While the situation may (or may not) have been lifted from Tarantino, the style of writing belongs to writer-director Drew Goddard, who creates a small world with only a passing relationship to our own. Five strangers and a hotel clerk meet at the deserted El Royale, and each has a secret that will be exposed on the long, stormy - and ultimately violent - night that follows. It's intriguing - if a little slow - to begin with, but runs out of steam with the arrival of Chris Hemsworth as a Manson-like cult leader with the haziest of agendas. There are some decent twists, though - and one truly terrifying jump scare - and Jeff Bridges steals every scene that he's in.
Review of Bad Times at the El Royale
