‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ Movie Review: A Very “British” BBC Thriller

Luther: The Fallen Sun
Martin Cid Martin Cid

Luther: The Fallen Sun is an action movie directed by Jamie Payne starring Idris Elba. With Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis and Dermot Crowley.

Idris Elba is the main attraction in this thriller that mixes James Bond with serial killers and gruesome crimes: without being a great movie, it has a little bit of everything to entertain you on a Friday night and delight horror thriller lovers.

Movie Review

It doesn’t always work, but it knows how to correctly apply the rules of the genre and borrow ideas from other referential films. The ideas worked before, they work now, even if everything is blatantly “familiar” and the bad guy is not exactly Hannibal Lecter.

It has its charm, its BBC-like “British” photography and perhaps precisely because of that, it sometimes tends to drift over to the made-for-TV film side of the road, with some “easy” and not very elaborated sequences.

Luther: The Fallen Sun
Luther: The Fallen Sun

It holds up well, especially at the beginning. When it comes to developing the plot… the film falls down, probably because of the lack of charisma of the “bad guy” and that, as much as we like Idris Elba, the character – Luther – does not always live up to the high level nor reach the murky depths that a dark thriller aims for.

And yet, with all its flaws, it entertains and is perfect for a Friday night: a rather forgettable film, but that – without breaking the rules of the genre – entertains and knows how to lead us where it wants us to go, and that’s precisely to the “familiar” places of these dark thrillers that – this time – happens to be not so dark where the characters are concerned.

A film that leans too heavily on its dark tone but that happens to be – sometimes and paradoxically – excessively soft in its central characters.

A well-paced plot, but the script is a bit lightweight.

Disappointing as a grand thriller, nevertheless, it is entertaining as the good film – but that’s all – which it is.

Luther: The Fallen Sun
Luther: The Fallen Sun

Release Date

March 10, 2023

Where to Watch Luther: The Fallen Sun

Netflix

The Cast


Idris Elba / John Luther

Dermot Crowley / DSU Martin Schenk

Cynthia Erivo / DCI Odette Raine

Andy Serkis / David Robey

Jess Liaudin / Nilsson

Einar Kuusk / Arkady Kachimov

Andy Apollo / Barman

Thomas Coombes / DS Archie Woodward

Hattie Morahan / Corinne Aldrich
James Travis / Spact Prisoner / Riot Guard

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