Luther Season 1 - DVD

Content: Detective Chief Inspector John Luther (Idris Elba) is forced to take time off after the arrest of serial killer Henry Madsen ended with the ailing killer in a coma, badly injured, and Luther at his wits end. While Madsen's fall is considered an accident by the general public, only John Luther knows the truth, which he now carries around with him for months. When he returns to duty, nothing is the same. He is assigned a new partner to keep an eye on the grandiose, but also uncontrollable cop. On top of that, his ex-wife Zoe (Indira Varma) is now living with a new man, which always threatens to throw Luther off balance.

And as if that weren't enough, he's pushed to his limits again with his very first case after his return: the parents of Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), a science prodigy, are brutally murdered. But even if the case seems to be solved quickly, Luther does not yet suspect that this has only begun a perfidious game, in whose center he seems to be.

Luther is the best crime fiction entertainment that works terrific not only on the suspense level, but also in dramatic terms. John Luther is an extremely interesting character that Idris Elba gives a lot of depth and charisma to. The most interesting character of the first season, however, is Alice Morgan, with whom you as a viewer can never be quite sure whether she is good or evil, genius or just completely crazy. Her cat and mouse game with Luther is full of surprises and has some very intense moments. This is also thanks to Ruth Wilson, who embodies Alice in a very strong and multi-faceted way.

But also the actual cases that Luther has to solve in the first episodes are exceedingly exciting. Whether it's a sniper apparently targeting police officers, a sick woman killer, or a bloody hostage situation that also involves one of Luther's colleagues, the stories are always cleverly constructed and engagingly staged. Certainly, the wheel is truly not reinvented here. But if such a captivating and high-quality juggling with old familiar, it does not bother much if the plot itself is not brimming with originality. After all, the creators succeed again and again some real surprise moments. Especially the end of the episode, in which Luther hunts a perverted woman killer, is extremely intense in a shocking way.

The first season of Luther consists of three feature-length episodes, each of which has been edited together from two episodes. So John Luther is confronted with not one, but two cases per episode in Germany. That this works well is because there are several elements that tie the series together as a whole. The game Alice is playing with Luther, his relationship with his ex-wife, as well as the truth about the fall of Henry Madsen that could come to light at any time should the killer wake up from his coma, these are all storylines that run through the entire season.

A great cast, atmospheric visuals, exciting scripts, and top-notch production all combine to make Luther top-notch TV entertainment that may not revolutionize the crime genre, but at least adds a more than worthwhile entry!

Picture + Sound: With its somewhat reduced color scheme, the overall quite clean and sharp image creates a coherent atmosphere, in the darker scenes here and there slight image noise can be detected. However, like the sound with its very directional mixed dialogue and only very isolated surround effects, the overall picture quality is on a good to very good TV level.

Extras: The second DVD features a nearly 30-minute documentary on the making of the series, consisting of interviews with the creators. A bit lean, but worth watching.

Conclusion: The first cases Luther has to solve are TV entertainment of the very best kind. The British crime series is excellently written, very well acted and grippingly directed. The feature-length episodes, which are distributed over two DVDs, are technically well-produced, the bonus material is a bit meagre, but worth watching. Therefore: for lovers of sophisticated British crime fare absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp