'Luther' review: Idris Elba, as usual, lifts show
"Luther": The premiere of season 3 of the acclaimed psychological police drama starring Golden Globe winner Idris Elba ("The Wire," "The Office") as dogged British detective John Luther. Credit: BBC
Alert to "Luther" fans: The fourth season begins in a few hours, and now is as good a time as any to catch up on one of the finest small screen actors working anywhere. Idris Elba is in fact expected to leave "Luther" behind after this current season, unless he does a big-screen prequel. Speaking of the big screen, his "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," arrives Nov. 29 and -- you heard it hear first -- Elba will get an Oscar nomination and probably a win, too. (Wait -- you didn't hear that here first? Oh...)
But is brilliant, mercurial, obsessive, effective Luther above the law or just enforcing it? That's the question he confronts immediately, when former detective and hard case George Stark (David O'Hara) is brought out of retirement to secretly investigate John. Stark has help: former Luther colleague, Det. Sergeant Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and maybe even DS Justin Ripley (Warren Brown), who idolizes John, but may finally have his doubts.
Meanwhile, there's a serial killer at large -- there always is. Also, Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), the murderer who became John's unconventional "adviser" in the first season, makes an especially dramatic return later this week.
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