Bad Times At The El Royale

I gotta admit, I had reservations about clicking "rent this movie," with my remote control.

I paused, considered it, then thought about it some more. Placed my thumb on the "enter" button then pulled it off more than once. I bit my lip and made that duck-lips thing I do when I'm perplexed.

I weighed the pros and cons:

Pro:
1. The movie stars Jeff Bridges, an actor who never disappoints me;
2. Jon Hamm has as supporting role, and Hamm seems drawn to solid roles in solid movies;
3. Drew Goddard wrote and directed the film noir thriller. (That mighta shoulda been listed as #1.)

Con:
1. I don't particularly like flicks described as film noir;
2. Dakota Johnson has a major role;
3. I read Chris Hemsworth speaks with an American English accent;
4. A photo of a near shirtless Chris Hemsworth dons the movie poster (and I'm immediately insecure);
5. There's no sign or mention of Mjolnir;
6. Cailee Spaeny and Lewis Pullman who?;
7. Nick Offerman is listed in the credits without Megan Mullally;
8. The flick lost money during its theater run.

So clearly, the rental was dicey at best. But, I took the chance. I popped the corn, poured the cold Diet Coke, turned down the lights and pressed "enter."

Unlike most bets I make in my life, this one paid off. Bad Times At The El Royale is a terrific film, noir or not.

Goddard tells a complicated, interesting story in a way that allows the audience to follow easily and to connect with each character. Jeff Bridges is (as usual) remarkable, while Jon Hamm and Chris Hemsworth bring memorable performances. Dakota Johnson and Lewis Pullman impress in supporting roles integral to the film.

But Cynthia Erivo is the heart of this movie! And she delivers for the audience every second she's on the screen.

In an age of ultra-cool and realistic special effects, Bad Times At The El Royale thrills the way a movie is supposed to thrill -- with a great plot, terrific performances, unexpected twists and turns, and characters with which the audience can feel connected. Add to that some really quirky aspects (the hotel is built on the geographic divide between Nevada and California, a plot device used well several times in the movie) and dense, well written dialogue and you have a really satisfying flick.

Even if it lost money at the box office.