours most of them will be dead, and the rest will be really upset. Drew Goddard directs a smart film in the style of Tarantino with interesting characters, good actors and fun direction. It does run out of breath a bit towards the end, but overall it manages to entertain quite nicely thanks to the ideas, the characters and a few rough twists. It probably won't be a genre classic like The Cabin in the Woods, though. (12/10/2018)

Like The Hateful Eight made by someone less skilled than Tarantino. What's missing is a proper splatter finale, dialogues and whole passages stretched to absurdity, and that specific dark humour feeling. The attempt to copy, or rather duplicate, is significant, but it does not produce the desired result. A few surprising murders and the unpredictability are OK, the location is also impressive, but 142 minutes is damn long in the company of such an unbalanced film. (22/04/2019)

This is more functional and entertaining than any of Tarantino's films since Jackie Brown. Tarantino-esque films, where violence and corpses are not spared, have long worked better for me in the films of other creators. It's solidly cast, and while veteran Jeff Bridges caught my attention the most, no one drags the film down. It has an inventive screenplay, which I would only criticize for being a clever play that relies on the screenwriter's imagination. I prefer films that are capable of creating the impression of something real, where the factor of chance triggers a shocking sequence of events. Here, the meeting of people with a dirty past in one hotel complex represents madness, but it has order and, to some extent, makes sense. Overall impression: 75%. (23/11/2023)