Bad Times at the El Royale

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Bad Times at the El Royale

R

Released Oct 12, 2018

2h 21m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

259 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

The El Royale is run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers -- a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee -- converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

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Critics Consensus

Smart, stylish, and packed with solid performances, Bad Times at the El Royale delivers pure popcorn fun with the salty tang of social subtext.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Perhaps the most insufferable Tarantino knockoff since the 90s.

Mar 3, 2020

Full Review

Manohla Dargis

New York Times

At some point during this logy 2-hour-and-21-minute exercise you want something more substantial than even Hemsworth's admittedly mesmerizing snaky hips.

Apr 18, 2019

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

An extremely well-directed film.

Rated: B+

Nov 20, 2018

Full Review

Ankit Ojha

Cinema Elite

It’s almost like Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorcese doped up on Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock’s contained storytelling before picking up Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” to remix.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

Nyle Coleman

InSession Film

Jeff Bridges as Father Daniel Flynn was outstanding and will go down as one of my favorites from him.

Rated: B+

May 9, 2024

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

Phenomenal cast, with outstanding performances from everyone. A lost narrative structure is brought back to elevate a brilliant R-rated mystery, filled with memorable scenes and a fantastic score.

Rated: A-

Jul 24, 2023

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Ralph C

Pacing was a bit irregular - lagged a third to halfway into it. Strong performances all around. Nostalgic (attention to detail is amazing) yet still felt fresh. Not for everyone - you know who you are.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/21

Full Review

Brian M

This movie definitely kept my attention. The different characters’ stories were well laid out, and the ending came together well. Also, great production as far as scenery, set, and costume design.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

Full Review

Adis M

Too long, too boring and I'm happy that it's over with watching this movie because i couldn't enjoy nearly nothing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/03/24

Full Review

Jonathan H

Nice cinematography, interesting visual style and lighting, solid performances but a mixed bag of a story. Parts of it feel very incomplete and the ending ultimately is not fully satisfying. It's not a bad movie by any means, it just feels like there could have been more catharsis at the climax. The flashbacks helped a little bit to explain where each character was coming from, but I'm still not sure why I was supposed to care about most of them. No doubt, there might be some religious or political symbolism at play as far as who/what each character was supposed to represent. I get that. But it may just be lost on most people who were not expected that kind of subliminal messaging or subtext.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/17/24

Full Review

Arcane M

Bad times at the El Royale is a highly stylised thriller with one of the best plot twists I’ve seen in a long time. Gripping from the start, the way the story is structured is that of a masterpiece. Is this film a masterpiece… No, far from it but does that mean it is terrible. Absolutely not. When watching Bad Times at the El Royale, I was highly entertained and intrigued throughout the two and a half hour runtime. There are no standout performances because they were all equal in excellence. I couldn’t help but notice certain vibes that of a Quentin Tarantino movie. All round brilliant movie and would recommend it highly to any film noir fan, by extension any thriller fan. 4/5

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

Daniel G

I really was taken by the twists & turns & dynamics & motivations of the protagonists. However, a bit too violent. Though I don't really recall it, but someone would possibly say "derivative of Kill Bill..." or something like that. True, not totally original, but the presentation of each character was creative and impactful.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/08/24

Full Review

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Drew Goddard

Director

Jeff Bridges

Father Daniel Flynn

Cynthia Erivo

Darlene Sweet

Jon Hamm

Laramie Seymour Sullivan

Dakota Johnson

Emily Summerspring

Cailee Spaeny

Rose

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Bad Times at the El Royale: Trailer 2

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Bad Times at the El Royale: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The El Royale is run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers -- a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee -- converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

Director: Drew Goddard
Producer: Jeremy Latcham, Drew Goddard
Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Goddard Textiles, TSG Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Drug Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 18, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.8M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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