If you’re like me, there is a select group of movie directors that you follow religiously. Every film they release is a special experience. For me, Edgar Wright is one of those directors.
Edgar Wright directed two of my most favorite films: Baby Driver, and Scott Pilgrim Versus the World. He’s also known and loved for doing the trilogy of films with Simon Peg including Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. He was also famously attached to the first Ant-Man movie and you can see some of his influences there, but unfortunately, like many other auteur directors, Marvel and Wright parted ways due to creative differences. Wright is known for being very clever and playful and inventive in his work.
So, I was very excited to watch his latest film Last Night in Soho.
At first, I thought that this was going to be a quirky character study, but this quiet but interesting film about a young aspiring fashion designer fish-out-of-water story, soon becomes a wild artsy thriller. It follows a farm girl who travels to London to take classes as a fashion designer. Thomasin McKenzie is wonderful as Eloise, and this is a meaty role, where she is required to be both inexperienced, but sharp, and fully brings the audience along as things get more bonkers.
The rest of the cast of this film is so damn good.
Anya Taylor-Joy is fantastic as always playing Sandie, an aspiring lounge singer in the 60s. Matt Smith (from Doctor Who) continues to hit home runs with his take on Jack, Sandie’s manager. But you also get Diana Rigg (from the 60s TV show The Avengers, and so much more), plus one of my favorite actors Terence Stamp (who, I’m sorry, I’m going to say was Zod from Superman 2, because he was epid in that, and again, known for many other things) is a weighty presence in a small role.
This film is a more mature outing for Edgar Wright. I certainly don’t want you to take that as saying that Soho is not creative and innovative like his previous films, because it certainly is, but it is clearly more restrained for the purpose of setting you up for the wildness that happens and to play to a wider audience. His pacing, shot selection, music choice, settings, and clever use of mirrors, special effects, lighting, and much more makes this a rich visual and auditory experience. I’ll also say without tipping you off about where this story goes, is that this story is complex and difficult to tell, but as a director, Edgar Wright did an amazing job with this material.
Wright wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. He gets a lot of credit from me for establishing the main character so well, crafting a unique story, and pulling off what could be a confusing story, and bringing it home was such a satisfying end. I got emotional at the end of this movie because of the quality writing, the brilliant directing, and the cast that did such a beautiful job.
I want to give one more big credit to Edgar Wright for really bringing out the best performances in this great cast. There are arcs and secrets with everyone involved here, and that’s captured well. This is an actor’s film.
The photography in this film is sumptuous and colorful. The nod for that goes to cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. Chung is known for his work on the original Old Boy movie, and more recently It, and a six-episode run on the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Light and color play such an important role in setting the mood for this film and the look that Chung establishes here really pulled me in. I think Chung establishes himself as one of the best photographers in the business with this film.
I’m purposely not telling you what happens in this film because I think it’s much more effective if you just watch the film and let it unfold naturally. What I can promise you is that Last Night in Soho is a sexy, fascinating film, that begins like a character study, then rapidly gets weird and supernatural, and builds to an exciting heart-beating climax. This film is many things and it blends together well. It’s a full experience.
This is not a film for everyone. I think a lot of people will not have the patience to enjoy the quiet parts, and they will be confused and turned off when it starts to go off the rails.
But, if you’re the type of person that likes a film that’s unusual, and challenging, and exceptionally well-constructed from many angles, with an amazing cast, then you’re going to enjoy your Last Night in Soho.
And if you’re a fan of Edgar Wright, you should watch this immediately, because he continues to grow as an artist, and now I’m even more excited for what comes next.