12 12 12 reviews split on Mackie and Dornan's Apple TV heist series
Apple TV heist series 12 12 12 stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan across three timelines. Empire calls it solid; Mashable says the gimmick kills tension.
Livefeed News DeskUpdated · 3 min read
Quick answer
12 12 12 is an eight-episode Apple TV heist thriller with Anthony Mackie as FBI agent Jack Strickland and Jamie Dornan as thief Paul Galvin, told across three timelines. Empire called it a solid cops-and-robbers thriller, while Mashable said its structure undercuts the tension. New episodes arrive every Friday.
Key facts
- The series was created by Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble.
- The first season has eight episodes.
- The story follows a billion-dollar heist on a Swiss bank.
- The first two episodes are streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
- Kari Skogland directed half the episodes.
What is 12 12 12 about?
12 12 12 is a heist thriller streaming on Apple TV, starring Anthony Mackie as FBI agent Jack Strickland and Jamie Dornan as the thief Paul Galvin. It was created by Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble, and the first season runs to eight episodes.
The title is the structure. The story moves between the 12 months of planning before a billion-dollar heist on a Swiss bank, the 12 hours of the robbery, and the 12 days afterwards as Strickland hunts Galvin and his accomplices. Almost every episode opens with a voiceover from Mackie laying out that rule, ending with the idea that a robber not caught within 12 days is never caught.
Where and when can you watch it?
The first two episodes are streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
Who else is in the cast, and who directed it?
Agathe Rousselle plays Severine, Paul's romantic partner; Sallie Harmsen plays Lena, a Swiss police officer who helps Strickland's investigation; and Jack Kesy plays Paul's older brother Bobby.
Kari Skogland, whose credits include The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and The Handmaid's Tale, directed half the episodes. Takeshi Fukunaga (Tokyo Vice, Shōgun) and Ellen Kuras (The Umbrella Academy) split the other four.
What did Empire think?
Empire's Amon Warmann called it a solid cops-and-robbers thriller whose gimmick makes for a clever conceit. He praised the confident direction and the on-location shooting, and said both leads are at their best when showing their characters' conflicted inner lives, since neither man fits a neat good-guy or bad-guy box.
His reservations were about the structure and the supporting cast. Because the timelines run side by side, viewers know from the start that the heist succeeds, which he said dilutes the tension at points. He found Harmsen underused and Kesy's Bobby consistently grating, but credited a strong second half with a character-altering twist, calling the show "worthy of a breezy binge-watch".
Why was Mashable less impressed?
Mashable treated the timeline device as a flashy gimmick. Its review argued that each timeline gives away the outcome of another, so the planning and heist strands lose their stakes and only the Takedown thread delivers real adrenaline.
It also criticised the hand-holding, such as split screens marking each new timeline, and said later twists push the show into bizarre territory, singling out an avalanche incident. The review called the performances from Dornan and Mackie solid but said both characters stay inside classic heist archetypes and that most of Paul's crew are afterthoughts.
Where do the reviews agree?
Both praise the two leads, and both name the same weakness: by running all three timelines at once, the series tells viewers early that the robbery works. Telegraph India has also looked at how Mackie and Dornan kept the three timelines straight during filming, though only the headline of that piece was available.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch 12 12 12?
It is streaming on Apple TV, with the first two episodes out and a new episode every Friday.
How many episodes does 12 12 12 have?
The first season has eight episodes.
Who stars in 12 12 12?
Anthony Mackie plays FBI agent Jack Strickland and Jamie Dornan plays thief Paul Galvin, with Agathe Rousselle, Sallie Harmsen and Jack Kesy in supporting roles.
What does the title 12 12 12 mean?
It refers to the show's three timelines: 12 months of planning, 12 hours of the heist and 12 days of the hunt that follows.
Is 12 12 12 worth watching?
Reviews are mixed: Empire called it a solid thriller worth a binge, while Mashable said its structure drains the tension.
