It is not new for a successful series to have a based on it. We have seen it happen with Sex and the City. We wanted to see it happen for Friends. We are glad something along those lines is happening for the Community.
And now, we have Luther: The Fallen Sun, a film that follows the happenings of season 5 of the hit series. Even for people unaware of the legacy of Luther, The Fallen Sun would not be too tough to understand. It is also because Idris Elba is so convincing as the no-holds-barred cop that one look at him convinces us of the elevation he receives in this film.
Luther: The Fallen Sun begins with a missing case that is assigned to Luther. While season 5 ended with him being imprisoned for bending one too many rules, the film skirts around that ending to give us a new timeline for his imprisonment in the film. Even before Luther finds a way to reach the bottom of the case, David Robey (Andy Serkis) gets him imprisoned by finding dirt on the maverick cop.
In a rather interesting turn of narrative choices, right from the first frame, we are made aware of who the antagonist is. In fact, we also understand how he goes about kidnapping people and burning them alive.
However, despite the presence of a powerhouse like Andy Serkis who is effective as the primary antagonist, the writing is a bit of a letdown. Robey is hilariously one-note, and there is nothing even remotely interesting about the character except that he is played by Serkis.
What could have been a frightening exploration of the digital world, and the adage of ‘If everything is free, you are the product’, ends up becoming a superficial look at a blackmail scam. When Robey’s team works like a call centre to hack into electronic devices and segregate ‘targets’ into the kind of secret lives they have, it is indeed spine-chilling, but nothing really comes of it, on account of the weak writing.
But Luther is not just about the cases he solved, the rules he broke, or the friends and enemies he made... it is all about Idris Elba being a brooding cop. He is brilliant in the action sequences, especially a terrific stretch choreographed in the prison. Also, the one on the train tracks is breathtaking as well. But just like Serkis, Elba too is overburdened by a lack of ingenuity.
As the credits roll in The Fallen Sun, there is an intriguing ending that promises something bigger and better for the character. But considering the long-standing rumours about Idris Elba and a certain super spy, the ambiguous ending can be extrapolated from Luther to Elba himself, and that is probably one of the only takeaways from this engaging yet middling placeholder.
Luther: The Fallen Sun
Cast: Idris Elba, Andy Serkis, Cynthia Erivo, Dermot Crowley
Streaming on: Netflix
Rating: 2.5/5