Movie Review: LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: February 24th, 2023 / 01:26 AM

LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN movie poster | ©2023 Netflix

Rating: R
Stars: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Dermot Crowley, Andy Serkis, Thomas Coombes, Hattie Morahan, Lauryn Ajufo, Vincent Regan
Writer: Neil Cross, based on the BBC television series created by Neil Cross
Director: Jamie Payne
Distributor: Netflix
Release Date: February 24, 2023 (theatrical); March 10, 2023 (Netflix)

Anyone who watched all or even some of the five seasons of the English detective series LUTHER, which ran from 2010 through 2019, knows that its principal draw is the title character, played by Idris Elba.

Yes, creator Neil Cross, who also wrote all the episodes, provided some good twists and snappy dialogue. But Cross’s crowning achievement was giving Elba the framework for a classic tortured hero who can only (temporarily) exorcise his own demons by trying to take down murderers.

World-weary detectives, and police, and police detectives are everywhere in literature and filmed entertainment. But Elba has a rare gift for making you feel Luther’s sorrow, regret, and empathy. It doesn’t matter whether or not he’s been through something before – each individual loss and act of mayhem hits him with devastating force.

And because John Luther is not a chatty or tearful fellow, it all just registers in his eyes. Even if what’s happening around Luther starts seeming like outtakes from SAW, Elba’s performance makes us take it all seriously.

Now Elba and writer Cross are both back with the feature film LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN. It’s not an insult to say that it feels like a condensed sixth season of LUTHER. Director Jamie Payne and a third act in a surprising environment give the movie a larger sense of scale than the TV version had, and Luther’s situation is somewhat different here, but there’s a pleasant sense of familiarity.

London police Detective Chief Inspector

J Luther has consistently gotten in trouble for bending and breaking the rules (and some people’s bones) in his search for the truth and protection of innocents.

Presumably in an effort to invite new viewers without making them feel like they need to do homework first, LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN puts John Luther in a jam related to his general methods, instead of the specifics at the end of Season 5.

At any rate, Luther not only loses his badge but winds up in prison, thanks to the efforts of a serial killer (Andy Serkis) who doesn’t want his big plans sniffed out ahead of time. Luther feels an understandable sense of urgency in tracking down the murderer. He’s got to contend not only with his current unauthorized case, but also the no-nonsense DCI Raine (Cynthia Erivo), who now has Luther’s old position on the police force.

Cross borrows plot elements from a few different sources (to name them would be to give the game away), but he combines them well. He also gives his sadistic megalomaniacal villain a type of motivation we don’t often associate with such characters.

Serkis looks like he’s have a blast as the bad guy, Erivo exudes authority, and LUTHER regular Dermot Crowley is a welcome returning presence as Luther’s old boss, Martin Schenk.

Director Jamie Payne builds a steady atmosphere of tension and dread. He makes some smart, unconventional choices along the way, like scoring a prison fight with the kind of music more often associated with finales (the effective score is by Lorne Balfe). He also pulls off the PSYCHO shower scene trick of making it seem as though we’re seeing more than we really are when violence is involved.

For fans of LUTHER, LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN provides much of the pleasures of the series. For newcomers who like grim yet heightened English detective thrillers, this is a solid one in its own right.

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