Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan star in the eight-episode heist series 12 12 12, scheduled to premiere on Friday, November 13, on Apple, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jim Keeble and Dudi Appleton created the series, which follows three interlocking timelines known as “The Heist,” “The Planning,” and “The Takedown.” Mackie plays FBI agent Jack Strickland, while Dornan stars as master thief Paul Galvin. The Hollywood Reporter said that the initial episodes show promise before the narrative declines into unexciting twists.
Strickland opens each episode by reciting a rule from an FBI handbook. “A high-asset robbery, professionally conceived, is 12 months in planning, 12 hours in execution. A bank robber who is not caught within 12 days is not caught at all,” he says.
The storyline splits into distinct operational phases. “The Heist” follows an hour-by-hour breakdown as Paul, his hot-headed brother Bobby played by Jack Kesy, and a team of specialists break into a secure bank in Zurich. Their target is approximately a billion dollars in cash deposited by Russian oligarchs.
The team includes train-loving Kira played by Kali Reis, master tunneler Serge played by Jose Garcia, contortionist Alberich played by Julius Feldmeier, and inside woman Gunda played by Hildegard Schroedter. “The Planning” provides a month-by-month breakdown of Paul leaving retirement and his pregnant partner Severine, played by Agathe Rousselle. “The Takedown” tracks Strickland and Swiss cop Lena, played by Sallie Harmsen, as they attempt to catch the thieves.
Prestige streaming director Kari Skogland directed the first two episodes. The opening sequence features Alberich unfolding his body from a safe deposit box to emerge inside a locked vault. The Hollywood Reporter described the early episodes as derivative but generally proficient.
The storytelling falters by the fourth episode. A character survives a man-made avalanche that was capable of burying a cabin, and the event vanishes from the plot afterward. Skogland directed the final two episodes, which feature a nighttime chase and animal encounter that the review characterized as producing unintentional laughter.
The production struggles with its central conflict between Mackie and Dornan. Mackie’s performance lacks the deep compulsion required for an Ahab-style pursuit of Dornan’s character. Dornan plays Paul as humorless and bland, removing the rough edges seen in his past work.
Supporting characters receive limited development throughout the eight episodes. Kesy portrays Bobby as a scheming volatility used as a red herring. Olafur Darri Olafsson appears as a character named Blasius, though his specific role in the heist remains unclear. Reis appears briefly despite her role, and Patrick Fabian plays one of Strickland’s FBI bosses.
The Bottom Line: A new twist on a genre, but no new inspiration, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
