Jamie Dornan’s New Heist Has a Catch
A heist can survive an elaborate plan. It is harder to survive an elaborate explanation of the plan. 12 12 12, Apple TV’s new thriller starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan, has built that risk into its title. Each episode moves among twelve months of preparation, twelve hours of a robbery and twelve days of consequences.
The first two episodes arrive on November 13, with the remaining six following weekly through December 25. Mackie plays a disgraced FBI agent; Dornan plays a career criminal. A Zurich vault sits at the centre of their collision across Europe.
That structure has an appealing possibility: a decision that looks clever during the planning might look foolish once you have seen the aftermath. Cutting between the two could turn a simple betrayal into something you want to rewind. It could also make a straightforward robbery needlessly hard to follow.
Dornan and Mackie have worked together before. Discussing this production with Esquire in April, Dornan said:
A familiar partner is a promising ingredient for a screen rivalry. The pleasure of a cat-and-mouse thriller is often watching two people get uncomfortably good at reading each other. I would take a convincing contest between these actors over a surprise that depends on hiding which day it is.
The opening pair should be enough to find out whether the format suits you. A thriller can keep the solution out of reach while making the immediate danger perfectly clear. If you spend those episodes worrying about the people instead of sorting out the calendar, the structure is doing its job.
Put 12 12 12 on your November 13 list if you enjoy piecing together a robbery. Watch the first two together, then decide whether you want the remaining six Fridays with it.
