Luther: The Fallen Sun proves a staggeringly misguided continuation of the TV franchise
“You couldn’t bear it, not being in the centre of things”
Was anybody actually calling out for extra Luther? After an iconic first collection, you can pretty simply make the case that this psychological crime thriller has delivered diminishing returns ever since, Neil Cross’ writing too in thrall to the unerring vanity of Idris Elba’s titular lone wolf detective. It is notable that for a franchise, the TV present retained valuable few recurring characters, solely Dermot Crowley’s Martin Schenk and Michael Smiley’s techie Benny Silver managing to cling on for all 5 seasons.
And with Luther: The Fallen Sun, its first cinematic enterprise, these points are additional magnified. Benny is MIA so there’s solely Schenk as a connection to the TV present and while I do admire that there’s the necessity to create a narrative that works for an entry-level viewers in addition to returning viewers, the truth that there’s little within the Luther universe apart from Luther himself is a giant downside. Particularly for those who’re not utterly bought on the place this character has gone, on condition that the movie gives up extra of his Messianic selfishness.
We begin off with a puzzling retconning of the tip of the fifth collection the place Luther was arrested, ostensibly obligatory for storytelling functions as serial killer David Robey (a gurning Andy Serkis) is revealed because the mastermind behind his downfall. For causes greatest identified to himself, Robey taunts the dad and mom of a number of of his historic victims by burning their corpses dramatically, together with the one case Luther labored on, and regardless of there manifestly being a number of different detectives in the identical place, a cat and mouse sport emerges between Robey and Luther.
So we’ve to endure by way of a puerile jailbreak, the introduction of a brand new police staff who Luther summarily ignores plus a brand new sidekick (Cynthia Erivo) who abandons all their coaching to comply with him blindly, and an entire refusal to simply accept that something may be gained by working with different folks. There’s at all times been a vanity to Luther however one thing has metastasised right here into the ridiculous – the entire lack of characterisation for anybody, the policeman who takes time to hero-worship Luther as he lies dying, Luther wandering across the Arctic Circle in only a natty mild overcoat…
Hattie Morahan does her greatest because the mom of Robey’s sufferer who Luther by no means caught, however as the one actual emotional anchor in the entire story, it isn’t wherever close to sufficient to make an viewers – whether or not new or returning – make investments right here. The full lack of emotional stakes for Luther demonstrates an entire misunderstanding of what made the TV present work, one can solely assume the pound indicators of Netflix’s price range induced intoxicating blindness, and the ultimate laughable be aware is pure fan-service for star and author. Hopefully this solar by no means rises once more.