Taglines: All Roads Lead Here.
In 1969, Catholic priest Daniel Flynn, singer Darlene Sweet, salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan, and the sarcastic Emily Summerspring arrive at the El Royale, where they meet the hotel’s only employee, Miles Miller.
Upon checking into the honeymoon suite, Sullivan (in reality an FBI agent named Dwight Broadbeck, sent to remove illegal surveillance equipment of unknown origin in one of the rooms) discovers a passageway leading into a corridor looking onto one-way mirrors in each of the hotel’s rooms, as well as a 16mm camera setup. Broadbeck witnesses an apparent kidnapping in progress in Emily’s room; he is instructed not to interfere with the kidnapping, and to sabotage the guests’ vehicles to prevent any of them from escaping.
Meanwhile, Flynn invites Sweet to join him for dinner. She sees him spiking her drink and knocks him unconscious with a bottle, running out of the hotel to escape. Miles finds Flynn and reveals to him the secret passageway, afterwards explaining that “management” has instructed him to film the guests and send the footage to them. However, he chose to hold back one particularly incriminating film reel of a recently deceased public figure.
Against orders, Broadbeck attempts to rescue Emily’s hostage, who is revealed to be her younger sister, Rose. Emily opens fire on Broadbeck, killing him and accidentally injuring Miles who was watching from behind the mirror. Sweet attempts to escape in her car after witnessing the murder, but Flynn arrives. He reveals that he is really a criminal named Donald O’Kelly, who was imprisoned after a botched robbery ten years earlier.
Recently freed on parole, O’Kelly has returned to the El Royale in priest garb to retrieve the money which his brother Felix had hidden there before being killed in a double cross ten years earlier – but owing to his failing memory he can’t recall which room it was in. He had attempted to drug Sweet to gain access to her room, believing the cash to be buried there.
The two agree to split the cash amongst themselves. In the lobby, Emily and Rose, having discovered the corridor, interrogate Miles about the surveillance operation. It is revealed that Emily has forcibly removed her sister from a cult led by Billy Lee, a sadistic but charismatic figure responsible for a string of murders in Malibu. However, Rose reveals that she has already called Billy about their location.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a 2018 American neo-noir thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Drew Goddard. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Nick Offerman and Chris Hemsworth. Set in 1969, the plot follows seven strangers each hiding dark secrets, who come to a head one night in a shady hotel on the California-Nevada border.
Bad Times at the El Royale premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 27, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 12, 2018.[4] Although a box office failure, grossing $31.6 million worldwide against its 32 million budget, it received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its acting and Goddard’s screenplay and direction, although some reviewers criticized the 141-minute runtime and pacing.
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Directed by: Drew Goddard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Jeff Bridges, Cailee Spaeny, Cynthia Erivo, Cailee Spaeny, Shea Whigham, Charles Halford, Alvina August, Gerry Nairn, Jim O’Heir
Screenplay by: Drew Goddard
Production Design by: Martin Whist
Cinematography by: Seamus McGarvey
Film Editing by: Lisa Lassek
Costume Design by: Danny Glicker
Set Decoration by: Hamish Purdy
Art Direction by: Michael Diner, Lisa Van Velden
Music by: Michael Giacchino
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity.
Disstributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: October 12, 2018
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