Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.
Luther: The Fallen Sun expands the TV series to the big screen with competent but familiar crime thriller territory. Idris Elba commands the screen with his usual magnetic presence, but the supporting cast is less memorable. The film is visually polished with some strong London location work, though nothing cinematically distinctive. The plot escalates to blockbuster scale in ways that feel at odds with the grounded TV show, and the villain's scheme becomes increasingly outlandish. The ending resolves things too neatly and sets up future entries rather than landing with satisfying weight. Novelty is low given it treads well-worn serial killer thriller ground and feels like an extended TV episode rather than a distinctive cinematic work.