Film Review: "Bad Times at the El Royale" (2018).

"All Roads Lead Here." This is Bad Times at the El Royale. This neo-noir thriller film written, produced and directed by Drew Goddard. The film is set circa 1968, several strangers, most with a secret to bury, meet by chance at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one night, everyone will show their true colors - before everything goes to hell.

In early March 2017, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had bought Goddard's spec script Bad Times at the El Royale, which he would also direct and produce. The script was sold under total secrecy involving only the eyes and interest of top studio execs. Where the potential buyers has to read it on the spot and then return it when finished. In late August 2017, Jeff Bridges had been cast. That same day, Chris Hemsworth had also been cast, Hemsworth had to lose 25-30 lbs of muscle weight immediately after Avengers: Infinity War (2018) wrapped to star in this film. It was also reported that Tom Holland had passed on a role, and that Beyoncé was being courted for the role. Ultimately, Lewis Pullman won the role from Holland in May, and Cynthia Erivo won the role from Beyoncé. Later in the same month, newcomer Cailee Spaeny was added to the cast. In January 2018, Dakota Johnson and Russell Crowe joined the cast. In February, Jon Hamm (replacing Crowe), Nick Offerman and Mark O'Brien joined the cast. Principal photography on the film began in late January, locations included Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia.

The film stars Bridges, Erivo, Johnson, Hamm, Spaeny, Pullman, Offerman, Dolan, Whigham, and Hemsworth. The film doesn't drag because Goddard has stacked the deck with a cast and characters so wild and dangerously exciting that you almost want to slap your own hands for cheering these grimy characters in their sinister pursuits. As for Hemsworth, I think he gives one of the best, if not the best, performance of his career.

Bad Times at the El Royale offers another well-aimed round from Drew Goddard's signature blend of action, humor, and thrills - all while demonstrating an even stronger grip on his filmmaking craft. A high-wire thriller, full of masterfully executed twists, captivating dialogue, and a wildly entertaining narrative that gallops along at a pace to make the hundred-and-forty-one minutes evaporate in an instant. This is Goddard. And it's very entertaining, even when it's entertainingly , which happens a lot in this overlong movie's extended third act. This is a parlour-room epic, an entire ensemble in a single room, a film steeped in its own filminess but at the same time vital, riveting and real. Only Goddard can do this, and he’s done it again. However, the film often feels more like a sadistic stage play than a movie. The film is a lot of things. Boring, of course, isn't one of them. It is not a perfect film but this was damn-near the slow burn masterpiece my inner cinephile deserved.

Simon says Bad Times at the El Royale receives:

Also, see my review for The Cabin in the Woods.