HBO photo
When it comes to crime drama, whether it’s movies or television, let me throw one name out at you:
Idris Elba.
Oh, come on, you know who he is.
Most of us first became aware of the British actor Idris Elba when he played Russell “Stringer” Bell in HBO’s brilliant series The Wire.
Each time he was onscreen, Elba showed the complex personality of Stringer Bell—ruthless, compassionate, uncaring, loyal friend, murderous, streetwise, book smart, intelligent, dimwitted.
A drug dealer by trade, he was a businessman at heart, taking classes to better understand how an industry grows into an empire.
He could order—or commit—a murder without blinking an eye.
One could believe he truly cared about his best friend and partner Avon Barksdale and yet also be willing to kill him without hesitation.
I also have to add that Idris Elba is one sexy, handsome man.
He’s currently in the feeble Obsessed, a Fatal Attraction knock-off that disappoints on so many levels, except for Elba.
In Obsessed, Elba’s character Derek Charles is married with child to Beyonce Knowles but being stalked by the unstoppable Ali Larter (Heroes).
The plot never works and the twists are predictable. If you’ve seen the trailers, you’ve seen the movie.
But the cast makes Obsessed almost watchable, especially Elba.
Elba’s complicated charisma seems to show in just about every role he takes. His turn as crime boss Charlie Gotso in HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency was a chilling piece of acting.
Elba made Gotso almost sympathetic at first but within seconds the crime boss’ dark heart was obvious.
Even Elba’s recent role as Charles Miner on the NBC comedy The Office showed a touch of malice. As Michael Scott’s new boss, Charles Miner was not going to suffer fools.
Elba could easily be the next face of crime drama.
Should Hollywood ever decide to film more of Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins novels, Elba could easily fit in that role, taking over from Denzel Washington. While I liked Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress, but he is getting a little too old to play the Easy of the earlier novels.
(By the way, Elba had a role in Washington’s American Gangster.)
I could certainly see Elba taking over as Lincoln Rhyme from the Jeffrey Deaver's novels, should that series ever be filmed again.
Yeah, that would mean Elba would be taking over another of Denzel Washington’s roles. But the Academy Award winning actor doesn’t seem to lack for roles.
But I also could see Elba in myriad roles. Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme wasn’t originally written as an African-American. But Washington was so perfect for the role that race didn’t matter. And frankly, race should not matter. Cast Elba because he is a good actor and can do just about any role.
Let Matt Damon have the franchise on action films.
Just give us Elba for the intelligent crime dramas.
This article was originally published on the Mystery Scene Blog, April 2009.
