# Luther (2010) Review: Idris Elba Against the Abyss > Luther is the BBC's gothic London crime drama starring Idris Elba as a brilliant, self-destructive detective. Operatic, often lurid and hard to look away from. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/luther-review/ Published: 2026-07-25 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes, with reservations. Idris Elba makes it essential for fans of dark detective drama, though the killers grow cartoonish and later series trade logic for shocks. ## Is Luther worth watching? **Yes, with reservations. Luther is a pulpy, ferociously entertaining detective drama held together by one of the great television lead performances, Idris Elba as a man who solves murders by getting far too close to them.** Its best episodes play like horror films set inside a police procedural, and the bond between Luther and a brilliant killer is the show's masterstroke. The reservation is that the villains become more grotesque and the plotting less believable as the seasons pass. ## What is Luther about? DCI John Luther ([Idris Elba](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/europe/united-kingdom/idris-elba/)) is a London murder detective with an extraordinary gift for reading killers and a temper that frightens his colleagues as much as his suspects. He returns to work after a breakdown linked to a case that went badly wrong, and his first new investigation brings him face to face with Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), a scientist of dazzling intelligence whom he is convinced is guilty but cannot touch. Their strange, sparring alliance becomes a thread that runs through the series. Around him are a handful of steady figures, including Dermot Crowley as Martin Schenk, a senior officer who never quite decides whether Luther is an asset or a liability, and Michael Smiley as Benny, the loyal tech expert. Patrick Malahide, Wunmi Mosaku, Hermione Norris and Enzo Cilenti join in later series. [Luther](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/luther/) was created and written by Neil Cross for the BBC. It is a British series in English, and this review covers all five series and 20 episodes broadcast from 2010 to 2019. The television story has ended, though the character returned in the 2023 feature film Luther: The Fallen Sun. ## Elba's detective as a force of nature The show exists because of its lead. Elba plays Luther with a physical intensity that fills every frame: the hunched shoulders in the heavy tweed coat, the sudden shouts, the silences in which he visibly thinks his way into a killer's head. Crucially, he never makes the character a cool genius. Luther cares too much, breaks rules because he cannot bear to lose, and pays for it, and Elba lets the damage show. Ruth Wilson is his perfect counterweight. Alice is witty, amoral and delighted by Luther's darkness, and their scenes together crackle with a tension that is part flirtation, part chess match. The series is never better than when these two are in a room. ## A gothic London of monsters Cross writes crime less like a procedural and more like a horror anthology. Each case pits Luther against a killer with a grotesque method, and the direction leans into that with shadowy flats, empty streets and set pieces designed to make audiences check behind the sofa. The city becomes a nightmare version of itself, rainy, sodium-lit and full of hidden rooms. It is lurid, but it is also genuinely frightening at times, which few British detective shows even attempt. ## When the shocks outrun the story The approach has limits. The early series balance the case of the week with Luther's inner life; later ones, with fewer episodes, rely increasingly on outlandish villains and escalating violence, and the investigative logic often feels secondary to the next shock. Supporting characters are sometimes underused, and the show's habit of forgiving Luther's rule-breaking can be hard to square with its moral seriousness. It is operatic by design, but occasionally it tips into silliness. ## Who should watch Luther? It suits viewers who like their [crime](https://celluloidscore.com/genres/crime/) drama dark, stylised and character-driven, and anyone curious to see Elba in the role that defined his television career. With 20 episodes, it is a fairly compact watch. Be warned: the series features graphic murders, serial killers and scenes of intense menace, and it is not for the squeamish. If Luther grips you, these are natural follow-ups: - [Line of Duty](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/line-of-duty-review/) for a more procedural, conspiracy-driven British police drama. - [Happy Valley](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/happy-valley/), which pairs a formidable lead detective with a truly frightening villain in a Yorkshire setting. - [Dept. Q](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/dept-q/), a newer British crime series built around a damaged, difficult detective. ## The verdict Luther is a thrilling, over-the-top crime drama whose excesses are forgiven thanks to Idris Elba's towering lead and Ruth Wilson's unforgettable foil. The later seasons grow increasingly lurid and less coherent, but at its best it is among the most gripping detective series Britain has produced. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [Luther (2010)](https://celluloidscore.com/shows/luther/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)