Dope Thief

A great showing from a talented cast anchored by a never-better Brian Tyree Henry. There are a few plot holes and a seemingly abridged ending, but none of that should stop Dope Thief from joining Apple’s growing list of excellent TV series.

There's a sincerity to it, and a genuine roller-coaster feeling that makes it one of the year's must-see new thriller shows. You'll come for the talent involved, and you'll stay because it makes you hang onto every single second of the action.

Henry and Moura play off each other well with Henry’s multi-layered performance — he stays true to the survivor spirit inherent in his character throughout — worthy of awards consideration. He and Moura nail the details in a production that nails gritty visual details about what the hard edges of Philly and a few of its tattered by the opioid crisis ‘burbs look and feel like.

Ultimately, Ray and Manny’s chemistry is what keeps viewers invested in this wild rollercoaster of a story that manages to be quirky and intense, as well as heartbreaking with an unexpected, yet conclusive outcome.

Even if he [Brian Tyree Henry] and Moura feel too old and too put-together to be characters originally written as part-time junkie losers, their relationship is an emotional core that serves as a foundation as the stakes continue to rise. Most of all, “Dope Thief” delivers as a vehicle for Henry. In a rare starring role, the actor holds the screen as well as anybody and finally has an opportunity to show off all his angles and the deep well of empathy he’s able to conjure.

Dope Thief’s cast is so strong, and their handling of the series’ innate tonal conflict so masterful, that the pacing issues don’t overwhelm.

He [Brian Tyree Henry] is extraordinary and the rest of the cast are up there with him. He gives Dope Thief heart and at times threatens to break the viewer’s. Wonderful.

The notes of comedy are nicely done in the dialogue between Manny and Ray, but work less well when applied to violent encounters. .... What you can’t fault are the performances, especially from Henry as the more dynamic half of this partnership. He is tremendous in the lead, the master of every scene whether playing for laughs, mining the anger that goes with having a prison inmate for a father (Ving Rhames), or desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the game.

It can get a little confusing, and there’s too much responsibility given a character introduced late in the game, which I regard as bad sportsmanship in genre writing. But it will all be explained in the very satisfying end. I’d call the closing scene and final exchange just about perfect, except I’d leave out “just about.”

“Dope Thief” is a showcase for Mr. Henry (“Atlanta”), who has something of a task in maintaining Ray’s lowlife bona fides while keeping us interested, which he does. Mr. Moura, too, is first rate and both actors make their characters quite affecting, especially as they watch the little caper they concocted turn into an inferno.

Part crime thriller, part (extremely dark) buddy comedy, Dope Thief is not only a great time in front of the telly, but a roaring showcase for Henry and Moura’s electrifying screen presence.

The crime story itself can seem a bit familiar and overextended at times, and some of the set pieces toward the season's end feel overheated, but Dope Thief's investment in its characters' inner lives keeps it compelling. That's made possible by a string of first-rate performances, from the supporting cast (Mulgrew and Rhames are, unsurprisingly, standouts) to Ireland and Moura's work as complicated, passionate, deeply conflicted characters.

It’s a dark, bloody thriller with action comedy “put up or get shut-up time” touches. And Henry is a hoot in it.

“Dope Thief” doesn’t have the heft of a top-shelf limited series, but it gets better as it goes. It captures the frenzy and fallout stemming from one really bad decision that keeps rippling, until it becomes a tidal wave of consequences.

The most peripheral parts of “Dope Thief” are also its most expendable. Black-and-white flashbacks to Ray’s formative traumas feel like filler. .... These choices are all the more frustrating for Henry being more than capable of holding the show down on his own. The actor makes the most of the material served to him on a silver platter. .... By the end, you’ll be more eager for relief than interested in Ray’s fate. That’s not for a lack of effort or ability on Henry’s part, however.

There are limitations on Henry’s performance in “Dope Thief” as well — Ray’s trauma-induced anger gets to be a little too familiar across eight episodes, and his rants and complaints begin to run together. .... But “Dope Thief” remains entertaining — Craig capably layers biker gangs, a Vietnamese crime family, neo-Nazi killers, actual D.E.A. agents and Ray’s mostly Black neighbors into a sardonic farce that works on its own baroque terms.

Ultimately, Dope Thief has an intriguing premise that elevates it beyond your typical drug heist series, and it's carried off by world-class actors. However, some dead weight in the writing could have been shaved off or sharpened up to make a more coherent story.

Even if “Dope Thief” isn’t fully watertight as a crime thriller, it’s still a tour-de-force for Tyree Henry, who keeps this show watchable even in its most absurd moments.

Dope Thief is just the latest in a long line of TV projects that feels like it should have either been two episodes shorter or, maybe better yet, a film—the show can’t help but feel stretched out, especially after our duo makes it through yet another casualty-heavy shootout. .... [Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura] create a lived-in rapport immediately here, seeming so naturally brotherly with their banter and busting.

An initially surefooted crime drama about loyalty, respect, atonement, and family.

The series is exceptionally well-made, but it never lets you lose sight of the tighter, more economical story that could have been.

Dope Thief has great performers, but the rest of it seems intent on maintaining the status quo instead of taking any big chances.

Lost momentum aside, those three performances [Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura and Marin Ireland] make “Dope Thief” worth a look, but my true hope is that the show is successful enough that future seasons could leave the source material and thereby correct the pacing issues that hamper a show that often feels too loyal to the elements of the first half of a novel (most of the plotting here is reportedly wrapped up in the first half of Westlake’s book) instead of telling its own story.

There’s a half of Dope Thief that I thought was pulpy, entertaining and unpredictable and a half of Dope Thief that I thought was unfocused, glum and familiar. But Henry is a star throughout.

As the plot becomes too far-fetched for its gritty presentation, the series also becomes less fun, despite the best efforts of its cast.