Review: Last Night

Massy Tadjedin’s first directorial feature, Last Night, follows a married couple who are apart for the night – Joanna (Keira Knightley) meets up with ex-boyfriend, Alex (Guillaume Canet) who still has strong feelings for her, whilst her husband, Michael (Sam Worthington) faces temptation from a colleague (Eva Mendes) whilst on a business trip.

Last Night boasts an overly good-looking cast, so don’t worry this situation is unlikely to happen in real life – not everyone is this gorgeous. As well as looking the part, most of the performances in Last Night are relatively strong. Knightley shines, giving a sensitive and subtle performance as a woman tormented by her feelings for her ex-boyfriend. I’m normally not her biggest fan but she is one of the film’s strongest elements, as is Sam Worthington – I really understood the struggle his character faced and he is both convincing and relateable in the role. Guillaume Canet is also very good, despite playing a role that may traditionally not be the most likeable (the man coming in the way of ‘the happy couple’). Unfortunately, Eva Mendes’ character feels incredibly underdeveloped and is not overly convincing – we are told little nuggets about the character but these add little to the role.

The script also feels somewhat unimaginative – this is not one of the most originally stories and the film does little to deviate from traditional ground. Tadjedin’s direction could have been more creative to detract from the weak points in the script, sadly it is not and feels bland and conventional. Last Night even feels far longer than it actually is – it runs for just under ninety minutes but feels like two hours.

Despite generally strong performances, Last Night suffers from an unimaginative script and bland direction which makes it all rather forgettable.