Watch Luther: The Fallen Sun on Netflix
Written by: Neil Cross (based on the BBC Television series created by)
Directed by: Jamie Payne
Starring: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther breaks out of prison to hunt down a sadistic serial killer who is terrorizing London.
Verdict
This sets up an intriguing crime, making me very curious the motive for something so elaborate. As the plot gets more and more ridiculous I realized there was no motive. We get a villain that just wants to create carnage and chaos. Everything is set dressing, included because it looks cool despite not being grounded in logic. If this were a silly action movie, I wouldn't mind as much but a mystery needs a believable motive as it's the very foundation for everything that follows.
Skip it.
Review
A follow up to the series that began broadcasting on BBC in 2010, the first two seasons were the best. Season three couldn't maintain the engagement and season four didn't release until 2015 due to Elba's movie career. I didn't even know there was a season five released in 2019, though reviews indicate it was a return to form. A movie tie-in seems a bit odd with a series that always felt like a hidden gem, at least for a couple of seasons. The series felt like a dark Sherlock Holmes.
The subtitle for the movie isn't referenced in the movie and doesn't even appear on the title card. I guess it's there because it sounds good.
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| Idris Elba plays John Luther |
This wastes no time getting right into a rather elaborate murder. The victim is coerced to comply through blackmail. The setup is needlessly complicated. John Luther (Idris Elba) is assigned the case, but Robey (Andy Serkis) wants to stop the case from moving forward. Somehow Robey discoveres all of Luther's various misdeeds. We don't know how, but Robey is quite adept at discovering people's secrets. If you're wondering how that works, you'll leave the movie disappointed.
Luther ends up in jail which seems a bit easy since the only reason is to stage an escape. This movie could have saved us all a lot of time by just having him start the case and skip this silly plot point. Luther's the only one that can solve the case, he just has to break out of jail first. The prison escape is fun. Unfortunately it might be the highlight of the movie.
From the beginning I wondered about the motive behind these crimes. Robey isn't a front, he's behind it all. Is this scheme a way to get back at Luther? How has he kept bodies for ten years?
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| Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo play John Luther DCI Raine |
The movie takes a lot of shortcuts with characters willing to do anything over the fear of their secrets being exposed. I get secrets are a powerful thing, but this movie relies on it too much. Black Mirror did this idea much better.
Luther's on the run, getting closer to Robey, and working with the cops. He gets the chance to be a good guy and save a cop before teaming up with DCI Raine (Cynthia Erivo) because she needs his help. This pairing is trite. Luther is the guy you don't want to call, but Raine must to save her family. The pair end up in Norway where Robey has a frozen lake full of bodies. That's just set dressing, that's not even related to the main crime.
I just wanted to know a motive, and it turns out there isn't one. There isn't a point. Robey wants to tap into people's urge to stare at a car crash. He's a generic villain with no backstory and no reason to exist other than act as a foil for Luther. I don't know why you'd want to watch people die, but Robey has an audience. This movie goes for a big finale, but the result is surreal and silly. How does Robey transport all of these bodies from England to Norway? Why? My recollection was that this show was grounded, but watching this movie I have to wonder if I'm wrong. I was hoping some kind of motive would tie this together. This isn't a murder mystery, and I was supremely disappointed.
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