Luther: Elba back and on track

Lutherans (can I call you that) will be tickled to pink hear that Idris Elba is back as Luther in feature length movie that has just dropped on the small screen.

Luther: The Fallen Sun continues where the 2010 series left off, with DCI John Luther called in to head up an investigation into the disappearance of a young man.

He doesn’t know it but the man, Callum Aldrich, has been taken by a serial killer who less than thrilled to find that Luther has been assigned to the case.

He’s so concerned in fact that he pays to have some dirt dug up on the policeman which leads to Luther being stood down, prosecuted and ultimately imprisoned.

It’s no picnic for an ex-cop inside where everyone is out to get him.

Luther: The Fallen Sun was directed by Jamie Payne and written by Neil Cross. Payne is known for The Alienist (2018), The Hour (2011) and Primeval (2007).

As well as reprising his role as Luther, Idris Elba also serves as a producer on the film.

He is supported by Cynthia Erivo as DCI Odette Raine, the cop takes over as head of the Serious and Serial Crime unit and Andy Serkis as the rich but deranged serial killer David Robey.

Cross also wrote the award-winning Luther TV series which spans five seasons and 20 episodes from 2010 to 2019, scoring Elba a Golden Globe award for best actor.

There’s been American, French, Russian, Indian and South Korean versions made of the series.

Cross said he was inspired by characters such as TV’s Columbo and Sherlock Holmes.

Luther is intelligent and insightful, while the show uses a technique known as “howcatchem’ (or the inverted detective format) in which the crime is shown and then viewers watch as the detective attempts to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

In Luther: The Fallen Sun the killer Robey commits several horrifying murders, taunting Luther in his gaol cell with a recorded radio broadcast of the final dying moments of young Callum.

Luther had promised his mother that he would do everything he could to find him before being gaoled.

He tries to warn his replacement DCI Raine, but she snubs him, telling him it is no longer his case and that he is no longer a policeman.

Raine brings in retired Superintendant Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley) as a consultant, who also happens to be a friend of Luther’s.

Not one to take a backward step, Luther breaks out of gaol, as much to save himself as to catch the killer following repeated attempts on his life.

Tension rises when Robey kidnaps Raine’s daughter, using her as leverage to get to Luther.

Luther and Raine team up and travel to Robey’s property in rural Norway where they discover that he tortures his victims live on camera for others to watch.

It’s a fast-paced, emotional roller coaster with plenty of gritty, down in the dirt action as the pair grapple with the killer who always seems to be one step ahead.

It’s an emotional roller coaster with plenty of gritty, down in the dirt action as the pair grapple with the killer who always seems to be one step ahead.

The amazing underwater scenes were filmed at Lite Studios in Brussels, which boasts the largest and deepest shooting tank in Europe.

While the rail tunnel fight was filmed at the abandoned Aldwych Tube Station, once used by the National Gallery and British Museum to store valuable treasures during the German Blitzkrieg.

Director Jamie Payne is best known for The Alienist (2018), The Hour (2011) and Primeval (2007).

The Brokenwood Mysteries: If it ain’t broke . . .

Elba/Luther has a strong following, his co-actors less so.

Erivo received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress For her portrayal of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet (2019).

She also received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her portrayal of American singer Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s anthology series Genius: Aretha (2021).

And just in case you didn’t know, the killer Andy Serkis is well known for the roles he has played, but you may not recognise his face.

He was Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, as well as appearing as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the star attraction in the 2005 film King Kong.

You can catch Luther: The Fallen Sun on Netflix.