What do you get when you lettop-tier actors run uninhibitedin a crime-ridden hotel for a succinct ninety minutes? You get an absolute blast.Hotel Artemis, a 2018 thriller that flew relatively low under the radar, is currently streaming for free, and if you missed it, you need to check it out. The film’s writer/director,Drew Pearce, is best known for putting pen to paper, lending his talent for screenplays toIron Man 3,The Fall Guy, and theHobbs & Shawspin-off for the Fast & Furious franchise.
If you’re an avid MCU fan, you’re likely fond of theMarvel One-Shotshort films that were common in the pre-Avengers:Endgameera, meaning you may already be familiar with Pearce’s directing without even knowing it. Pearce directedAll Hail the King, the hilarious MCU short that dove deeper intoBen Kingsley’s fake Mandarin, Trevor Slattery. WithHotel Artemis,Pearce’s first major featureas a director, it seems like everything was unabashedly thrown at the wall to see what sticks, and what stuck is a thrilling, energetic riot. We shouldn’t be surprised, considering heavy hitters likeJodie Foster,Sterling K. Brown,Brian Tyree Henry,Dave Bautista, andJeff Goldblum— to name a few — signed on to star.
What Is ‘Hotel Artemis’ About?
In thenot-so-distant future of 2028, Los Angeles is in disarray as law enforcement, rogue criminals, and rioters clash. After the city decides to privatize its water resources, violent protests erupt. Sherman (Brown) and his brother Lev (Henry), both criminals of a sophisticated nature, use the unrest as an opportunity to perform a bank heist that goes wrong. Lev is critically injured in the ensuing gunfire, sothey seek refuge and treatment at the only place that would safely accept them:the Hotel Artemis.
Under strict management by Jean (Foster), who goes simply by The Nurse, the Hotel Artemis serves thecriminal, shady, and wealthy eliteof Los Angeles' underbelly. With her loyal orderly, Everest (Bautista) by her side,Hotel Artemis is heavily secured and open to members only.Rules like “no killing other guests” and “no weapons allowed” must be abided. Things get considerably dicey when Los Angeles' criminal kingpin, The Wolfking (Goldblum), and a host of volatile clientele draw near.
Jodie Foster Is on Another Level When She’s Allowed To Have Fun
The first time we see The Nurse exit the hotel, frantically attempting to retrieve an injured Officer Daniels (Jenny Slate), she’s shaking with nerves and breathing erratically. On her way down the elevator and into the alleyway, she plays a guided meditation track in her earpiece. The Nurse takes her position seriously, she’s steadfast and dedicated to the rules, but she’s not without a slew of quirks. Her odd and colorful natureoffers Jodie Foster a wonderful sandboxto play in.
The two-time Academy Award winner is most often lauded for her more serious roles; everyone knows she can effortlessly tackledour narratives.The Accused,The Silence of the Lambs,Taxi Driver,Panic Roomare proof that Foster commits with an unrelenting intensity that bolsters any project she touches, most recently taking onTrue Detectiveand raising the series' already incredibly high bar.
Why Jodie Foster Replaced Nicole Kidman in David Fincher’s ‘Panic Room’
Jodie Foster to the rescue!
WithHotel Artemis, Foster takes the reins of the fictional stronghold’s neurotic agoraphobe,juggling a fierce sense of authority with a gentle, unintentionally humorous side (though intentional on the writer’s part, of course) that’s somehow simultaneously bumbling and capable. As the central figurehead, Foster plays off nearly everyone in the cast, creating a specific, delightful chemistry with each one. The dynamic between her andBautista’s Everestis a particular favorite. With their jarringly differing stature and demeanor, the two are a surprisingly well-melded duo.
‘Hotel Artemis’ Is Fast-Paced, Tons of Fun, and Never Takes Itself Too Seriously
Hotel Artemiscould be classified as semi-sci-fi, carrying elements of the genre without stretching far from our current reality. As a not-too-far-fetched dystopian thriller,Hotel Artemisoffers a set of rules and circumstances that are like a playground for its audience. When the lore feels rich,we have no problem believing the backstories of a large ensemble.The Nurse and Everest may be colleagues, but there’s a palpable level of mother-and-son love. The rivalry betweenAcapulco (Charlie Day)andNice (Sofia Boutella)began long before the start of the film, but everyone inHotel Artemisbelieves in their world, so we do, too. And the cloud of fearful respect that precedes Goldblum’s entrance as The Wolfking plays out like a boogeyman tale that’s all too real.
This is up your alley if you enjoy movies likeDreddor theJohn Wickfranchise. Similarly, those films take realistic settings and injectimaginative societiesinto them. They’re full of gritty, violent sequences,but they never take themselves all that seriously.Dreddzeroes in on a high-rise apartment complex in a post-apocalyptic world, where the militarized police force of “Judges” maintains order.John Wickfollows its titular former assassin (Keanu Reeves) who’s sucked back into the widespread incognito network of criminal syndicates. Hopping across the world from one hotel to another, properties of the Continental chain, the assassins ofJohn Wicklive by a set of rules, not unlike the guests ofHotel Artemis.
Sometimes you’re in the mood for science fiction that follows a mysterious, gradual reveal of the narrative’s reality, but there’s a unique type of enjoyment to be discoveredin movies likeHotel Artemis. Really, it deserves to be classified as a subgenre of its own: action films that list a fantastical set of rules upfront, which we then easily accept, sit back, and enjoy.
Hotel Artemis
