Apple TV Plus just got a new crime thriller and this jawn is dope.
“Dope Thief,” that is.
I’ve watched the two-episode premiere of Ridley Scott’s new show and it mostly lived up to my high expectations. While it’s not quite in the same tier as my top shows of the year — “Paradise” and “The Pitt” — it’s already firmly ensconced in my top 10.
To be fair, my high expectations were not unfounded. Aside from the legendary director’s Scott Free Productions producing the show, the series has “The Town” screenwriter Peter Craig handling the scripts.
Once you make that connection, you can see the similarities between “Dope Thief” and “The Town.” Both are centered around heists gone wrong and both make the city a centerpiece.
On that front, this show is a massive success. As someone who once lived in North Philly (go Owls!) I immediately felt at home when people started using that lovely accent, saying words like “jawn” and “youse” and talking about going “down the shore.”
But thankfully, the show also works as a crime thriller. Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura are great on-screen together as Ray and Manny, a pair of Philly residents ripping off low-level drug deals while posing as DEA agents. While the story is muddled by a penchant for flashbacks and a B-plot involving freeing Ray’s father (Ving Rhames) from prison, it’s for the most part a gripping adrenaline ride that gets better as it goes on.
Brian Tyree Henry shines in ‘Dope Thief’
In all seriousness, while the references to Philadelphia idioms and dialects may be enough to win me over, this show doesn’t work without Brian Tyree Henry’s performance.
Ostensibly the show seems to be about him and Wagner Moura’s Manny. But by the time you’re through the two-episode premiere, it’s clear that this is Ray’s story. Everyone is simply in orbit around his character.
Henry has to walk a fine line between dramatic performer and comic relief as Ray. In the opening scene of the first episode, he’s constantly cracking jokes while he holds up drug dealers at gunpoint. But by the end of the second episode, he’s crying in the office of a lawyer he only just met.
You’d be crying too though, after everything his character has gone through in just two episodes. The body count in this show adds up fast, including one guy who gets crushed between a box truck and a dumpster and then run over by said truck.
Again, this isn’t a perfect show. The moments of edge-of-your-seat violence of often undercut by flashbacks to Ray’s past, and it’s still unclear how well that choice will ultimately pay off. I think that it’s admittedly offered up a big clue to the secret identity of the drug lord chasing Ray and Manny, but for the most part, it seems to be expository and focused on developing Ray’s character.
So if you’re looking for a gritty crime drama to watch this weekend, “Dope Thief” should be at the top of your watchlist. The first two episodes drop today (Friday) with the remaining episodes released weekly on Fridays until April 25.
Stream “Dope Thief” on Apple TV Plus now
