As borne out by the fact that once Darlene and Daniel go inside to check in, they’re met by an obnoxiously garrulous appliance salesman named Laramie who’s been cooling his heels in the lobby while no staff members manifest themselves. The Nevada side is the one with a casino, although the license for this one has expired. The lodging is built on top of the border between Nevada and California, and the hotel rooms are especially styled for each side. A title card says “Ten Years Later” and it’s a sunny day and we know that whatever’s in that duffel bag is still under the floor at what we now know to be the El Royale.Ī novel feature of the place is discussed by the first two characters we meet, Jeff Bridges’ Father Daniel Flynn and Cynthia Erivo’s Darlene Sweet. Apparently this fellow is unaware of what the now dead guy has been up to. Another man arrive and kills the poor fellow who buried the bag. In a series of jump-cut shots all from the same camera position we see the man move all the furniture to one end of the room, roll up the carpet, pull up the floorboards, leave the duffel bag under the floor, put the room back together again, and wait. A man in a trenchcoat with a bloodied arm enters, carrying duffel bags. A shot of a room in a relatively upscale motor hotel. The movie opens with a teasing set piece that’s well executed and promising.

His new picture, the second feature he’s both written and directed, is called “Bad Times at the El Royale,” and it’s an unfortunately apt demonstration of what can befall a clever filmmaker who gets too clever.

Drew Goddard, who wrote the screenplays for “ Cloverfield” and “ The Martian” and wrote and directed “ The Cabin in the Woods,” is a very clever filmmaker.

The casino el royale