Directed by: Jamie Payne
Written by: Neil Cross
Starring: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, and Lauryn Ajufo
Runtime: 122 minutes
‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’: This sinister crime story carries a bleak two-hour forecast
Who is Luther?
He’s not Lex Luthor. Different surname.
Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Luther (Idris Elba) works for a London law enforcement division. However, during the first 10 minutes of “Luther: The Fallen Sun”, a serial killer (Andy Serkis) digs up dirt on our lead, and the police arrest John and throw him in a maximum-security prison.
You see, David Robey (Serkis) leaves a baffling crime scene on a local motorway, where he blackmailed a random cleaning man.
Luther arrives and declares, “This scene is-. It’s unusual.”
So, Robey – fearing that John will soon follow the breadcrumbs on his odd and wicked trail – gets on his phone and says, “I want his shame,” and faster than you can say, “Lock him up,” Luther finds himself disgraced and incarcerated.
Don’t be too concerned about spoilers because these sordid events occur before the opening credits end.
Now, Robey has free rein to commit more atrocities in The Big Smoke. He’s a mix of Hannibal Lecter (minus the cannibal tendencies), Jigsaw, and The Joker. He seems to want to “watch the world burn.”
As mentioned, Robey spends time on the phone, and he must have a fantastic unlimited talk plan. He’s a master of technology with access to IP addresses, possesses a bloodlust to terrorize anyone he chooses, and sits on massive amounts of cash.
That’s a nasty trifecta, and with Luther sitting in prison, no one in the local metropolitan area can corral Robey, a savage, sicko stallion.
“Luther: The Fallen Sun” is not John Luther’s first on-screen appearance. Elba has starred as the brilliant sleuth for years. “Luther” (2010 – 2019) ran for 20 episodes over five seasons, and now, director Jamie Payne (who helmed Season 5) and series creator Neil Cross are focusing on a 122-minute movie.
This critic hasn’t watched the television show, but apparently, Luther is “a man who felt entitled to take justice into his own hands.”
John Luther is a Paul Kersey or Harry Callahan type.
However, if you’ve never watched the small-screen series, you might feel a bit behind without knowing the nuances of our lead.
Imagine if a “Death Wish” or “Dirty Harry” TV show ran for five years, but your introduction to Kersey or Callahan was a feature film that already logged slews of cases without your knowledge.
Still, Elba is believable in the role, one that’s physically demanding, as he dabbles in fisticuffs morning, noon, and night…and between meals too!
Prison altercations can get ugly, but even the greenest moviegoers realize our hero will eventually escape. On the outside, he ultimately teams up with a frenemy, Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo). She’s a straight-arrow police operative who’d rather never see – let alone work with – Luther again, but they both have the same goal.
Erivo and Elba forge creative friction as Odette constantly resists her need to partner with John, but her steely ideals need to find malleable spaces for practicality’s sake.
Naturally, their task - hopefully capturing Robey - presents daunting challenges, and audiences will need help to stomach this cruel narrative. Payne, Cross, and Serkis almost seem to have placed bets with one another during the writing and filming processes to discover ways to deflate one’s hopes for humankind’s enlightenment. Luther and Raine’s chief adversary bathes in a core, sinister belief to deal misery to anyone he chooses, and he – unfortunately – carries the means to execute his sociopathic desires.
“Luther: The Fallen Sun” feels like “8MM” (1999) meets “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), where depravity swims in pools of kerosene, and in this film, the said fuel actually emanates from a sprinkler system. Even though Serkis presents a worthy villain, the twisted script doesn’t offer compelling turns, nor does it scribe memorable lines for Robey while he twirls his mustache. Well, Serkis is sans facial hair and also without a banquet of “fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
If you decide to dine on “Luther: The Fallen Sun”, it’s streaming on Netflix. Hey, the production values are high, and Elba’s, Erivo’s, and Serkis’ performances are admirable, but make sure your television’s volume is in check. With all the screaming and yelling and Lorne Balfe’s ominous score, the neighbors might call John Luther to investigate the commotion.
Jeff’s ranking
2/4 stars
