WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Hotel Artemis, in theaters now.


As an action film, Drew Pearce's Hotel Artemis isn't exactly intricate in terms of plot. In fact, it's pretty simple: The hotel is a front for a secret hospital where criminals, once granted membership, can come to nurse their wounds. But as star Jodie Foster (who plays the administrator of the facility, Nurse Thomas) indicated in the trailer, the system is built on a couple of things, one of them being trust.

The other, of course, is a certain set of rules, similar to the hotels in the John Wick franchise, which everyone must abide by in order for the establishment to run seamlessly. Given the nature of the characters passing through, obeying these laws are no easy feat, and as the film proceeds to show, breaking them will ultimately blow the Artemis' cover.

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With that in mind, here's a look at the ten rules which must be followed to maintain the integrity of the operation.

Play Nice With Each Other

hotel artemis

The first three rules are definitely hard and fast ones, and if ignored, usually result in violent repercussions at the hands of Nurse Thomas' loyal orderly, Everest (Dave Bautista). The first, "While on the premises, no fighting with or killing other patients," is definitely one which everyone struggles to obey, as per Waikiki (Sterling Brown), his wounded brother and fellow robber Honolulu (Brian Tyree Henry) and the assassin Nice (Sofia Boutella) when they meet the wise-cracking Acapulco (Charlie Day).

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The second, "No disrespectful words or actions allowed against Hotel Artemis staff," is also something which the Nurse and Everest make clear won't be tolerated. The third, "No guns or any type of weapon permitted through the gate," makes things all the more interesting when Jeff Goldblum's Wolf King comes to claim an item that the brothers stole from him. When his goons finally make their presence felt, it requires the "protagonists" to improvise, including Waikiki, who makes a 3-D printed gun, and Nice, who basically uses any sharp object available.

The Business End of Things

The fourth rule, "Membership must be paid for, full and in advance," is a house rule that helps to keep business booming, and it leads to a conflict of interest when the Wolf King comes to the doors. He's the owner, after all. However, he's the only one of his gang that meets the entry criteria, which ticks his son Franklin (Zachary Quinto) off because he's, well, a spoiled brat and hates seeing his entourage treated with disdain.

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The fifth rule, "Prior but lapsed members will not be admitted," more or less means if you didn't renew, you're not allowed back in, something which Waikiki's initial crew and the Wolf King's learn the hard way. The Nurse makes it perfectly clear that no matter who you are, allowances will not be made, because the past is the past and for the hotel to continue functioning, they need to focus on the present. So if you didn't ante up, your history means nothing, which ultimately benefits Waikiki and Nice as this keeps the Wolf King's posse at bay, temporarily.

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The Basic Rules

These rules follow what any professional establishment would lay down at the door. "No photography or video allowed," might seem a bit harsh, but it's mandatory given so many criminals are being rehabilitated on the inside. It's something Nice and Acapulco butt heads over, too, but has to be done to keep the hotel under wraps, especially because of the water riots happening in the movie's setting, a broken down Los Angeles in 2028.

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"No outside food or drink," and "Absolutely no visitors," are pretty straightforward. They're definitely for the more immature guests but as Everest makes it clear, someone always tends to slip up with even these simplest of rules.

The Ultimate Rules

The final two rules are pretty much grounds to get you expelled from Artemis, or even killed. "If a member is found to have compromised, or led to compromise of location, membership will be revoked," is the ninth, which Franklin's crew also has to bite their tongue over. The Nurse makes it clear that people who can't be trusted, such as these rash individuals, won't ever make the cut; which ironically leaves Nice wondering how the constantly chattering Acapulco hasn't spilled the beans about the hotel yet.

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The last rule, "Hotel Artemis rules are final and non-negotiable," more or less sums up the obey-or-die policy that the Nurse and Everest are enforcing. In fact, even the Wolf King -- as much as he doesn't like that these rules are keeping him from getting to Waikiki and Honolulu -- has to abide. This is because, ultimately, Hotel Artemis is a seedy but revered institution built on formal principles, and any leeway would indeed be counterproductive towards business.


In theaters now, director Drew Pearce’s Hotel Artemis stars Sterling K. Brown, Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day and Dave Bautista.