LUTHER. A Human Among Madmen, Deviants, and Psychopaths

If someone were planning a trip to London and happened to watch an episode of Luther, they would face quite the dilemma: go or stay in the safety of home? Because England’s capital, in Neil Cross’s story, is a city full of madmen, deviants, and psychopaths. The only person who can save innocent people is the brilliant detective John Luther. The BBC series won the hearts of fans and critics over its three years on air, and the actor playing the lead role, Idris Elba, was honored with a Golden Globe in 2012 for creating an unforgettable portrait of the London detective.

An actor made for crime dramas

Idris Elba, or more precisely Idrissa Akuna Elba, was born on August 8, 1972, in London. At first, nothing suggested he would pursue acting. At the age of 16, he dropped out of school and joined the National Youth Music Theatre. Not long after, he began working as a DJ in London clubs under the name Big Driis. Interestingly, even today Elba is an avid musician and music producer, exploring the realms of soul and hip-hop. The results? Several EPs, a track in American Gangster, and one in Tyler Perry’s Medea Goes to Jail.

At the same time as his musical pursuits, he was trying to break into television—he began attending casting calls for TV programs. He got his first serious role in 1995 in the series Bramwell. From then on, he began taking guest and supporting roles. In 2001, he decided to seek his fortune across the Atlantic. From the start, he landed roles in crime-themed productions. He made a guest appearance in the popular series Law & Order, and a year later he was cast in The Wire as the famous Stringer Bell—in the excellent HBO series that lasted five seasons and about which Variety magazine wrote: When the history of television is written, few shows will match The Wire—a series so extraordinarily deep and ambitious it can only be savored by a select few.

Elba also tried to make his mark on the big screen and in TV movies. He had to wait until 2005 for his first notable recognition. That year brought two films that undoubtedly had a major impact on his career—Sometimes in April and The Gospel. Both productions were very well received by critics and audiences, and Idris himself was nominated for the Black Reel Awards, a statuette awarded to talented Black actors.

Then came high-budget productions like American Gangster, with Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in the lead roles. Interestingly, the soundtrack for this film was created by Jay-Z, and Elba co-created the intro for the entire album. The British actor also worked with the American rapper’s wife, Beyoncé. They both appeared in 2009 in the (rather weak) thriller Obsessed. Also in the same year, he appeared in the American version of The Office, where he played none other than Michael Scott’s boss.

But 2009 was exceptional for another reason. It was then that he received the offer to play the lead in the British mini-series Luther. Needless to say, accepting the role of the London detective was a stroke of genius and gave Idris Elba the ticket to appear again in a Ridley Scott film (Prometheus) and Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. But more importantly, in 2011, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his epic portrayal of John Luther, and a year later, he took the statuette home.

What is Luther actually about? John is a very skilled detective who can enter the criminal’s mind and perfectly predict their next move. In every case, he is helped by his partner, Justin Ripley (Warren Brown). Together they solve very difficult and diverse cases.

Luther often has to resort to unconventional methods to catch murderers, which brings him many problems right from the beginning of the series. Additionally, the first season features a well-developed storyline about Luther’s marriage (with a strong ending). In the second season, the creators decided to test the main character by confronting him with the demons of his past. In the third season—perhaps the weakest—Luther faces accusations about his methods.

A combination of Columbo and Holmes

The creator of the series, Neil Cross, is a young writer and screenwriter who has shown a fondness for crime stories from the start of his career.

He began as a novelist with Always the Sun, a dark tale about a murderer that was warmly received by readers and adapted for television in 2001 under the same title. Cross emphasizes that when writing a book or script, he always wants to maintain realism so that the viewer or reader feels fear from the very first moments. While writing the script for Luther, he kept all those aspects in mind—and it shows: the investigation is painstaking, full of bureaucracy, and the background of the story isn’t artificially glamorized.

As TV history shows (The Mentalist, Sherlock), the detective character is most important. He is the one who draws the viewer’s attention, he is the smartest, and he is the one who must catch the bad guy. When creating the character of John Luther, Cross drew inspiration from two legendary detectives—Sherlock Holmes and Columbo. On the one hand, he is brilliant and able to anticipate events; on the other, he is full of empathy and compassion for the victims. Another element borrowed from the American detective series is the so-called inverted mystery, in which the viewer first sees the criminal and the way the crime was committed, and only then follows the solving of the case.

Let’s pause on the character of Luther himself. We meet him at a very difficult moment in his life. He’s dealing with both personal and professional problems.

He tries to prove that his separation from his wife and suspension from work haven’t affected him, but at the same time, it’s clear he is fighting an inner battle with his own weaknesses. Moreover, when John solves a case, he becomes emotionally connected to it—each death, each killer, affects his personality and psyche. When I watch American crime shows (The Mentalist, CSI: Miami), I get the feeling that the detectives do show empathy for the victims, but only for one episode. In later episodes, it seems like all previous cases are forgotten. John Luther is different—more human and perhaps more real to the viewer.

Psychopaths vs. Luther

Of course, Luther is not built solely around its main character. As in any good crime story, the protagonist’s opponents must also be of a high caliber. Standing out above the rest is Alice Morgan, played by Ruth Wilson—an incredibly intelligent and cunning woman who becomes more than just a common sociopath that Luther needs to bring to justice. Plot twists are very well integrated into the narrative, often shocking and driving new, unexpected developments. The simplest and at the same time most difficult of these devices is killing off a secondary or even main character.

It’s simple because it affects other characters and often provokes unexpected reactions. But on the other hand, producers fear that the audience has become attached to a character and that their death may result in losing viewers. Luther, however, is a mini-series, with each season consisting of only a few episodes. There’s no time to dwell on the loss of a beloved character—we immediately move on to the finale and case resolution.

John Luther in many forms

Entering the world of Luther, one can easily get lost in it. Unconventional cases, well-written characters, and a portrait of London teeming with deviants make it hard to look away. It’s difficult to compare the show directly to Sherlock. While both feature highly distinctive lead detectives, they differ greatly in psychological construction.

The scale of the show’s phenomenon is easy to grasp not only by reading reviews but also comments from ordinary viewers who want more and more of John Luther. In addition to the Golden Globe awarded to Idris Elba, the series received 71  nominations for various awards.