Review: Colin Firth stars as Dr. Jim Swire in ‘Lockerbie: A Search for Truth’ on Peacock

Colin Firth in ‘Lockerbie: A Search for Truth.’ Photo Credit: Graeme Hunter.

Oscar winner Colin Firth stars as Dr. Jim Swire in the new limited series “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth” on Peacock.

Otto Bathurst directed from a script by David Harrower. This limited series was inspired by true life events pertaining to the Lockerbie bombing.

Aside from Firth, it also stars Catherine McCormack, Rosanna Adams, Jemma Carlton, Harry Redding, Sam Troughton, Mark Bonner, Ardalan Esmaili, and Selwa Jghalef. 

The synopsis is: 259 passengers and crew were killed on December 21, 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie 38 minutes after take-off, with a further 11 residents losing their life as the plane came down over the quiet, Scottish town.

In the wake of the disaster and his daughter’s death, Dr Jim Swire (Colin Firth), is nominated spokesperson for the U.K. victims’ families, who have united to demand truth and justice.

Traveling across continents and political divides, Jim embarks on a relentless journey that not only jeopardizes his stability, family and life, but completely overturns his trust in the justice system.

As the truth shifts under Jim’s feet, his view of the world is left forever changed.

Everybody in the cast is given their own characterization and they are able to bring something unique to the story.

Firth’s affecting rapport with Catherine McCormack, who plays his on-screen wife Jane Swire, allows for more resonance.

The series exploring events from the disaster and its aftermath, and it provides an intimate account of a man, a husband, and a father who risks everything in memory of his daughter, Flora, as he demands answers in the pursuit of truth and justice.

The cinematography is so visually striking where the audience will feel like they were a part of the experience.

Without giving too much away, this is a series that needs to be seen by all.

The Verdict

Overall, Colin Firth will make viewers feel every emotion imaginable in “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth” as he takes us on a roller coaster of an emotional and exasperating ride in a series that is immensely touching. Colin Firth is bold, daring, unflinching, but at the same time, raw, genuine, melancholic, and vulnerable.

An Academy Award winner, Firth will make people forget that they are watching a TV series, and it will feel as if they are experiencing real life right beside his character Dr. Jim Swire.

Firth’s acting performance runs the gamut, and it is equal in excellence to that of Jim Broadbent (“Iris”) meets Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) meets Gary Oldman in “Darkest Hour.”

Colin Firth should be up for everything (Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards) and he should be winning everything. It was truly a “wow” performance and “stellar” in every sense of the word as Firth nailed one of the most complex roles in his respected career.

This is a series that will certainly spark conversations among viewers, and perhaps inspire them to research this story further (as they seek their own answers on the aftermath of the plane crash).

Firth is transformative as Dr. Jim Swire and he is able to tell this true story with honesty and dignity. “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth” garners five out of five stars.

Read More: Colin Firth talks about starring in “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth.”