An impressive cast brings to life this visually stunning mystery-thriller set in a unique hotel, the El Royale, during paranoid 1960’s America.
The El Royale prides itself on the gimmick of having half the hotel in the state of California, the other in Nevada, but has fallen on tough times. Its single employee welcomes a group of strangers who bring with them their unique secrets and demons, causing chaos in the customer-less hotel. Drew Goddard, writer and director of The Cabin in the Woods, returns to both those roles to really bring this tense thriller to life. Where his previously mentioned endeavour had an interesting concept but fell when it came to its ending, this time it fully succeeds. Tense throughout, you never quite know what is going to happen next. The twists keep coming, however none are really jaw droppers. Nevertheless, the directing is superb, and I’d go as far to say that some parts, particularly the way the backstories are presented, can be compared to Quentin Tarantino’s work (bold claim, I know).
The cast are also impressive, with Chris Hemsworth’s performance as the looming big-bad psychopath being quite unsettling (even if he isn’t actually introduced until two thirds of the way in, and is topless for most of his screen time). However the standout performers are Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo and Lewis Pullman. Bridges brilliantly portrays a conflicted but ultimately moral man racing against time and Erivo is very impressive as the relatable, aspirational singer, with their growing friendship being what ultimately drives the plot forward. For me Pullman was the surprise package as the El Royale’s only employee; whilst you would initially expect him to be killed off at the start, he sticks around and is eventually revealed as a complex and emotionally tortured character. My only real criticisms of the film are firstly that at one point half way through, continuity and timings are a little off when events are repeated from another character’s perspective, but this is a very minute and picky thing to bring up. Secondly, during the climactic final skirmish, a certain revelation and resulting action sequence might make you think: ‘oh, well that’s convenient’. However this, at least in my opinion, can be overlooked and overall this is a very impressive film. It might fly under the radar a little, so don’t expect it to be praised as one of the best films of the year, but I would expect to see it listed as a hidden gem of 2018. Overall, this character driven film boasts some incredible visuals and is superbly acted, with its tension and twists keeping you on your toes for a very enjoyable two and a bit hours.
Matthew Moorey
Image Courtesy of Kimberley French/Twentieth Century Fox