Idris Elba continues the role he originated in the BBC series as a thoughtful, obsessed and sometimes violent Detective Chief Inspector. Andy Serkis works a grand coif as the villain, a savage sadist whose scheme is truly diabolical. He starts by getting Luther in prison, which means Luther must escape, solve the string of horrible murders and avoid being caught himself. Fortunately, thanks to Neil Cross (who created the series and wrote a compelling screenplay) and director Jamie Payne, the situations are involving, the action scenes work well and things get tense. Of course, Elba’s dark performance drives the whole thing, which turns out to be a well-crafted and very involving police procedural. NOTE: I never watched the series, so this review is strictly based on the film. 
(4.5 / 5)
