Review of Netflix’s ‘Luther: Nightfall’: more of the same, for better and for worse

It’s been just over four years since we last saw Idris Elba’s uncompromising Detective John Luther, and things weren’t exactly looking up for him. At the end of the five seasons of ‘Luther’, a BBC production, the protagonist was locked up for various transgressions over the years. That might have been the end of it, but he’s back for more in his first feature film appearance with ‘Luther: Night Falls’, written by series creator Neil Cross.

Unsurprisingly for his feature film debut, this isn’t a version of “Luther” from “The Shawshank Redemption.” Another twisted serial killer is terrorizing London and Luther, being Luther, knows that he is the only person who can stop him, which he plans to do as soon as he escapes from prison.

The scope may be greater, but it’s still the Luther we know: a dark and slightly ridiculous manhunt for serial killers that will satisfy fans of the series, if not likely newcomers.

As good as Idris Elba is as Luther (and she’s still just as convincing, fitting into the role as comfortably as Luther dons his trench coat), each season of Luther lived or died based on its villain. There’s a reason season 1 remains unmatched, thanks to Ruth Wilson’s Alice.

Here we have David Robey, played by ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Andor’ star Andy Serkis. He’s a tech billionaire who uses technology to carry out his ways of serial killing and, by Luther’s standards, makes Alice look like a sweetheart.

Serkis is captivating, using his chameleon-like abilities to convincingly turn Robey into the kind of person you could imagine trusting, while also scaring you. The star has said that he needed a shower after reading the script and you’ll feel the same way about Robey’s work, which gives gruesome and chilling scenes.

However, as good as Serkis is, there is a sense of déjà vu with his villain. We won’t go into spoilers, but there are echoes of the ‘Black Mirror’ episode ‘Shut up and dance’, while Robey’s reasoning doesn’t develop beyond ‘Because I’m evil, right?’

And surely Robey is evil. ‘Luther: Night Falls’ is unrelentingly grim and might prove too much for some fans of the series, with scenes of mass suicide and hostel-style murder rooms. There’s still that ridiculous edge to the series to be enjoyed that very infrequently takes it away from the brink of desolation.

Take, for example, the scene where Luther goes to a hideout where he keeps the essentials. There’s cash, naturally, but also a trench coat that he later dons like a superhero by donning his suit. Luther then stands on the roof of a nearby building to keep an eye on London, likely a conscious echo of a similar shot in ‘Skyfall’ and James Bond’s constant ties to Elba.

It’s a strange mix, the macabre and the ridiculous, but it’s one that Luther fans have long accepted as a trait of the series. The question is whether the film will be able to attract new fans since, despite effectively acting as a reboot, it has a divisive tone, especially when the plot is so relentlessly dark.

The film can’t quite escape the trappings of a TV movie even though the final act takes Luther out of London and into the stunning landscapes of Iceland. It’s never cinematic enough.

However, for Luther fans, ‘Luther: Night Falls’ is more of the same and an improvement on the lackluster season finale. He doesn’t rise to the heights of the best of the series, but he does have an excellent villain and, as with the best of Luther, leaves you looking back nervously, anxiously, at the next time you’re in London.

‘Luther: Night Falls’ arrives on Netflix on March 10, 2023.