Bad Times At The El Royale Review: 6 Ups & 2 Downs

5. Drew Goddard's Ambitious Direction

"Tarantino-esque" is a descriptor that's been applied to literally hundreds of films over the last 25 years, and while it's usually a derisive term, in the case of this movie it's a complimentary label that fits perfectly.

Goddard has clearly taken a lot of cues from the esteemed filmmaker as both writer and director. In addition to the film's square focus on a diverse ensemble of characters, it's also unconventionally structured, delving deep into the pasts of each character before their stories start to converge with scenes that overlap.

Aided by some fantastic editing, this is one of the year's most ambitious directorial efforts from an on-the-rise filmmaker working a relatively low budget (around $32 million).

Hopefully the director's next project will similarly attempt to challenge audiences with its unconventional approach to both its plot and characters, undeniably indebted to Tarantino though it is.