Published on September 2nd, 2013 | by Mel Gray
1Idris Elba IS Luther
(Entered by Mel Gray)
Luther is a highly charged emotional man who is not above stretching the law to solve a case or save a life.-IMDb
“You should really be watching Luther.”
That’s what my pal Capcom, over on Sidecast told me the night after I watched the first three episodes on Netflix. It turns out we started watching it at the same time. He described it to me as “Idris Elba knocking around London, solving crimes, and being a badass.” I can’t put it any better than that! Idris Elba—if you don’t know— has been knocking around TV and movies since the mid 90’s . More recently, he’s recognized for his role as Stacker Pentecost in this summer’s awesome robots vs. monsters epic: Pacific Rim. I’ve already been a long-time fan of Elba, so this series was an easy sell for me. If you know nothing about the man, Luther might be the perfect starting point. Detective Chief Inspector: John Luther is a man so committed to his work solving murders that it could be argued -and is often- that it’s destroying him. Elba has crafted the character right down to his swagger. You can’t look away not because the standard, crime-drama, plot-tropes are doing something groundbreaking, but because Idris Elba might be about to do another “rage-take” on a door. You probably don’t get that reference yet, but if you take my advice and go watch the first 12 episodes, you will fully understand. It’s amazing and the plots aren’t trying to be anything more than a vehicle for ol’ Idris to drive at any speed he likes.
It’s worth mentioning that the major characters in Luther are not as trope-ish as you might expect. Luther’s relationship with a serial killer he chases early in the series named Alice Morgan, becomes quite a foil as the series goes on. Some Doctor Who fans might also recognize Paul McGann (the 8th Doctor) who does a good job in a recurring, sidekick-esque, role that is no less strange than DCI Luther’s relationship to Alice. Saying more would be to rob you of the joy that is Luther.
Series 1 and 2 of Luther are available on netflix streaming and Series 3 is set to premiere on BBC America on Tuesday, September 3rd.
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