Apple TV+ heist drama 12 12 12, premiering on November 13, attempts a complex, three-timeline narrative structure to track a billion-dollar Zurich vault theft.
Despite the high-concept premise, the show struggles with clunky dialogue and a gimmicky narrative structure that frequently undermines its own momentum.
The series centers on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a heist targeting Russian mafia cash on Christmas Day. The title reflects the logic of disgraced FBI agent Jack Strickland, played by Anthony Mackie: a heist takes 12 months to plan, 12 hours to execute, and if the thieves are not caught within 12 days, they remain free.
While the show utilizes this split timeline gimmick as its primary selling point, the resulting narrative often feels like it is “pedalling furiously to keep the vehicle on the road, or stopping to explain itself.”
Because the plot jumps between time periods, the audience frequently knows the outcome of events before they occur, preventing the show from embedding involving stand-alone stories within the grand narrative. The dialogue has been described as neither smart nor deep enough to support the ambitious premise.
Anthony Mackie’s character is frequently tasked with delivering lines intended to sound “stylishly tough and clipped,” though they often result in moments of “deep cringe.”
According to the Radio Times, the actor is handed lines that are “straining every sinew to come across as stylishly tough and clipped, but end up making the actor say things that Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis would have rejected as too cheesy 40 years ago.”
Jamie Dornan appears as the career criminal Paul Galvin, described as “wise and capable” but ultimately underpowered in his role as the leader of the heist crew. The cast is rounded out by Jack Kesy, whose portrayal of the aggressive Bobby Galvin is criticized for being unwatchable rather than believable.
While the series gains some momentum in the second half of the season following a late plot twist, much of the show is hindered by its reliance on a format that feels like it is “trying too hard.” Viewers can add 12 12 12 to their watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app.
