Hotel Artemis 2018 ***

Scottish talent Drew Pearce has a low-profile considering the projects he’s been involved with; a story credit on Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is impressive, co-writing credits on Iron Man 3 even more so, given that both films revitalised franchises which were beginning to sag. Pearce’s Hotel Artemis project was derided as a John Wick knock-off, even though it was in development for some time before the hit-man action film landed; there is a similarity in the conceit in that, like the Continental Hotel in the Wick film, Hotel Artemis is a safe –space for assassins, run by a nurse (Jodie Foster) with her henchman (Dave Batistuta). The two physically mismatched players work well together, and support includes a notably villainous Jeff Goldblum in a role that’s not quote the crowd-pleaser that might be anticipated. The notion of the hotel under siege is not convincingly visualised, but the technology of the future is. Despite evidence of re-editing (some plot-lines just go nowhere) Hotel Artemis is a better film that’s its reputation suggests, with smart dialogue, an original conceit, and some fresh ideas that suggest that the best of Pearce’s work is yet to come.