With the riots in Los Angeles, a group of thieves arrived at the Artemis Hotel - a 13-storey hospital for criminals. The hotel is run by a skilled nurse who is good at dealing with technology.
Essentially a loving, highly stylized homage to the kind of camp apocalyptia John Carpenter used to make; the only thing missing here is an Ernest Borgnine cameo and Kurt Russell scowling in an eye patch.
Yes, it's a shameless ripoff of John Wick. But you know what? It's a pretty darn fun one, with a firm grip on what kind of movie it is: a violent, guilty-pleasure romp.
The narrative doesn't come together especially well, but the concept and ensemble are so wildly appealing, I'm dying to spend even more time at the Artemis.
Give credit to Pearce - who is no stranger to the action genre, having served as a writer on Iron Man 3 - for coaxing these performances out of his cast.
A hallway standoff late in the picture is one of the most satisfying things I've seen this year...Like the best pulp treasures, Hotel Artemis is gritty, thrilling and funny.
