REVIEW: Last Night in Soho is an Enjoyable Psychological Thriller

Aspiring fashion designer, Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), leaves her small rural town in England and heads off to London to chase her fashion dreams in Last Night in Soho. Eloise won’t let anything stand in the way of her becoming a famous fashion designer, but when she begins having odd visions of the glamourous 1960s and a dazzling wannabe singer named Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), Eloise’s fashion dreams get pushed to the back burner. Eloise ends up back in the 1960s, where she becomes desperate to learn more about Sandie and Sandie’s own pursuit to singing stardom. The further Eloise travels into these visions, the more sinister they become, and Eloise finds herself no longer in a glitzy dream, but a terrifying nightmare.

Director Edgar Wright has created a beautifully shot film with Last Night in Soho. Wright transitions from modern day London to 1960s London are seamless. The period the film is in is obvious at all moments and there is never any confusion regarding the character they are following. As the camera bounces from Sandie’s point of view to Eloise’s point of view, an intricate dance is at play that is both appealing and easily understandable. There is one particular sequence where this dance is extremely prominent with Eloise and Sandie dancing their way through a nightclub with Jack (Matt Smith). This scene is pure movie magic.

McKenzie is phenomenal in her role. Her character goes through quite the transition in this movie, and she showcases this progression like a pro. Taylor-Joy’s Sandie is just as beautiful in her performance, but it is McKenzie that steals the show. Smith’s Jack is a sleazy manipulator, who always gets what he wants, and Smith does a great job bringing this to the screen.

Michael Ajao and Terence Stamp round out the cast as Silver Haired Gentleman and John, respectively and aren’t in it nearly enough for my liking, especially Stamp’s Silver Haired Gentleman. His character was extremely intriguing, and I would have liked more scenes with him.

Last Night in Soho is a psychological thriller I didn’t see coming. Every time I thought one thing was going to happen, Wright took the movie in a completely different direction. From the performances to the many twists and turns, Last Night in Soho is the perfect thriller to see this Fall. Whether it be in theaters, or if you wait until you see it On Demand, this is a must watch for thriller fans.

Grade: A