Dope Thief

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 is even better than I expected it to be and I expected it to be really good. Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura are great in just about everything they've ever been in and Dope Thief is no different. In fact, it might be their best work for the both of them. The only negative about Apple shows are they release them one every week and a show this good you're going to want to watch the next episode the second you're done with the one you're watching. Dope Thief reminds me of The Wire on how it shows how crime impacts every socioeconomic level. I'm not saying this is as good as The Wire, not much is, but it's still very good in its own right. I definitely recommend you give this a try...I promise you won't be disappointed.

Dope Thief is a well produced show, it looks and feels like a movie and has a decent fast pace to keep you interested. But I found myself struggling to stay immersed in its world. The criticisms I've read about bad dialogue are something I don't agree with, it's fine as those are the characters. The problem is more the contrivances to manipulate your buy-in, in terms of how it wants the audience to root for the anti-heroes. They're essentially thieves, putting people at huge risk, yet they of course have to be likeable, big fuzzy well-meaning bears, with Ray looking after his stepmom, a dog and such like. It just seems a bit much. Then of course the implausibility of allowing this newly-released moronic redneck to tag along on a house siege, even giving him a gun, because of course our anti-heroes can't be the ones to actually kill anyone and ruin their 'innocent' status. That was some contrived writing right there.

It feels like it's trying to be a bit Breaking Bad, a bit 90s Tarantino, the gritty gray tones of The Wire - all of which makes it feel slightly dated. But there's also a strange comfort and familiarity in all that, the lack of gimmicks etc makes it an easy, chill watch. So despite its implausibilities it's still definitely worth a watch.

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.

If George Pelecanos has Baltimore and Dennis Lehane has Boston, Tafoya is probably the best spotlight for Philadelphia's crime fiction considering the similarities, which is a shame considering he lacks the volume of work the other two have. Nonetheless, Peter Craig does a good job adapting the novel as a series.

Brian Tyree Henry is Ray Driscoll, an intelligent self-taught crook who makes his money as sticking up drug dealers in Philadelphia alongside his best friend, immature dopehead Manny Carvalho. Deciding to go bigger, they recruit ex-convict Rick to act as a third man while robbing a meth lab. The problem? Rick is killed in a gun battle with the cooks and wounds a third woman, who turns out to be an undercover DEA agent. The bigger problem? The meth lab belongs to an outlaw biker gang pushing into Philly's drug trade, and they know both Ray and Manny stole their product.

The cast is good, with Kate Mulgrew standing out as Theresa, the girlfriend of Ray's father and a loving mother figure to Ray, who calls "Ma" without hesitation. However, the DEA side of the series doesn't really mesh well. Marin Ireland is fine but doesn't really feel noteworthy as Mina. She's not emotive as a character except for a few scenes.

People complained about the dialogue, but I like it well enough. It adds to the influence of both The Wire and Lehane's own body of work. Manny cries and freaks out a little too much for me, but nothing seems out of place in spite of that.