12 12 12 Review: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
12 12 12 has a smart three-part structure and a strong start. The middle drifts, the twists pile up, and the two leads never quite spark, so the ending feels like a letdown.
Rating: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Genre: Heist Thriller
Language: English
Creators: Jim Keeble and Dudi Appleton
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Kali Reis, Agathe Rousselle, Sallie Harmsen, Jack Kesy
Episodes: 8
Every heist story loves a good rule. 12 12 12 has one built right into its title. A big robbery takes twelve months to plan, twelve hours to carry out, and if the thieves are not caught in twelve days, they are probably never caught at all. The eight-episode Apple TV series uses that idea to tell its story, and it streams from 13 November.
The target is a bank in Zurich that holds around a billion dollars in cash, newly deposited by some nasty Russian oligarchs. Jamie Dornan plays Paul Galvin, a master thief pulled out of quiet retirement with his pregnant wife, Severine, played by Agathe Rousselle.
His hot-headed brother Bobby, played by Jack Kesy, joins a team of specialists. One of them is a contortionist who unfolds himself out of a safe deposit box in the opening shot, which is a very cool way to begin.
On the other side is Jack Strickland, played by Anthony Mackie, an FBI agent who believes a partner of his was murdered and blames Paul. He is working with a Swiss cop named Lena, played by Sallie Harmsen, and his hunt turns into a personal obsession.
The series tells all this through three timelines. The Heist follows the robbery hour by hour. The Planning follows the build-up month by month. The Takedown follows the chase day by day. Title cards guide you as the story jumps between them, and at first the structure feels fresh and clever.
The first two episodes are the best. They are not original, and you will think of Ocean’s 11 more than once. Still, the stakes are clear, the production is clean, and a chase through the streets, cut between foot and car pursuits, is slick and fun. If you like even the most basic heist story, this part will keep you happy.
Then the series starts to slide. By the fourth episode, a character is buried in a man-made avalanche and is fine one scene later, and the plan behind it is never properly explained. The middle episodes drift without a clear goal, and coincidences stack up.
By the end, the twists feel more tiring than exciting, and the last two episodes include a night chase with an animal that one critic said caused unintended laughter. One reviewer felt the show was addictive enough to make you want just one more episode. Another felt it simply goes on too long.
The bigger problem is the lead pair. Mackie is good at a low simmer, but he is not quite right for a man who is eaten up by obsession. Dornan plays Paul as calm and bland, with all his rough edges smoothed away.
The cat-and-mouse game between them sometimes recalls Heat, but neither man has the depth to make it truly gripping. The supporting cast is also underused. Kali Reis is barely in it, and several crew members have almost no personality.
The makers spend so much time on the tricks of the heist that they forget to build the people inside it. That leaves the three timelines with little to say, and the structure ends up being a clever shell with not much underneath.
If you want more to watch, our Being Heumann review covers a warm biopic on disability rights. For something with plenty of fight scenes, try our Never Surrender review, and for a Netflix pick with a sci-fi twist, read our Allen review.
12 12 12 has a great hook and a strong opening, but it cannot keep the magic going. Watch it for the first two episodes, and keep your hopes low for the rest.
12 12 12 streams on Apple TV from 13 November.