A brilliant hidden gem thriller movie is airing on TV tonight

Released in 2018, the film should have been a bigger hit.

Set in 1969, the film revolves around a group of strangers who find themselves staying at the El Royale, a once-popular but now essentially deserted hotel along the California-Nevada border.

These include what appears to be a Catholic priest (Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges, Tron), a soul singer (Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo, Wicked), 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, Thunderbolts*).

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, several secrets are revealed, kickstarting a chain of events that causes the characters to intersect with one another in dark and surprising ways.

Also featuring Chris Hemsworth (Thor) 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.

Holding a 75% Rotten Tomatoes score, the movie earned solid reviews but was not a box office hit.

The reasons for this are explored in this article, which we published to mark the film's fifth anniversary.

Goddard's thriller was 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 on TV tonight/tomorrow morning on Film4 at 12.20am. The movie is also available to stream on Disney+.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

28 Days Later - Sky Showcase - 9pm

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle's classic post-apocalyptic horror thriller about a young man (Cillian Murphy) who awakes from a coma in the UK after a zombie-like virus has swept the nation.

A sequel, titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, lands in cinemas this Wednesday. Check out JOE's article about it here.

Heat - Film4 - 9pm

In Michael Mann’s seminal heist thriller, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro finally shared the screen, albeit briefly.

De Niro plays a professional thief. Pacino plays the cop on his tail. The pair’s charisma, a stacked supporting cast and incredibly muscular action set-pieces make this an all-time classic.

Donnie Brasco - Legend - 9pm

The brilliant undercover cop drama starring the aforementioned Al Pacino, alongside Johnny Depp, that we recommended last month.

Picture Perfect - Comedy Central - 9pm

A ’90s rom-com starring Jennifer Aniston.

Turn your home into a cinema with this projector 

Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?

If so, then you may be interested in a home theatre projector we spotted on sale on Amazon with “impressive quality”.

The 4K projector has the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video built in, so you can access thousands of films and shows without an additional TV stick, and you can also connect it to Bluetooth on your phone and laptop.

It’s currently priced at €53.52 in a limited-time deal on the Amazon website.

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