The question isn’t: “Is this a Quentin Tarantino rip-off?” It is. That should have been a “well, duh” from the time you saw the word “Royale” in the title. The question is: “If a Tarantino rip-off is well done, isn’t that better than 90% of the stuff out there?” And the answer to that is F*** YEAH!
Bad Times at the El Royale is certainly a Tarantino homage if not a Tarantino game plan: chaptered, violent, scenes told from different POVs, and a spotlight on vintage music. This film has all the trappings of Quentin shy the nuanced dialogue; but even that’s not a Bad Time. The El Royale itself is a has-been Lake Tahoe motel having the quirk of lying split down the middle of the California/Nevada state border. I’m pretty sure all the sinnin’ happens in Nevada, of course. Guests may choose to spend the night either in the one state or the other, not that anybody slept a wink in this film. The hotel contains many secrets, only one of which we get to see immediately – ten years ago, a gangster hid a sack of dough under a guest room floorboard, covered his work smartly, and then was shot. When the action starts up again, we can bet that at least one of the three initial guests knows all about it.
First, there’s traveling vacuum salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm). Even in the 1960s, people didn’t really go to Tahoe just to sell vacuums door-to-door, did they? He’s probably hiding something. Then, there’s Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges). What man of the cloth chooses the El Sleazo café? He’s probably hiding something. The initial trio rounds out with lounge singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo). She seems on the up-and-up, but you just know that if she’s in this film, she’s hiding something, too.
Laramie checks into the honeymoon suite, alone, and immediately deprives it of twelve (12) planted listening devices. Well, there’s a laundry list of questions to ask – What vacuum salesman is concerned with bugging? How did he know bugs were in the room? How did he know when to stop? And, most importantly, if he were so concerned with bug volume, why didn’t he just choose a smaller room? I’m confused.
Pulling up shop late is Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), who is almost certainly hiding something in that ridiculous contradictory surname of hers. She unpacks weapons, troubles, and a kidnapee when she pushes into a room at the far end of the Nevada side. A lesser film would have sought to exploit Dakota’s sexuality. In fact, I’ve seen three to five versions of that exact lesser film already. Bad Times at the El Royale took advantage of something much sexier, IMHO, Cynthia Erivo’s voice, with several well-placed 60s Motown renditions. This is the difference between a film that just wants to make a buck and a film that wants you to remember the story.
The secrets are many; the action is rapid; the fireworks don’t start until Laramie discovers the kidnapping; but 
they never really cease after that point despite the film’s insistence upon at least four different back stories. This could have confused and frustrated an audience. Bad Times, however, edited and directed just right so the pieces all make sense when spliced in the correct order. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned Thor yet. Yeah, this thing ain’t over until the Aussie Norse God with a Malibu accent sings … and when I say “sings,” I mean “screws everybody.”
I don’t know if Bad Times at the El Royale will make my top-10 this year. It’s probably a near miss. But fans of Tarantino, violence, and excellent narrative should consider this a must see. You probably aren’t going to get a better picture of the Pulp Fiction variety in 2018.
♪I need plot, plot
Whoa to ease this clime
And I need to bide time
Sometimes to find rhymes
My mojo said, “You can’t hurry blood
No decapitate
It said, “Blood can come easy
But it can spoil your give and take”
You can’t hurry blood
Save that for scene one-eight
Just trust exposition
And hope your writing is great♫
Rated R, 141 Minutes
Director: Drew Goddard
Writer: Drew Goddard
Genre: Qopying Quentin
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Quentin Tarantino
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Godsquaders
♪ Parody Inspired by “You Can’t Hurry Love”
