This film came out of nowhere and from its trailers promised some very familiar-looking things. But the trailers showed that it was set in 1960s America and would feature popular music from that time so I was sold immediately.
It starts off with a priest (Jeff Bridges) checking in to a rundown motel to find he’s not alone. A salesman of sorts (Jon Hamm) and the motel bellboy (Lewis Pullman) are joined by a variety of others that include a soul singer (Cynthia Ervio) and a hippie (Dakota Johnson).
They all check into their rooms and mind their own business and what could only be described as a slow burning plot starts to unfold. Yes, it does feel quite slow, but your attention is held surprisingly well once things start to pick up and the film lets you in on the kind of things that are going to be explored over the next two hours.
All the actors work alongside each other well most of the time. Jeff Bridges has some very enjoyable moments here and has a likeability to him that feels easy to get behind. But the audience knows there is something not right about him, and that keeps him watchable. Someone else who is definitely deserving of recognition is Chris Hemsworth. I won’t spoil anything about his character but he was charismatic, intense and believable in a very big departure from what he’s normally known for.
In some ways this resembles a Tarantino film, given the
outbursts of violence – which, however, feel quite spaced out compared to the
violence in his films. There is also the use of a retro soundtrack and the use
of title cards to introduce new scenes and keep important moments from
deviating the main plot.
But it’s not a Tarantino film – it’s directed and written by Drew Goddard who
has worked on the tv series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. He
seems to have structured his film into three acts. One for setting everything
up, the next for building tension and suspense and the last for finale and
payoff. All these are done fairly effortlessly but occasional drags can be felt
in the pacing, especially in the first and third acts. However, things soon get
going again that your investment is safely rewarded.
Michael Giacchino composed the score, and I’d have to say it’s completely overshadowed by a far more interesting and memorable retro soundtrack that makes the setting of the film even more believable. It features the work of artists like Franki Valli, the Four Tops and the Isley Brothers. Songs made famous by the likes of the Supremes and the Righteous Brothers both get moments where the same character sings them. And for a finishing touch, most of these songs are played on a jukebox. I especially enjoyed the soundtrack as these are all songs that are regarded as easy listening and not heavy in the slightest – which to me feels like a good use of irony for the situations this film is showing us.
There’s also the use of Deep Purple when things get even crazier and it feels like the soundtrack has maybe taken a bit of a shift. It’s not particularly good or bad, just noticeable.
As mentioned before there are pacing problems, and there are
some subplots that go on longer than they need to, and others that maybe don’t need
to be in the film at all as they don’t really contribute to the main story.
To sum up I would say that Bad Times At The El
Royale is a surprisingly enjoyable film of a type that we don’t see too often
any more. It has a well-structured if at times badly-paced plot, well-chosen
songs for a retro soundtrack, a short but creditable performance from Chris
Hemsworth and is damaged only in its indulgence in overlong subplots.
From what I have seen from this and knowing his prior work, it’s clear to me
that Drew Goddard has potential. I shall be waiting for what he does next with
great interest.
