I would have sworn this futuristic crime thriller was adapted from a graphic novel—there’s the same fatalistic humor, the same sense of greasy dystopia—but it was penned for the screen by Drew Pearce, a British writer who makes his directing debut after laboring on the Iron Man and Mission: Impossible franchises. In the year 2028, as Los Angeles is consumed by rioting, three wounded criminals (Sterling K. Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Charlie Day) arrive at the Hotel Artemis, a former art deco hotel now used as a secret, exclusive underground hospital, where members can get medical treatment from the alcoholic nurse who runs the place (Jodie Foster in a crabbed, jittery performance that holds the film together). The tension builds with the arrival of a wounded police officer (Jenny Slate), whom the nurse admits for personal reasons against her better judgment, and the also-wounded criminal kingpin who set up the operation (Jeff Goldblum), attended by his antsy, brown-nosing son (Zachary Quinto in the film’s funniest performance).
Hotel Artemis
R • 1 hour 34 min • 2018
