I started this series for 2 reasons: BBC and Indira Verma; and they both have disappointed. While there was very little of Indira, the show itself was a shallow lake, offering no introspect.
Luther is the story of a (another) super smart crime solving genius, his rookie partner, too many skeletons in his closet, and a psycho antihero friend, a hot ex wife...ooh and a shady best friend. The characters are forced into a grey domain, trying to instill a very dark outline to the show; but it misfires completely. Idris Elba does a good job as the lead detective Luther, playing perhaps the most exploited character on television: a grey policeman. His superman-ish analyzing abilities, are off the charts: example: deciphering the motive of kill from the name of a chemical. Although Elba is convincing in the character, the write up fails him, and he ends up looking like he's putting too much into the role. Ruth Wilson, tries to do a Silence of the Lambs, playing the psychotic villain turned friend to the detective. However, her performance is mediocre at best, and not convincing. The director has to understand that being psychotic is not just 'bout saying sinister things with a smile. Indira and Paul have some decent chemistry and performance; as the haunted new couple. Indira plays the uncertain wife pretty well, although she does overdo the emotional scenes a little. However, like any bad action flick, Mark is soon thrown into the field, without any prior experience, and surprise surprise, he's good. Warren Brown, though, is a plus from the show. As the typical understudy/deputy to the lead, he throws in a strong and convincing performance. Credit to the writers here actually, his part is very well written. Watch Luther if you're a die hard fan of any of the lead cast, or are just keen on predicting what happens' next and feel good about yourself.
Luther is the story of a (another) super smart crime solving genius, his rookie partner, too many skeletons in his closet, and a psycho antihero friend, a hot ex wife...ooh and a shady best friend. The characters are forced into a grey domain, trying to instill a very dark outline to the show; but it misfires completely. Idris Elba does a good job as the lead detective Luther, playing perhaps the most exploited character on television: a grey policeman. His superman-ish analyzing abilities, are off the charts: example: deciphering the motive of kill from the name of a chemical. Although Elba is convincing in the character, the write up fails him, and he ends up looking like he's putting too much into the role. Ruth Wilson, tries to do a Silence of the Lambs, playing the psychotic villain turned friend to the detective. However, her performance is mediocre at best, and not convincing. The director has to understand that being psychotic is not just 'bout saying sinister things with a smile. Indira and Paul have some decent chemistry and performance; as the haunted new couple. Indira plays the uncertain wife pretty well, although she does overdo the emotional scenes a little. However, like any bad action flick, Mark is soon thrown into the field, without any prior experience, and surprise surprise, he's good. Warren Brown, though, is a plus from the show. As the typical understudy/deputy to the lead, he throws in a strong and convincing performance. Credit to the writers here actually, his part is very well written. Watch Luther if you're a die hard fan of any of the lead cast, or are just keen on predicting what happens' next and feel good about yourself.