Elba returns as BBC detective in rollicking but grisly thriller
For anyone holding on to some latent hope that Idris Elba will be the next James Bond, I have some bad news: “Luther: The Fallen Sun” puts (another) nail in that firmly sealed coffin. In one of the rare moments of levity in the sinister film, the embattled detective John Luther sits down at a bar and tells the bartender it has been a long day (an understatement).
“I would say a long day calls for a martini,” the bartender says.
Luther’s response? “No.” He’ll take some water, and, “if it makes you happy, you can make it fizzy.”
This was not an accidental moment, “Luther” creator Neill Cross has said. Elba even wondered if it was a bit too cheeky. But it’s worth remembering that Elba doesn’t need Bond. He’s already got a moody, tortured bachelor with a talent for hunting bad guys. And Luther belongs exclusively to him.
In this outing written by Cross and directed by Jamie Payne, Detective Chief Inspector John Luther finds himself imprisoned for his unconventional methods at work and haunted by the unsolved missing person case that sets the film’s macabre tone. His imprisonment and the missing teen are related — the work of a wealthy villain, David Robey (Andy Serkis).
Serkis’ character is a kind of gentleman psychopath, with his blown-out James Spader in “Pretty in Pink” coif. He’s one of those villains for whom chaos, misery and gore are the point. Robey is methodical and patient — he’ll even go so far as to befriend the families of his victims after the fact.
At the start, the film takes on a kind of David Fincher vibe, with echoes of “Se7en” and “Zodiac” crossed with Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” Unfortunately, it takes the conceit to such absurd lengths by the end that the premise takes on an unintentional silliness. That’s not even counting the brawls between Elba and Serkis, whose sizes could not be more mismatched.
But the good news is that it’s a fun, tense ride up until that point. Elba slips back into Luther like no time has passed, though he has taken on some superhero-adjacent talents, evident in his escape from jail — a sequence that is somehow both violent and cartoonish. It’s not an easy or straightforward role, but Elba makes it look so. This is a guy who is so devoted to his former job that he’ll risk death to break out of prison and get back to work trying to solve the case, knowing that he’s also being hunted by his replacement, DCI Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo).
Odette does not want to collaborate with Luther and even enlists his old boss Martin (Dermot Crowley) to help find him. This resistance starts to get redundant, especially since it’s obvious that eventually they’ll figure out a way to collaborate. And then, of course, there’s the ludicrous theatrics of Robey’s ultimate plan, which hinges on the assumption that would-be serial killers and snuff-porn fetishists are everywhere. But even though it may go over-thetop at the end, Elba keeps you interested.
You needn’t have watched all five seasons of “Luther” to take a chance on “Luther: The Fallen Sun.” But there’s a chance that you may find yourself wanting to afterward.
MPA rating: R (for disturbing/violent content, language and some sexual material)
Running time: 2:09
How to watch: Netflix