Released just over five years ago, we’re still confused as to why this wasn’t a bigger hit.
Our TV movie pick for tonight (Saturday, 21 December) is Bad Times at El Royale, the sadly underseen 2018 neo-noir crime thriller from writer-director Drew Godard (The Cabin in the Woods, The Martian).
Set in 1969, the film centres around a group of strangers who find themselves staying at the El Royale, a once popular but now basically deserted hotel along the California-Nevada border.
These include what appears to be a Catholic priest (Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges), a soul singer (Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo), a travelling salesman (Mad Men’s Jon Hamm), two hippie sisters (Cailee Spaeny and Dakota Johnson) and the hotel’s sole desk clerk (Lewis Pullman).
It soon becomes clear, however, that each of these people has a dark past and that there is more to some than meets the eye.
Over the course of one fateful night at the hotel, secrets are revealed which kickstart a chain of events that causes the characters to intersect with each other in dark and surprising ways.
Also featuring Chris Hemsworth in a major role, Bad Times at the El Royale’s ensemble cast, its twisty time-shuffling screenplay, its beautiful period decor and its highly stylised direction make it a must-watch for fans of Quentin Tarantino’s work.
That said, while it earned solid reviews – it currently holds a 75% Rotten Tomatoes score – it was not a box-office hit, the reasons for which we explored in this article published on the movie’s fifth anniversary.
Released around the same time as the blockbusters A Star is Born, Halloween (2018) and Venom – all based on previous IP – this perhaps made it difficult for the more original El Royale to break through to audiences.
If you’re curious to check out the crime thriller, it is airing tonight on Film4 at 11.05pm. It is also available to stream on Disney+.
Here are the other movies on TV tonight:
Die Hard 2 – RTÉ2 – 9pm
Like the first Die Hard, this is also a Christmas film.
The Wedding Singer – Comedy Central – 9pm
This classic ’90s comedy tells the story of a wedding singer (Adam Sandler) who falls in love with a waitress (Drew Barrymore).
The River Wild – Legend Xtra – 9pm
While on a white-water rafting holiday, a young family (including Meryl Streep) are taken hostage by fugitives (one of whom is Kevin Bacon) in this great ’90s thriller we’ve also recommended before.
Honest Thief – Film4 – 9pm
Liam Neeson stars as an honest thief.
Bohemian Rhapsody – Channel 4 – 9.20pm
Rami Malek won an Oscar for playing Freddie Mercury in this biopic.
Love Actually – Sky Showcase – 9.20pm
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again – TG4 – 9.45pm
A sequel to the smash hit musical rom-com based around Abba songs.
Herself – RTÉ One – 9.55pm
Kin’s Clare Dunne wrote and starred in this acclaimed Irish drama about a single mother who decides to build her own house.
The Night Before – Comedy Central – 11pm
In this funny festive comedy, three lifelong friends (Anthony Mackie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen) spend the night in New York City on Christmas Eve looking for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.
Out of the Furnace – Legend – 11pm
This underrated, star-studded crime thriller sees Christian Bale and Casey Affleck play brothers who have fallen on hard times and wind up on the wrong side of a vicious crime lord (Woody Harrelson).
Cats – RTÉ2 – 11.15pm
A cat-astrophe.
Jane Eyre – BBC Four – 11.15pm
The 2011 version with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.
Eddie the Eagle – BBC One – 11.40pm
A biographical sports comedy with Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton.
Gosford Park – RTÉ One – 11.45pm
Legendary director Robert Altman (The Long Goodbye, Short Cuts) directs this gripping murder mystery set over a weekend in the 1930s at the titular British country estate.
Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Kelly Macdonald, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Richard E. Grant are among the incredible cast.
Alien 3 – ITV4 – 11.50pm
David Fincher’s underrated, super bleak entry in the classic sci-fi horror franchise.
Read more:
- Jack Black and Paul Rudd to star in reboot of ’90s action thriller cult classic
- Best Christmas movie of recent years quietly streaming on Netflix
- 10 great, underseen 2024 movies and where you can stream them
- Incredibly underrated thriller with huge twist is on TV tonight
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