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 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 appear 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 breakthrough to audiences.
If you’re curious to check out the crime thriller, it is airing tonight on Film4 at 10.55pm. It is also available to stream on Disney+.
Here are the other movies on TV tonight:
The Amazing Spider-Man – Sky Showcase – 8pm
The one with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.
Boiling Point – Film4 – 9pm
The incredibly stressful restaurant-set drama thriller starring Stephen Graham that wound up getting a TV spin-off.
The Hatton Garden Job – Legend – 9pm
A UK crime film dramatising the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary in London in April 2015.
The Iron Mask – Legend Xtra – 9pm
Also known as Viy 2: Journey to China, this Russian-Chinese blockbuster features amongst its cast Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charles Dance, Jackie Chan, Jason Flemyng and Rutger Hauer.
The Outlaw Josey Wales – ITV4 – 10pm
The incredible Clint Eastwood Western epic we’ve recommended before.
Piercing – Legend Xtra – 11.20pm
This very dark and stylish 2018 psychological thriller focuses on a married man (Christopher Abbott) who rents a hotel room and hires the services of a sex worker with sinister intentions.
The tables quickly become turned, however, when the sex worker (Mia Wasikowska) arrives and has her own agenda.
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