Movies in Review: "Bad Times at the El Royale"

You ever watch a trailer and nothing that's happening in it makes any kind of sense, but you still find whatever is happening very intriguing? This is usually what a neo-noir thriller does for me, and I like it. I enjoy a film with a plot I can't figure out from the trailer, making me anticipate its release even more. I was definitely looking forward to seeing this movie the most. Not only did the plot look crazy, but the cast felt all over the place too. I had to see what bag of tricks this movie had under its sleeve. I can't say my expectations were high, I just needed to know what happened...lol.

This movie started out strange from the opening scene, but I liked it. The strangest character to me was Darlene Sweet the soul singer. Everyone else on-screen you can kind of figure out, but Sweet seemed out of place, at least at the beginning. The story keeps getting strange as more characters are getting introduced and the plot thickens. I like how we get a little backstory for each character, however some of the backstories felt a little unfinished. The lack of closure is enough to bother you a little, but not enough to completely ruin the film. This movie went nowhere I was expecting it to go, and I liked that part the best. I kept getting thrown off and surprised. So needless to say, this movie isn't short on thrills...lol.

This movie was definitely entertaining. If you are tired of the run of the mill thrillers and want something more, I suggest you check this one out. It's not perfect, and the ending was a little underwhelming, but it still packs a mean punch...B+