Bad Times At The El Royale (2018)

A man enters a hotel room on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada and buries a suitcase under the floor but he is killed shortly afterward. Jump ten years later and a group of disparate strangers check into the once thriving hotel, each with their own backstory but their lives will soon crash into each others and not all of them will make it out alive. Written and directed by Drew Goddard (CABIN IN THE WOODS), this is a piece of celluloid dynamite! Framed with chapters (each focused on a particular character), this at first seems Tarantino territory but Goddard gives us a fresh composite thriller that keeps you riveted for its near 2 1/2 hour running time. Beware of first impressions because almost no one turns out to be what they seem. The cast is the very definition of ensemble with each actor taking center stage when it's their time but working as an entity to the film's structure. Performances are ace. After coasting on his laurels, Jeff Bridges gives his best performance in years, remember the name Cynthia Erivo because this girl is poised for stardom (she's terrific in WIDOWS too). Everyone at the top of their game including Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Lewis Pullman and Cailee Spaeny. It's the kind of movie where it's best knowing as little as possible going in!