Dope Thief

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.