Bad Times at the El Royale: A Play that Should have been a One-Act

So I watched Bad Times at the El Royale on my flight back to Chicago a few days ago, and I liked it somewhat. There was a nice stage play feel to the story and characters which was pretty novel and arguably my favorite part of the film. However, there were also a lot of narrative problems with it that brought up a ton of questions and greatly hindered the film. So with these problems, is it still worth a watch?

The outdoor shots are in my opinion some of the best lit and shot in the film, such as this one which revealed the ultimate antagonist. Halfway through the film.

As mentioned above, there was an inexplicable feeling that I was watching a stage play during ym view. The cast of this film is pretty small, but each character is unique and distinct in personality, appearance, and things they’re trying to hide. The film itself is split into 2 parts (which arguably didn’t need to happen), with the first being a mystery/suspense/journey of discovery/misunderstanding thing and the second being a hostage situation thriller. Hell, there isn’t even much of a main plot until the second half, and it really came across as a way to force things to come together (when they already were). The plot’s pacing was also all over the place before moving into the second act, with the timeframe of things being pretty damn screwy. The timing of certain events is really unclear, case in point being that Charles Manson stand-in arrives to the El Royale about 15 minutes after called, which in any time period makes almost no sense. Either he was within a couple of miles of the hotel (and thus the related party is an utter dolt), or a good long time has passed since the call(which also doesn’t make sense, it’s still night). The plot-related issues don’t end here, and there’s a pretty large Deus Ex Machina at the end, which could be argued was set up properly (if you count maddened ambiguous rambling as set up), but I think that’s a crock of bollocks. In what way were we supposed to infer that this person was a 60’s John Wick? The fact that he did heroin? There’s also a weird allusion to JFK’s infidelity throughout the film, which though accurate for the period, was entirely unnecessary to the plot, there’s already enough balls up in the air already. However it’s not all bad news, there are a multitude of (actually compelling) side plots which act as the primary drivers of the main plot and these in turn are entirely driven/dictated by the characters’ interactions with each other. Really, these are the best parts of the film, and I’d personally recommend you just watch everything until the Manson-esque man rolls up to the El Royale with his pack of flunkies, because everything after just doesn’t measure up to the start.

Half of the initially shady-seeming cast, and nearly all of the likable ones.

Technically, there’s not much, good or bad, that’s worthy of note here. The costumes and setting are basically peak 60’s chic aesthetic, which isn’t something you see much of today outside of period dramas with everybody in suit jackets. The camerawork and lighting were generally adequate for much of the film and it makes sense, this takes place in a hotel and there are no mind-bending events that would even warrant creative camera and lighting work. However, there are quite a few shots and scenes in this film that are framed and lit beautifully, such as (but not limited to) the arrival of the main antagonist and the Salesman’s journey of discovery. Apart from these two aspects though, the film is pretty forgettable from a technical standpoint, just another period drama-thriller.

I went through the entire film thinking that this guy was Tom Holland, but surprisingly he was not and he also nailed the twitchiness of his character.

In the end, I would not recommend watching this film, for though while certain aspects are exceptionally well-executed, the things that hold this film back are pretty damn onerous too. Really the only way I could recommend this to somebody is if they’re looking for neat camera and lighting work (in a relatively mundane setting) or for a sixties drama that’s a little different. I watched this on a whim and I walked away disappointed, pity.