Luther: The Fallen Sun

John Luther is equally adept using brains and brawn, and to a lesser extent, so is Luther: The Fallen Sun, the big-screen adaptation of the BBC crime drama that ran off-and-on for almost a decade.

On the surface, this taut cat-and-mouse procedural feels like a familiar tale of redemption, revenge, and vigilante justice. However, Idris Elba revisits one of his signature roles with depth and humanity — balancing the eponymous London detective’s action-hero physicality with his more enigmatic sense of moral conflict.

As the film opens, past tragedies have left Luther emotionally scarred as he investigates the murder of a teenager and makes a promise to the distraught mother to find the perpetrator.

But when he’s framed and imprisoned by nemesis David Robey (Andy Serkis), Luther becomes a disgraced outcast, considered a hindrance by new police superintendent Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo). After his audacious escape, Luther is both predator and prey as he infiltrates the city’s seedy criminal underworld in search of clues while enduring Robey’s taunting.

With the gruesome killings multiplying, Odette reaches out to her predecessor (Dermot Crowley) for help in tracking down Luther. The partnership comes with a word of caution: “He is [my friend]. That doesn’t mean you should trust him.”

The film provides a suitable introduction to the character that invites newcomers to go back and revisit the show. Those more familiar with the source material can dive right in.

The screenplay by series creator Neil Cross offers a deeper exploration of the troubled Luther and tends to be most compelling in its introspective moments, rather than the contrived twists or elaborate action set pieces.

However, veteran British television director Jamie Payne crafts some exciting highlights, too, most notably a chaotic nighttime showdown involving Luther, Odette, and Robey in a crowded Piccadilly Circus.

Payne and Cross ratchet up the tension in the second half without relying too heavily on genre tropes. Meanwhile, Serkis gleefully chews the scenery as the smug and sinister criminal mastermind, although his character is one-dimensional.

Luther: The Fallen Sun explores public fascination with high-profile murderers, viral and media fame, and the corresponding slippery slope. But mostly, it’s a sturdy if predictable thriller that should help a worthy series find a new audience.

Rated R, 128 minutes.