Opened: October 9, 2012

Directed by: Sebastian Gutierrez

Starring: Rufus Sewell, Malin Åkerman, Carla Gugino, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Connolly, Robert Forster, Mandy Moore & Michael B. Jordan

Though the characters – and the stellar actors portraying them – are interesting, there’s nothing in Hotel Noir to really compel you to keep watching.

In 1958 Los Angeles, a detective named Felix (Rufus Sewell) waits in a downtown hotel while hitmen come to pursue him. He’s hoping to escape with dancer Swedish Mary (Malin Åkerman) but while waiting, he gets entangled with singer Hanna (Carla Gugino).

The storylines are continually intertwining, which makes for good surprises, and there are some fun twists at the end. However, you can feel the movie trying to make itself mysterious rather than letting the audience fall into it.

Gugino is knows how to be in a noir-type film best. But the real scene-stealers are Danny DeVito as a suicidal painter and Rosario Dawson as the hotel maid performing extracurriculars.

Final say: More style than substance. ★★☆☆☆