Hotel Artemis (Dir. Drew Pierce, 1h 34m)

Hotel Artemis, if nothing else, is an intriguing curio of a film-set in the near future in a Los Angeles torn by riots caused by the privatisation of water, and focusing upon the titular hotel, a refuge for injured and recovering criminals, it's an...intriguing picture, despite its shaky identity. Nevertheless, it's a well-wrought, surprisingly claustrophobic character piece, where the tensions between a gaggle of assassins, armsdealers and petty crooks within the hospital reach breaking point with the arrival of the crimelord king of Los Angeles, with whom each has unfinished business.

The key problem with Hotel Artemis is its identity. Is it a critique of American society-at one point, Jodie Foster's Nurse, the custodian of the hotel, quips about the majority of her wards being injured by guns, whilst the film's concept critiques private healthcare and the continuing greed of companies after resources, as well as raising the spectre of the 1994 LA riots. Is it a character piece? Certainly, Pierce gives us a rogue's gallery, from Foster's (impressively aged up via makeup) alcoholic, agoraphobic and grieving nurse, who shuffles the corridors, but who slowly reveals a sterner, steelier and more determined side to herself, to the criminals themselves.

Here, the film's $15 million budget does belie itself a tad, despite the clear quality of the talent, as we're restricted to three main characters, from Charlie Day's enjoyably crazed, coked-out-of-his-mind South American armsdealer, Acapulco, who chews, swears, and flirts his way through the hotel's scenery like his life depends upon it, to Sofia Boutella's femme-fatale assassin, Nice, who works for voyeuristic employers, but who is slowly revealed to be more than simply a tool of execution for powerful men, to the film's other major protagonist, Waikiki, played by Sterling K Brown, who acts as the centre of the film, as former lover to Nice, protector of his younger brother, badly injured in a botched bank robbery, and catalyst for much that occurs in the film.

However, by far and away the key scene stealer is Jeff Goldblum's Wolf King, who despite being little more than an extended cameo is equal parts charming and terrifying-and in his character, the film has its third identity, as a revenge thriller, with two of our four main characters in Hotel Artemis' stories tied up with his arrival, whilst the Nurse's connection to him is complex, and excellently eked out over the film's admittedly short running time. It is also here that the film feels most cohesive, most sure of itself, and where the parlour bickering between Waikiki, Acupulco and Nice boils over into the shockingly violent, with the Wolf King's weakwilled son, and his thugs threatening the safety of the building, whilst a chance encounter with an injured cop from the Nurse's path threatens the very existence of the Hotel. Needless to say, the film's denouement pulls the three threads of plot together excellently, in a visceral, fun, and extremely violent final act.

Within Hotel Artemis, with a bigger budget, a longer running time, and a slightly clearer, more focused story, is a truly exceptional film. Nevertheless, for all its rough-spun, low budget thrills and splattered violence, it's an intriguing debut for Pierce, and an interesting curio of a film.

Rating: Recommended.