Rating: B+
If you are looking for something a little different at the box office then check yourself into Hotel Artemis. This film sets us just a bit into the future where LA is being ravaged by riots due to the increasingly expensive cost of water. In the center of the chaos is the Hotel Artemis, an elite members-only emergency room for criminals. Run by Jean Thomas aka The Nurse (Jodie Foster) this place operates much like a prison hospital. Everything is very locked down and secure, the members are given aliases when they check in and a set of strict rules must be followed at all times. What is usually a smooth operation starts to spiral out of control as some of the most dangerous people in LA find themselves all patients in the Artemis with the world outside falling apart around them.
This movie was a lot of fun. It packs a great cast and has a pretty original story to work with. With the acting talents of Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Jeff Goldblum, David Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, and Zachary Quinto you pack a lot of talent into this film. I went into this one not really knowing much about what I was going to see and came out pleasantly surprised by home much I enjoyed this movie. There is plenty of action to keep any action buff satisfied. There are plenty interesting characters that keep the plot moving along. Sofia Boutella as Nice is a complete badass. You may remember her from Atomic Blonde with Charlize Theron. Sterling K. Brown as Waikiki is always good (besides I legit love this guy as an actor). The Nurse's right-hand man is called Everest (David Bautista) who brings the voice of reason to much of the scenes he is in.
You definitely won't have time to get bored in this film. Everything moves pretty quickly and the director has a great way of keeping you anticipating what is coming next. When we learn that the man who runs all of LA's big crime family is headed to the hotel it is an endless countdown until his motorcade is at the gates. If that isn't enough to keep you into the film then the growing tension inside the Artemis between a few of its guests should do the trick. Add in our head nurse who is struggling to keep ahold of herself and the realization that there is a cop at the door who knows more than they should keep the pot stirring nicely.
This movie was a lot of fun to watch. Is it the most realistic of tales? Maybe and maybe not, but it is still a solid fun action crime thriller. Jodie Foster really shines in this movie and it is great seeing her on screen in a role that she shows a little bit of humanity unlike what we have seen her in lately. Do yourself a solid favor and check into Hotel Artemis this weekend. You won't regret it.
Hotel Artemis opens in theaters everywhere June 8th.