Dope Thief

The episodes have been keeping our attention. It's full of action and a few funny moments as well. The dialogues between the two main actors are well-crafted. Wagner Moura's performance is a standout, reinforcing his reputation as a versatile and talented actor. His ability to convey emotion, whether through subtle facial expressions, elevates the entire production. It's even more impressive considering that he is performing in languages that are not his mother tongue, yet he delivers with remarkable authenticity.

This adds an extra layer of admiration for his craft, proving once again that talent transcends language barriers.

This is a series that delivers on multiple levels-action, humor, and amazing performances. It's definitely worth watching.

A good mix of tense expletive filled crime scenes with some comedic moments and dialogue.

People giving really low ratings just don't get the show. It's meant to be grubby, gritty, downmarket and low end crime, and comedy coming from the mistakes the leading duo make. Call it a dark comedy in some ways.

Surely the title gives this away. "Dope Thief".

Think Cocaine Bear type of title and the premise that gives to the movie.

The tension across the first 3 episodes is great, and a lot of the dialogue very quick and quick witted. Also a dark look at the poorer end of life in the suburbs of a large US city, with people doing what they have to do to get by, much of it very illegal.

I seem to say this about all of Apple TV+ series that come out but Dope Thief was terrific. Apple TV just continues to pump out hit after hit and this is no different. Dope Thief follows two lifelong friends (Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura) as they pose as DEA agents to rob drug houses. That is until they hit the wrong people that have life and death consequences. They accidentally hit the biggest narcotics corridor on the Eastern Seaboard. I can't say enough about the performances that Henry and Moura put in here, especially Henry, I'd be shocked if he or both aren't nominated for awards come award season. This show will keep you on the edge of your seat and you're going to want to binge it as quickly as possible.

Dope Thief's premise is good. A pair of small-time grifters pretend to be DEA agents in order to steal from drug houses and accidentally hit the wrong house, riling up dangerous and powerful people.

The actors are good too, especially Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mugrew. But the writing just isn't up to par.

It starts well with a good balance of character development and action, and even some dark humor, which vanishes later in the season.

But there are plot twists that seem absurd, dialogue that sounds gratingly screen-written and not natural, and it's a problem that the two protagonists are largely buffeted around by forces beyond their control.

In a more dynamic story, they'd find a way to fight back more than they do. Stories where the protagonists are just trying to survive but are never in control of the narrative tend to wear out their welcome faster. That's okay for a two-hour disaster flick but not a multi-episode series. Wagner Moura's character in particular was a problem. All he seemed to do is cry.

The final episode is a convoluted mess as the writers attempt to tie up the plot threads in a hurried fashion. By the end, it seems like a different and worse series than the beginning.

Note that this isn't an ongoing series but a story that wraps up in one season so there isn't a huge investment to make. I suppose it could continue but it doesn't seem likely. By the time I started to get really fed up with it, the show was over.

This came on after I was watching Severance otherwise I would never have watched it. And it's not too bad. There's a lot of going on in the first two episodes. It's action and shootout heavy. But the characters are likeable. So far.

The scenery, lighting, camera work, locations are great IF you like that sort of grainy, grungy look for the most part. I do, so for me I loved that aspect. I'll be going back to see more of the sets for sure.

Hard to tell where it's going. Hopefully the pace slows a little: less gun fights, more character driven storyline. Time will tell. It's worth the first two episodes.