Last Night in Soho - Review
Words by Liam Horgan
Edgar Wright is back with Last Night in Soho, a psychological horror far from his horror-comedy roots. Wright’s film is a playful tribute to the swinging sixties, a homage to gialli films and works like Repulsion (1965), and largely is an entertaining trip through time. The film follows naive fashion student Eloise (Tomasin McKenzie) who finds herself suddenly able to mysteriously travel to 1960s London, where she is enthralled by dazzling singer, Sandy (Anya-Taylor Joy). However, infatuation soon leads to obsession and dark secrets start to emerge around Eloise, as the lines between past and present begin to blur.
Wright’s much delayed film is one of many highly anticipated releases coming out this year. The director’s follow up to the much-acclaimed Baby Driver (2017) is a different film to his previous work. While still very much an Edgar Wright film, Last Night in Soho finds itself taking a more restrained approach when compared to his other works. Undoubtedly this is a positive thing, and the film’s overall mood benefits from Wright’s restraint. Shot by South Korean cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon (frequent collaborator to Park-Chan Wook), the film oozes with glitz and glamour. The neon-soaked sixties shots are at once a tribute to gialli horror and paintings in their own right. The cast all deliver great performances, with Taylor-Joy, McKenzie and Matt Smith being the clear stand outs. The late Diana Rigg (to whom the film is dedicated) mixes the sharpness of Olenna Tyrell with a subtle vulnerability that shows her star power even in a more limited role.
There’s truly a lot to love about the production of Last Night in Soho. The set pieces are truly extravagant and entertaining. The first instance that Eloise travels back in time is by far the film’s strongest moment. Featuring a dance sequence where Taylor-Joy and McKenzie swap out with each other in between dance moves, it doesn’t feature any CGI and was done practically on set. It’s wonderfully cinematic and an achievement in its own right. Sadly, as the film progresses, it buckles under the weight of the premise and potential. The first half of the film is an intriguing mystery, however as the film goes on, the second half threatens to split at the seams.
Tomasin McKenzie (right) and Anya Taylor-Joy (left).
Part of the issue with the film is that the concept creates more questions than answers. At first, Eloise seems to embody Sandy. What happens to Sandy, happens to Eloise, as evidenced by a hickey received from her first visit. However, the film seems to make up the logic as it goes along. This wouldn’t necessarily be an issue if co-writers Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns were willing to be more experimental and playful with the concept, but the film frustratingly plays it safe when it needs to push for more. Even worse is that it leads to a side-lining of Smith and Taylor-Joy into nothing more than vignettes. This all culminates in a final twist that despite being logical and entertaining feels unearned due to the journey taken to get to it. Is the weakness of the story enough to break the film? Not at all, but it does enough damage to dent the near perfect first half.
Last Night in Soho is at once a warning of the dangers of nostalgia and a throwback to films that inspired it. If these things seem juxtaposed to one another it's because, well, they are. Yet it’s a line that Wright manages to tread with ease. Despite some narrative setbacks, the film’s strengths lie in its production achievements and the cast's dedicated performances. It’s a cautionary tale of nostalgic obsession wrapped in neon-soaked beauty. While the film does play it safe at times, it’s worth seeing for its strengths rather than avoiding it for its faults.
