Lockerbie: A Search For Truth Review — Colin Firth Stars in a Series That is Riveting and Undeniably Powerful

SUMMARY

• Here at FandomWire, we review the new Peacock limited series Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth!
• Peacock's Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth stars Colin Firth!
• Here at FandomWire, we grade Peacock's Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth a score of 8 out of 10!

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth is riveting and undeniably powerful. It’s based on the actual events of the terrorist attack that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 on a chilly 1988 December night. The flight set fire to the sky from a bomb over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, claiming the lives of all 259 people on board, along with 11 others on the ground, from falling debris that unmercifully fell from the heavens, looking like pieces of hell.

While Lockerbie: A Search for Truth occasionally falls into the pitfalls of dramatic clichés often found in true story adaptations, it features two phenomenal performances that stand out. Colin Firth and Catherine McCormack brilliantly portray the rotting core of a family grappling with tragic loss while also conveying the personal toll of grief when it prevents us from moving on and letting go.

Peacock’s Lockerbie: A Search For Truth Review and Synopsis

The story follows the family of Jim (Firth) and Jane Swire (McCormack) as they send their daughter Flora (Rosanna Adams) off on the trip of a lifetime. She boards a flight from London to New York City. However, that night, a breaking news report interrupts local programming, announcing a plane crash in Scotland, turning their lives upside down forever.

Later, they discover that the transatlantic flight was brought down by a bomb 38 minutes after takeoff. Jim Swire takes it upon himself to question how this could have happened, even sneaking a fake bomb onto a plane months later to expose security flaws. Along with reporter Murray Guthrie (Sam Troughton), they challenge the system, confront higher authorities, and scrutinize the evidence to uncover who was responsible for that reprehensible crime.

Colin Firth in Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (2024) | Image via Peacock

Peacock’s Lockerbie: A Search For Truth is Undeniably Powerful

Peacock’s Lockerbie: A Search for Truth is based on The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice by Swire and Peter Biddulph. The series gets off to a jaw-dropping start, depicting the carnage from the burning, falling debris crashing into the small Scottish town, one of the year’s best. The scene is so engrossing you cannot take your eyes off it. There are dozens of scenes like this in the series.

From a farmer picking up the lifeless body of a newborn in his field to a stunning shot of a plane on fire streaking across the sky just above modest homes. As tastefully done as possible, it’s a breathtaking recreation. Yet, directors David Harrower (Outlaw King), Maryam Hamidi (Wild Rose), and writers Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders) and Jim Loach (Criminal Record) never abandon the agonizing human element that subsequently transpires.

Case in point, in one of what I am sure will go down as one of the year’s most powerful scenes, McCormick counts out 15 seconds, and by the end, her turn has the power of a wrecking ball that left me devastated.

Colin Firth in Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (2024) | Image via Peacock

Is Peacock’s Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Worth Watching?

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth is worth watching despite falling into the “white savior trope” when Firth’s Swire befriends the convicted terrorist Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (Ardalan Esmaili). However, they do address this cliché, albeit momentarily. This subplot, which takes over in episodes four and five, demonstrates how complex the case was — something many don’t realize today.

The ending feels unfinished, yet it perfectly encapsulates the main character’s sense of closure that will never come, which, in a sense, is why this Peacock limited series works so well. The story is about ambition and drive used for emotional suppression and avoidance, coping with extreme circumstances. The contrast between Firth’s obsessive turn and McCormack’s prolonged rumination on grief perfectly complements each other.

While the series contains great entertainment moments, showcasing strong investigative reporting, I wish it had more. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth captivates the audience because of the characters’ personal struggles and their humanity.

Colin Firth in Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (2024) | Image via Peacock

All five episodes of Lockerbie: A Search for Truth were screened for this review. You can stream this series only on Peacock on January 2!

Written by M.N. Miller

Articles Published: 233

M.N. Miller is a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Mansfield University and a Master's from Chamberlain University. However, he still puts on his pants one leg at a time, and that's when he usually stumbles over. When not writing about film or television, he patiently waits for the next Pearl Jam album and chooses to pass the time by scratching his wife's back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. M.N. Miller was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs but chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find his work on Hidden Remote, InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Geek Vibes Nation, and Nerd Alert.