The other ace in the hole is Miles, played by Bill Pullman's son, Lewis. The movie's canny use of echoey sound makes her songs all the more heartbreaking. When she cuts loose and sings in her room, all the characters stop and listen. She's a real surprise in that she's actually not a criminal, though she certainly has a troubled past. A sequence involving a kind of secret room is mesmerizing, especially when it involves Darlene. And, despite the presence of such commanding actors as Hamm, Bridges, and Hemsworth, the characters are somehow a little flat.īut the movie is cleverly designed, with a fascinating use of space and sound. More flashbacks have the effect of stopping the movie dead in its tracks. Written and directed by Drew Goddard, Bad Times at the El Royale starts with a bang - a flashback featuring Nick Offerman - and then slows down for a long time. Part Agatha Christie and part Quentin Tarantino, this multi-character crime/chamber piece is too long, with too many stops and starts, but it has enough inspired moments to make it worth a look. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails. The director ( Drew Goddard) and cast ( Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, and more) will no doubt appeal to many, and while it's a bit flat in places, there's enough here to make it worth a viewing for mature moviegoers.

A character is shown passed out with a needle sticking out of his arm, and there's fairly frequent smoking and drinking (whiskey). Language is very strong, with many uses of 'f-k,' 's-t,' and more. There are also spoken references to sex/sex acts and prostitutes. A man is shown naked in silhouette nothing sensitive is visible.

Women are shot, punched, and tied up, and a war flashback includes hundreds of dead bodies. You'll see lots of guns and shooting (including murders via shotgun), bloody wounds, blood spatters, death, punching and hitting, knives, and stabbing. Parents need to know that Bad Times at the El Royale is a Tarantino-esque crime movie with tons of stylized, over-the-top violence.

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