Product Info

Studio

BBC Studios

Director

Jamie Payne

Genre

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Rated

R

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Mar 10, 2023

Film Length

2hrs 9min

Purchase From

Note: Having never seen anything Luther previously, this review is based on the premise of a standalone movie.

Luther: The Fallen Sun is easily the best movie to come out since the COVID shutdown and quite possibly the best movie to ever come out of Netflix. Luther is entertaining with its humor, plot twists, and anecdotes on par with anything coming out of Hollywood. Movies are surely much more enjoyable when casted well and this one certainly is.

History of Luther

This film is a continuation of the long-running British crime thriller television series, Luther. The series aired for five seasons from 2010 to 2019 for twenty episodes. It’s not necessary to watch the series first as the film alone holds up very well for newcomers. If anything, the movie makes for a great gateway for viewers to return to and watch the series. Meanwhile, veterans will no doubt be pleased to see another fine adventure for the detective.

A Solid Cast

The film stars Idris Elba, a solid lead actor, who reprises his role of John Luther, a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) in a special police unit called the Serious and Serial unit. Additionally, there is great chemistry and humor with his friend and colleague Detective Superintendent (DSU) Martin Schenk, played by Dermot Crowley, whose quips and banter with anyone around him are quite fun and entertaining, though he saves his best for Luther. His place in the movie is as a consultant to Task Force Leader DCI Odette Raine, played very convincingly by Cynthia Erivo. She has the unenviable job of tracking down and bringing into custody John Luther.

Finally, we have our villain for this movie, David Robey, a tech billionaire with a very sadistic mean streak played by Andy Serkis. Though at first it seemed like this billionaire wouldn’t be a solid antagonist, he turns out to be very convincing. A lot of credit for this highly entertaining film goes to Luther series creator and writer Neil Cross, who weaves such a good story together with humor, suspense, action, and twists that it’ll add new fans to the series. It is great that the writing is done in such a way that the viewer doesn’t have to know anything about the series to enjoy the movie.

A Jail-Break Hero

As with most Netflix productions, introducing characters and setting the story up is a bit slow and cumbersome. Though once you make it to the jail break, buckle in for the rest of the movie. The premise is that the tech billionaire villain wants Luther out of his way, so he tries to get him thrown in jail by releasing a corrupt dossier. It works and off to jail Luther goes, but not for long. He breaks out, and now he has to find the bad guy while avoiding detection by the entire police force. His only help is from buddy Martin Schenk who, as a consultant, has an inside look at how he’s being pursued. It seems no matter where Luther goes he gets beat up pretty well, and he goes to a lot of places.

After chasing leads, he finally comes face to face with bad guy David Robey in the entertainment district, Piccadilly Square. That’s where both Luther and the audience get a good taste of how sadistic this creepy villain can be. Of course, like many hero vs villain storylines, he gets away, but this chase goes on through the rest of the movie. It was clever how the viewer had to decipher just what clues we were looking at in a couple short scenes after this point. By design, the dialog doesn’t really tell us.

After some good intelligent detective work, the film comes to the climax: a lair in a secluded mountain area in what looks to be a different country. It’s a large, abandoned lodge with lots of room to hide. Luther gets help from the task force and Robey has cronies on site with him as well. There is lots of explaining and action from here on as we see just what the diabolical plan was, how nasty people can be, and how getting caught doesn’t end pretty.

Good Action, New Team

The film provides some entertaining action shots and sequences. From Luther avoiding getting hit by an oncoming subway train to a motorcycle chase, the film keeps the audience captivated. The suspenseful music also provides that extra bit of engagement to draw the audience in. That’s with a new crew as the cinematography and soundtrack were done by a new staff.

The Final Run

Despite a slow start, Luther: The Fallen Sun is an otherwise excellent effort of writing, casting, acting, action, and humor. Series veterans will surely welcome another solid outing by their favorite DCI, while newcomers are in for a great time and can then look forward to watching the TV series afterward. Either way, let’s hope the sun hasn’t set for this franchise.

An early screening provided for this review. The film is available on Netflix.