Bad Times at the El Royale
{4/5} “The Lord wants you to tell me where the film is.”
Bad Times at the El Royale, released in 2018
A man hides something underneath the floorboards of a hotel room, and is then shot. Ten years later a vacuum salesman, a priest, a hooker, and a hippie arrive at the hotel. None of them are who they appear to be — the vacuum salesman is really an FBI agent.
It’s a subtly humorous — and occasionally surprising — movie. It turns a bit darker and more violent in the 2nd half.
It sometimes shows scenes from different points of view, to good effect. I like how the hotel is half in California and half in Nevada.
Actors who were new to me Cynthia Erivo, Cailee Spaeny, and Lewis Pullman all stood out.
Stars Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, and Dakota Johnson. Directed by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods). The mysterious music is by Michael Giacchino, and there are lots of great 1960s songs.