I am – Hercules!!
A new six-part BBC America series from Neil Cross (“MI-5”) about a London police detective played by the great Idris Elba (“The Wire,” “The Office”), “Luther” co-stars Ruth Wilson (“The Prisoner”), Indira Varma (“Rome”), Saskia Reeves (“Me and Orson Welles”), Paul McGann (“Withnail and I,” “Alien3,” “Doctor Who,” “Queen of the Damned”) and Steven Mackintosh (“Underworld: Rise of the Lycans”).
It is not as good as “The Wire” and it is not as good as “Rome.” It is far better than the “Prisoner” remake.
Wilson, who plays a beautiful and brazen serial killer, is as magnetic as Elba. But the script is a little to yappy and perhaps a lot too TV-silly. The whereabouts of a murder weapon tried my patience. (SPOILER: There are perhaps smarter and less risky ways of ridding yourself of a murder weapon than hiding it in a dead pet.)
But I’ve only seen the first of the six episodes. I’m not convinced I want to see the second. Critics who have seen all six suggest it gets better:
HitFix says:
… merits include two fantastic lead performances by Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson, but also some muddled overall storytelling that left me scratching my head by the time we got to the final act. … So long as Elba’s on the screen, I’m interested, and even more when he and Wilson are sharing it. But ultimately, “Luther” turned out to be more average than I thought at first, regardless of its country of origin.
TV Squad says:
… manages to be an excellent showcase for Idris Elba ('The Wire') and an increasingly impressive character drama that goes to some dark and absorbing places. Especially in the second half of 'Luther's' 6-episode season, 'Luther' begins to feel like a well-paced crime novel, one that's less about finding the bad guys and more concerned with exploring what motivates the darker impulses of criminals -- and cops. 'Luther' needs some time to build up a head of steam, but by the last couple of episodes, its intensity and relentless knottiness are impressive indeed.
USA Today says:
… Idris Elba, who was so chillingly convincing as an American drug dealer in The Wire, is equally good here as a troubled London detective in this terrific six-part thriller. …
The New York Times says:
… a series grippingly compelled by the most gothic threats to domestic tranquillity. … clearly Thomas Harris’s Hannibal Lecter books figure among his influences as well. The series borrows a certain view of the relationship between unlikely partners on opposite sides of a gaping moral divide. Luther is both repelled by, and sexually drawn to, a beautiful young killer, Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), whose braininess extends to an expertise in physics and an acute ability to help Luther unravel the most advanced criminal minds. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… There's nothing here that we haven't seen before — creepy sociopaths, justice perpetually threatened by over-regulation, a celebration of psycho-deductive powers — but it's rendered with such depth and complex humanity to make the old seem new again. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… The series offers strong, striking cop stories to accompany the intense thrills of the Luther-Alice cat-and-mouse game. But it is that back-and-forth and the sexual tension that develops between the pair that makes "Luther" stand apart. Ms. Wilson is striking. With her red hair, arched eyebrows and pencil-thin lips, she plays Alice as a playful, possibly mad sociopath. She's an absolute delight …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
A police procedural with a black British detective in the lead will seem exotic to many American viewers, but what's most striking about the Idris Elba starrer "Luther" is that it's -- finally! -- a cop show devoted fully to the investigation and to the characters doing the investigating. It's not just all about the lab work. …
Variety says:
For members of the Idris Elba fan club, "Luther" will qualify as must-see TV, but there's more to recommend this psychologically twisted BBC copshow than just the former "The Wire" star. … Despite sagging a bit in the midsection, "Luther" is well worth the investment. …
10 p.m. Sunday. BBC America.
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