Screenwriter Drew Goddard is best known as the writer behind many episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Lost,” as well as the director behind Cabin in the Woods. This past weekend, 20th Century Fox released Goddard’s second directorial work, Bad Times at the El Royale.
Bad Times at the El Royale tells the story of several strangers staying at the El Royale, a hotel built on the California-Nevada border that’s seen little business for ten years. Tensions rise as guests’ dark secret and the hotel itself begin to unravel, threatening everyone at the El Royale.
Bad Times at the El Royale is an excellent ode to classic noir movies that’s held up by a phenomenal mystery. While mystery films are fairly common, Bad Times at the El Royale manages to stand out due to the phenomenal screenplay, which takes plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing.
The film also utilizes a nonlinear narrative to both flesh out characters and to build up suspense as mystery grows more complex.
The film also effectively implements the seventies’ aesthetic typical of older noir films. The set and costume designs make the film feel authentic in its representation of the time period and helps differentiate the film from more recent modern thrillers.
The film also includes popular songs from the period such as The Crystal’s “He’s a Rebel,” which, besides having nostalgic appeal, are all incorporated in ways that flow well with the film’s action.
The cinematography of Bad Times at the El Royale is similarly superb and adds a significant amount of suspense to the film. Most of the shots are slow pans and lingering still shots, all of which are beautifully done and help the audience have a better understanding of what’s going on.
This is especially true during action sequences, which benefit from the increased tension with few quick edits as opposed to the more rapid editing that plagues most action movies.
The performances in the film are incredibly strong, especially those of Jeff Bridges, who plays Dock O’Kelly, and Cynthia Erivo, who plays Darlene Sweet.
Their chemistry throughout the film leads to some extremely entertaining moments of both drama and dark comedy. Their effort is augmented by the excellent screenplay, which makes the audience care about each character’s backstory and motives.
The only thing that really holds Bad Times at the El Royale from being exceptional is its poor pacing. The film has several points where the pace is simply too slow and not enough is happening to invest the audience in the story.
This flaw is most glaring during the film’s second act, which doesn’t match up to the first and third acts’ more balanced paces. The film’s 141-minute runtime similarly exacerbates the movie’s occasional lags.
Despite pacing issues, Bad Times at the El Royale is an excellent take on the noir genre. The film’s superb screenplay, cinematography and performances are more than enough to make up for its faults. No matter how bad things get at the El Royale, this film is certainly a good time.