Moviegoers either love or hate “Pacific Rim” for its over-the-top depiction of enormous monsters battling massive machines. But even those who are dead wrong seem to agree that Idris Elba’s performance as Stacker Pentecost highlights the film.
Elba’s performance in “Pacific Rim” has been praised in nearly every review, and director Guillermo del Toro has done a smart thing by letting Elba be Elba on multiple occasions. When Brent McKnight, from The Last Thing I See, commented, “You’d follow him into battle,” he was kind. Elba is even given a speech reminiscent of President Bill Pullman in “Independence Day.” We’ll never forget Elba’s carefully kept American accent cracking when he yells out the final, dramatic line: “Today, we’re cancelling the end of the world.”
Sure, “Pacific Rim” would still be filled with entertaining monster battles sans Elba. But, unfortunately, many big monster movies don’t show much concern for the tiny humans that live beneath them. So, in addition to being a great actor, Stacker Pentecost has an excellent name.
In quest of his big break, Idris Elba took to the streets. “Elba idolised Denzel Washington, Taye Diggs, and Wesley Snipes,” reports The Guardian. So he decided to try his luck in the United States. In New York, he worked as a bouncer and auditioned. “The Wire” was one of his first roles.
In 1999, “The Sopranos” premiered on HBO, and “The Wire” followed a year later. Russell “Stringer” Bell, Elba’s role, debuted as a small, recurrent one. It didn’t take long for Elba, though, to establish himself as one of the show’s most interesting and likeable characters, and the showrunners expanded his role over time.
Idris Elba’s portrayal of Bell established his career in the United States and helped turn “The Wire” into one of the best television programmes ever produced. However, after Elba’s character was killed off, David Simon’s wife branded him an idiot.
Whenever people talk of Idris Elba’s television roles, they immediately think of “The Wire”. But, on the other hand, you could argue that his portrayal as Luther in the BBC series Luther is at least as outstanding. Although “Luther” features a strong ensemble cast, Idris Elba’s performance as Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Luther steals the show.
The only genuine problem about “Luther” is that there isn’t nearly enough of it. As of 2010, the show’s first season has aired. On the other hand, Luther has only 20 episodes spread over five seasons, including the fourth season that has only two episodes and is incredibly painful!
Elba’s talents and strengths as an actor are well suited to the part of John Luther. Powerful and kind, his character is nevertheless dangerously obsessed and distrustful. “Luther” is full of surprises throughout its existence, and it puts its star to the test in every episode. As a result, Idris Elba has frequently claimed that “Luther” will continue beyond Season 5.
