There are times where I question whether my skills as a critic. Do I focus way too much on the technical stuff? What are some ways to sound more subjective and effectively convey my experience with the film in question? In regards, that first question almost immediately evades my thoughts because spoiling any plot information outside of the basic premise would be most impolite in regards to Bad Times at the El Royale. Much like Drew Goddard's previous directorial effort, I cannot recommend going into this cold highly enough. Not only can I say it's as good as Cabin in the Woods, I'd go as far as to say that it surpasses it quality-wise. This is a group of masters banding together to elevate pulp to something that's both pleasantly artistic* and suitably entertaining all the same. Look, all this verbose nonsense is my way of seeing this picture rocks like no one's business.
What's the setup? Seven strangers with dark secrets all seek temporary refuge at a run-down hotel where things start to unravel quickly. That's all you really need to know going in. You could teach a class on how this script works. From the tightly shot opening scene to the end, it maintains the suspense thoroughly. The cast here are all-around top tier players. Of course, Jeff Bridges brings his brand of seasoned old-timer swagger to this material. If nothing else, he has the most quotable line of dialogue in the whole picture. Lewis Pullman and Cynthia Erivo are welcome newcomers, providing this rough-and-tumble crime yarn with a necessary touch of empathy and humanity. Jon Hamm is good, even if I get the feeling he'd be great had his role been more substantial. And then, there's Chris Hemsworth. Call me cliche if you must; but, you've never seen him like this before. Equal charismatic and unsettling, he comes in near the end of the second act like a force of nature laying waste to everything and everyone in his path (not unlike the storm that rages outside the eponymous hotel). Oh yeah, and if you've seen Nick Offerman's name pop up in the trailer, don't get too excited. While his appearance is definitely a welcome one, his role is little more than a cameo that doesn't even last five minutes
With his sophomore effort, Goddard reveals himself to be even more accomplished as a director than he is as a writer and that's saying something when you go through his past body of work. There's an aura of confidence that's too hard to deny. It's rare when I say this: I geniunely didn't where this was going. All of the twists and turns are immensely satisfying (even if there are a few loose ends that should've been tied up). Michael Giachinno's score covers some interesting new ground when compared to his usual work and is used in an economical fashion. I automatically put this leagues above a good chunk a lot of contemporary thrillers or horror flicks just because it recognizes that silence can be just as effective as any overbearing soundtrack or obvious jump scare music (if not more so). Several key scenes chose to forego the score entirely much to their benefit. An early sequence with Jon Hamm exploring a newly discovered corridor in the hotel is unbearably tense for a myriad of reasons and this is one of them. Good lord, does this have some fantastic needle drops here. Think less the psychedelic rock, counterculture '60s and more upbeat, Motown '60s (although there's a couple great music cues involving the former once Hemsworth enters the actual narrative that are so well chosen and make his character even more memorable that it'd be a crime to give that away here). Seamus McGarvey really outdoes himself with the photography here, constantly finding interesting angles to show what is admittedly a limited setting and displaying a masterful use of lighting.
I've heard a lot of comparisons made to Tarantino's filmography leading up to this. While I understand and kind of agree with the sentiment, simply branding it as Tarantino Lite is way too dismissive. Especially when there are much more apropos similarities to filmmakers like late-era Alfred Hitchcock, Sam Fuller, the Coen brothers and Sam Peckinpah. Bits and pieces are certainly treading familiar ground; but, not to the point where it doesn't feel like its own thing. It's old and new in the best way possible. To put it simply, it feels like the most twisted novel James M. Cain never wrote. It's an intense, deliriously entertaining ride that's bound to warrant multiple viewings. Whether or not there's something more under what I took away from this first viewing remains to be seen. Nevertheless, I can comfortably say it's my favorite movie of 2018 thus far and to check in with it once again.
BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE gets an...
GRADE A CINEMATIC PULP out of TEN
*Believe me, this is one of the few contexts where the word "pleasant" gets anywhere near this picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment