Few actors have quietly gained the kind of acclaim thatTerence Stampdid over the decades, and his recent passing at the age of 87 has led to recollections of his many villainous roles. Throughout his career,almost no one excelled at capturing such a dark aura as this icon of the 1960s did with his characters,which is what makes his final role so fascinating. As his last onscreen performance ever,Last Night in Sohomay look like another example of Stamp’s villainous roles, and he certainly played the part of a character who feels unnerving to watch. However, this performance is unlike any of Stamp’s other bad guy appearances, as the film puts a mirror up to Stamp’s legacy while subverting our expectations of the actor. As a story that appreciates yet condemns the past, his role serves to weaponize that nostalgia against viewers and make them question everything.
Terence Stamp Remains Known for His Villain Roles and Slick Image
In the hours since his passing, most of the coverage surrounding Terence Stamp has been around his villainous roles, and for good reason. Labeled “a master of the brooding silence”by The Guardian in 2013, he’s an actor who has mesmerized many ever since his film debut inBilly Buddin 1962, which earned him an Academy Award nomination at just 24 years old. Today, of course, he’s most known for his menacing and towering portrayal of General Zod inSuperman II, but this is not the only example. His performance inThe Limey,about a career criminal who looms over LA even in his later years, is menacing, and even his minor role as Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceturned Stamp into the perfect sleazy politician. This is not to say he can’t play other kinds of roles, as his performance as a transgender woman inThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desertcan attest, but it’s an archetype that quickly stuck and that few others could master.
When it comes toLast Night in Soho, there is another reason why his casting was so perfect. Throughout his youth,Stamp had also cultivated a seductive image during the Swinging Sixties, an era of high culture among the London elite. A product of West End theater long before he made it to Hollywood,Stamp embodied that era, and it became a crucial part of his cultural identity that he arguably never overcame until the 1980s. This made him the perfect actor to cast in a film that examines that particular time in history, one thatEdgar Wrightdeconstructs to expose the horror underneath the champagne and glamour.
Stamp’s Character in ‘Last Night in Soho’ Is Deliberately Unsettling
For many,Last Night in Sohois most memorable forits beautiful use of visuals and mirror choreography, but its performances are just as spectacular. From a headline role byAnya Taylor-Joythatcan only be described as darkly angelicto a similarly magnetic posthumous role byDiana Rigg, the film is littered with plenty of great performances, but none are more mysterious than Stamp, who is credited here only as the “Silver Haired Gentleman.” He only has a few scenes,but what we get from the man later known as Lindsey is already more than enough to creep out viewers. His smooth and charming attitude is twisted to create an unsettling persona, and the palpable tension he has withThomasin McKenzieduring their few scenes together gives the perfect impression of a lecher, one who Eloise has every right to fear. Of course, the film always warns us that our own eyes and ears are not to be trusted, and the same is true of Lindsey himself.
‘Last Night in Soho' Weaponizes Our Nostalgia to Subvert Expectations
The main theme ofLast Night in Sohois nostalgia, specifically the joys it can bring, but also the dangers it creates. This extends to the casting, too, and anyone who watched the trailers could tell you how exciting it felt to see Stamp play the villain again. Everything that we see sets him up as the antagonist, but if there is one thing this film makes clear, it’s that nothing is as it appears, for Eloise herself and the audience.In truth, the officer known as Lindsey is not the killer at all, and he is struck and killed by a car when Eloise finally decides to confront him. He is indeed someone we met in the past, but he was an honest cop who tried to do the right thing before growing bitter in old age.
From a narrative perspective, this twist works because the real serial killer has been hiding in front of us the whole time, and there are several clues to their actual identity.We just assume that Stamp would play the villain because that is what he has always done, and that is the perfect way to warn viewers against becoming just as blinded by perceptions of the past as Eloise has been, and it quickly turns viewer expectations upside down.It’s a twist we’ve seen before and since with other actors, but it fits this story perfectly, and it would not be nearly as effective without an actor of Stamp’s high reputation and caliber. Lindsey might not be his most famous role or even the unique, but as his final onscreen performance, it’s a deeply reflective way to end one hell of a career.
Last Night in Soho
