MovieChat Forums > Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) Discussion > What exactly a detective was investigati...

What exactly a detective was investigating? [spoilers]

posted 6 years ago by Moviegoer101 (46)
18 replies | jump to latest

After watching the movie I was sort of dissapointed that details of a detective's mission weren't revealed.
There are several crimes which he might have been investigating:
1) Finding out hidden money by following Father Daniel.
Seems unlikely since he got there before the Father and he was interested primarily in the hotel itself.
2) A murder commited by Ruth. Unlikely as well since the murder took place somewhere else (Summerspring sisters were in that hotel for the first time) and detective was not interested in Emily at the beginning of the movie.
3) A source of dirty videos with celebrities. Kind of makes sense considering that he was searching for "bugs" and cameras in a room for newlyweds.

It seems that it's the 3rd option, but this theory has some flaws. Why have a chief officer ordered the detective to prevent guests from leaving? Why did secret services launch such a large scale operation against the hotel with spy cameras (it was mentioned that the hotel wasn't favored by celebrities for the last ten years or so. Also, nobody knew about a film with some politician involved except Miles)?

Perhaps the detective was investigating another crime which hasn't been revealed. What do you think?

[–] StoicJackal (3) 6 years ago

The CIA did not bug the entire hotel, but only the Honeymoon Suite, which is why the agent was entirely insistent on booking that particular room. The viewer is allowed to fill in the gaps, and infer that a particular intelligence mission had occured in that room in the past and, after so many years, this agent was sent to tie up loose ends and clear out the bugs after the coast had been clear.

It is assumed that his side-plot is a direct reference to the shady activities of the CIA during (and since) the Nixon era, most notably the wire-tapping scandal at the Watergate Hotel.

It was only while he had been collecting the agency's bugs, that he noticed similar bugs planted by the hotel staff, which suggests that they were not in place during the initial bugging of the room by the CIA.

The presence of all of the other characters were purely incidental to his mission and coincidental to his arrival, save for him being a relatively moral individual who decided to rescue a kidnappee, and save for the concierge who had an obvious connection to the reason the agent stuck around after completing his mission - the extra surveillance and secret passageway which peaked his interest.

[–] Moviegoer101 (46) 6 years ago

Thank you, sir. It makes much more sense now

[–] JepGambardella (466) 6 years ago

Sorry to nitpick but I must point out that it was the FBI, not the CIA. The CIA (in principle) doesn't operate within the borders of the US. Furthermore, the agent specifically asks for Mr. Hoover, who was director of the FBI for decades.

[–] StoicJackal (3) 6 years ago

You're right. I tend to naturally interchange the bureaucratic facets of the American fascism. Cesspools all look the same when you're standing on the shore.

[–] Tyalt (280) 5 years ago

StoicJackass, you're a hoot!

[–] kamal2espn (2) 6 years ago

I believe they were looking for the film Father Daniel discovered. Hoover asked Jon Hamm's character if there was any film in the projector.

It must have been an important person who was filmed doing something bad.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7411) 6 years ago

Yeah, kamal2espn. I wish we could've found out who that guy was. All we know is he was already dead. I'm almost wondering if it was John F. Kennedy. There are rumors about how he had affairs with other women.

[–] JackWily (6) 5 years ago

GreenGoblinsOck8
I think you're right, it was strongly implied that it was JFK. Someone said the VIP in the film was dead. JFK had been killed approximately 6 years prior.

[–] seal412 (335) 5 years ago

It can't be JFK. Cuz the boy Miles said he had met him. Unless Miles was working in 1961-1963, went to Nam and came back to the same job, it's not JFK.

It's set in 1969, my guess? Bobby Kennedy or MLK

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7411) 5 years ago

It's not that much of a time gap to say Miles met him 6 years ago before he died. But there's no way of knowing who it was since the movie doesn't tell us.

[–] 2coolhipdude (101) 5 years ago

You could also include what Miles said about seeing a senator beat a whore. Robert Kennedy was a senator, MLK was not.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

Well, since the El Royale was obviously based on the real-life Cal-Neva Lodge, which was owned by Frank Sinatra during the sixties, it'd be the last place you'd find RFK. He and Sinatra were not friends during that time period, to put it politely.

It was THE place to party in the early sixties, celebrities and politicians and Mafiosi went there, it definitely sounded like the sort of place a US senator would go if they wanted to beat up a whore... if they weren't on Sinatra's enemies list. Illegal activities were definitely tolerated by the owners, in fact, I've heard some very nasty rumors that have trickled down the years.

[–] MNRebecca (750) 5 years ago

Senator beats a whore...mafiosi...suddenly I'm reminded of Senator Geary's fate in GODFATHER II.

[–] MNRebecca (750) 5 years ago

Well, since the El Royale was obviously based on the real-life Cal-Neva Lodge, which was owned by Frank Sinatra during the sixties, it'd be the last place you'd find RFK. He and Sinatra were not friends during that time period, to put it politely.

Wait. You may be wrong! From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Neva_Lodge_%26_Casino:

"The FBI already had the lodge under investigation at the time due to the connection to Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., who was staying there at the time that Sinatra's deal was finalized. There were concerns that Kennedy was involved in the arrangement of a casino for use by the American mafia.[32] The FBI suspected that the expansion was made using funds borrowed from Jimmy Hoffa.[33] Following a request by Robert Kennedy, who had concerns over the press coverage of his and his brother's relationships with Marilyn Monroe, Sinatra made accommodation available for her for a weekend prior to her death on August 4, 1962.[34] During this period she was not allowed to leave and only Giancana was allowed to visit her. Even her former husband, Joe DiMaggio, was turned away.[35] She attempted suicide through a pill overdose, but she contacted the reception desk, and was rushed to hospital where she had her stomach pumped.[36] The cabin, known as Monroe's, and another, known as Sinatra's, are still part of the guest accommodation.[15] Also in that year, a federal investigation took place into a prostitution ring being run from the foyer of the Cal Neva.[36]"

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

There are some very nasty rumors still floating around Monroe and her weekend at the Cal-Neva lodge, even now. I'm actually kind of surprised that "Bad Times" didn't refer to those rumors, that I noticed.

As for the rift between Sinatra and RFK, that would have happened around 1961, but that doesn't mean that Joe Kennedy didn't keep up a business relationship with certain people.

[–] Moviegoer101 (46) 6 years ago

Sorry to disagree, but Miles told Father Daniels that no one except him knew about the film. I believe Hoover asked about the film after Jon Hamm's character mentioned a hidden projector in the observation corridor.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 6 years ago

The only things that were interesting in the film were Hamm's investigation (which went nowhere) and the scene where they cover the treasure dig via singing.

Loved the movie for the first 30 minutes or so. Then it flattened out into a disservice to some very good characters. End was rotten. Good idea. Clunky realization. 5/10

[–] Vechtersbaas (550) 6 years ago

I agree. I think looking at the reviews and reception, that the movie is overrated.