I found this film well-written, directed, and acted, containing intelligently done misdirections that change the course of the narrative and mess with the expectations of the audience. Much like the TV series Lost, the characters in Bad Times interact and collide in the present time before we’re given their back stories, adding to the suspense and rising tension of the film, and the revelations at the very end are just as important as the ones which occur during the thick of the narrative. However, this movie could have been edited down to the standard two hours without subtracting from the plot and without editing out the excellent music therein.
Much like the US-Swedish film Midsommar, Bad Times at the El Royale is a great movie unrelieved by lighter moments which might have allowed the audience to relax and renew their emotional energy to prepare for the next action scenes. All in all, Bad Times an excellent movie well done, one that I have no desire to see again, but one that I am glad I watched for the first time.
Here is the link to the movie in IMDB (warning, spoilers!):
Julia French 