Luther: Soleil déchu

First off, the film: Unfortunately the first half felt very uninspired... I'd seen all of this a million times before... It may have worked with a director who was willing to take more risks.... That being said, the second half becomes much more intense and grand scale and I was fully immersed. Overall I'd give it a 7.5....

Buf thanks to Netflix, I'm dropping it to a 6 for its terrible theatrical release... There were random unrelated subtitles plastered on the screen and layered on top of each other... And thanks to that, when there was non English speaking going on, we had no idea what they were saying... When I complained to the theatre staff, they said it was Netflix and they had nothing to do with it... So really impressive, Netflix....

There was a time when thrillers were Big box office draws. Some with even the darkest and gruesome of subject matter. Unfortunately that particular film isn't really revered in big box office form these days, but this reminds me of the time they were. Of course the cast helps with the likes of the ultra talented duo of Andy Serkis and Idris Elba who's cat and mouse chase is pure entertainment. The story while it may remind me personally of 90s throwback thrillers is still updated for a time where cyber crime is a real threat and adds a great aspect. The action is also on full throttle in this as well which is nice to see. Overall the intensity of this film belongs in a theater but even so I do think it's a cut above for Netflix original movies these days. Very surprising film.

With all the rumours about Idris Elba replacing Daniel Craig as 007, it looks like he decided to take matters into his own hands and make his own anyway.

This is an action packed, high octane, ridiculously contrived and formulaic James Bond rip-off. Our indestructible hero even has a go at blowing up the underground lair of Dr Evil's more evil brother. The plot possibly doesn't quite reflect the job description of a typical DCI in the London police force but nevertheless it's insanely exciting edge of the seat stuff. The plot might not be super-original or indeed that thought provoking but it extremely well made and thoroughly entertaining.

Looking forward to the next one!

I loved the first television series of this gritty and challenging police drama. Sadly, now we have reached a nadir for this charismatic and unorthodox character. The story is so ridiculously far-fetched that it reminded me of something Mark Gatiss might have written for "Sherlock" before he watched "No Time To Die" (2021) and thought - nah! It all starts when youngster "Callum" is dragged away from his night-time cleaning job by a mysterious phone call. Next thing we know, "Luther" (Idris Elba) is at a crime scene with no sign of the boy but with a victim in her car that has been missing for ages. Enter the completely un-menacing "Robey" (Andy Serkis) and pretty soon our favourite policeman is incarcerated for a career of systematic rule-bending/breaking and this rather evil monster now proceeds to prove that evil can prevail - and on a fairly spectacular scale. This story is, frankly, preposterous and as the film lumbers along for over two ours I really struggled to remain engaged as it moved from suicide scenarios to far more brutal killings - but what, exactly, is motivating this man is anyone's guess. He appears to have acquired control over a vast network of technology and people to effect his dastardly plan but none of that even vaguely rings plausible. The last twenty minutes are just plain silly and overall, the writing is all rather poor: "They'll kill you John" - "I can live with that!" - not an hint of irony there, neither. This is a pretty shameless attempt to capitalise on a strong character made memorable by a charismatic actor and a series of solid stories. This film has thrown all of those under the snowplough.

I have but one thing to say: Police divers.

There is a plot convenience towards the end of this film that seems...well...totally stupid. In fact, there are several plot elements throughout the film that are ludicrous. But regarding the aforementioned 'convenience' in the third act; we see the police travelling, via helicopter, to an unknown snowy region to affect an arrest. Why would a last minute, 'time is of the essence', tactical operation in the snow have already geared up police divers?? In the snow? In helicopters? In wetsuits? It hurt my brain.

I have no issue with the occasional plot 'convenience' in order to propel the story forward, but this film takes tremendous liberties that insult the viewers intelligence. It seems lazy and ultimately does a disservice to our protagonist.

Having said all of this, it's still a watchable film. The first act is by far the strongest and most investing, whilst the second and third are serviceable, if not bloated - the film was 30 minutes too long. Our antagonist also lacks any realistic, discernable motivation. Andy Serkis is menacing and creepy in some scenes, whilst being laughably 'unmenacing' in others. I struggled to buy into his criminal 'genius' as well as his physicality in the fight scenes. Speaking of which, some of the fights are well choreographed and executed (particularly the prison scenes), whilst others look and feel fake.

All things considered, it's a solid if slightly forgettable outing for Luther. Elba is fantastic, as always, but is let down by a loose script.