Bad Times at the El Royale
4 stars
Director: Drew Goddard
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson
Duration: 141 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

A travelling salesman, a priest, a singer and a hippie walk into a motel… no, this isn’t the start of a joke, but the opening of Bad Times at the El Royale, an obvious Quentin Tarantino homage from writer/director Drew Goddard, as a group of disparate people meet and their lives converge in a bewildering, brutal and bloody manner.

The Tarantino influence is obvious from a prologue that precedes the scene described above. A static camera observes a man walking into a motel room. He then painstakingly pushes all the furniture to one side; removes the carpeting and the floorboards; places a bag in the hole and then puts everything back in place.

Satisfied, he lights a cigarette and waits. Eventually there is a knock at the door. He opens it. And is shot point blank inthe face.

Ten years later, the above-mentioned foursome has gathered at the motel. But they are not there merely to spend the night. They all have secrets and, as the film unfolds, we learn part of their secrets and what brought them there – yet each is unaware of the violent turn events are about to take.

Goddard has set the story in the late 1960s, post the ‘summer of love’, where the celebratory optimism of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll was slowly being replaced by paranoia, distrust of authorities, the rise of Richard Nixon, and the time when the concept of the American Dream was becoming a nightmare.

The nuances in the storytelling give way to a Tarantino-esque shootout and subtlety goes out of the window

This theme of hope vs hopelessness runs through the film, symbolised by the red line drawn on the floor that runs through the motel, ostensibly the split between the borders of the states of California and Nevada. 

“Warmth and sunshine to the west; hope and opportunity to the east,” explains one of the characters. And that is exactly the El Royale promises. Yet, the warmth and sunshine is tinged by darkness, and the opportunities on the other hand are not necessarily good ones.

As for the setting itself, the El Royale, as much of an important character as its human counterparts – exudes an atmosphere of faded elegance and glory.

There is also nostalgia at what once was, and it too, hides its own secrets – like the dark corridor that runs, hidden, alongside the rooms.

Goddard’s plot is a complex one, as he painstakingly reveals the connections between the characters, none of whom are who they appear to be. And the combination of the veteran and the up-and-coming actors is a fascinating one, each one stepping into Goddard’s fascinating world with consummate ease.

Jeff Bridges’s grizzled and weary Father Daniel Flynn is ostensibly seeking shelter for the night. He is an old man, fading, but kindly – so much so it is a chilling moment when he turns sinister.

Jon Hamm’s loud, obnoxious salesman has a surprising agenda. Dakota Johnson’s cynical, rude and tough Emily is a woman poles apart from the 50 Shades character that makes her name.

The lesser-known Cynthia Erivo as singer Darlene Sweet, and Lewis (son of Bill) Pullman’s motel clerk Miles quietly steal the show – the former venting her quiet desperation at life through a couple of soulful and heartrending musical numbers; the latter a hapless young lad caught up in a frenzy he cannot comprehend.

I have to report that the only bum note is Chris Hemsworth’s Billy – the handsome, energetic, charismatic, somewhat psychotic cult leader, whose appearance in the story turns everything awry. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with his performance: the actor is clearly relishing his role as the bad guy, a refreshing change for him, and he does evil very convincingly.

Yet, once his part in the plot is established, the nuances in the storytelling give way to a Tarantino-esque shootout and subtlety goes out of the window in the midst of the concluding bloodbath.

It feels like Goddard did not quite know how to wrap things up so went for the cliché. It still remains a refreshing take on the genre, however, and Goddard – whose name will be recognisable to Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans like me – will hopefully continue to build on this.