Once Upon a Time in London
dir. Simon Rumley (2019)
Thematically sound overall but the relationships are murky and the shifting dynamics blur into an endless reel of dog-eat-dog gangster violence. While of more interest than the leads, the female characters are less well documented historically and thus, lamentably, have been relegated.
Luther, Series 5
by Neil Cross; dir. Jamie Payne (BBC, 2019)
Luther comes full circle in this spiralling 4-part finale. The tone of previous series is maintained—the darkness of London as a killing field; Luther’s restless inner turmoil—and there are gripping performances cast-wide: Ruth Wilson; Dermot Crowley; Patrick Malahide; Enzo Cilenti.
Pennyworth, Season 1
(Epix, 2019)
A slick but disturbingly visceral action crime drama set in a reimagined (Gotham sister city?) post-war London. While any given episode is diverting enough, the overarching plot lacks focus and the Batman character prefiguring is distracting and strained (in truth totally incongruous).
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin, 2020); audiobook read by Marisa Calin (Bolinda, 2020)
The fantasy setting is instantly appealing—London in 1983, home to a hidden world of old gods and lesser creatures of legend, policed by an extended family of booksellers. The characters are well drawn but Nix’s storytelling is nothing more than workmanlike.