In this era of late-stage capitalism, the monotony of working just to make ends meet can feel like living in a simulation. In the latest Prime Video thriller, “Steal,” created by Sotiris Nikias, Zara (an impeccable Sophie Turner) finds herself in the middle of the biggest heist in British history. Zara must decide how to get out of this situation in order to survive. A gripping drama full of unexpected twists, “Steal” is an examination of unchecked greed and how far some people are willing to go to get the life they believe they deserve.
“Steal” begins on an ordinary day in London. Zara, a mid-level employee at Lochmill Capital, a pension fund trust, is trying to recover from a night of heavy drinking that has left her with a nosebleed and a hangover. Nevertheless, she goes about her morning as usual, showing the new intern, Myrtle (Eloise Thomas), her workstation and chatting with her friend and coworker, Luke (Archie Madekwe).
Creator: Sotiris Nikias
Stars: Sophie Turner, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Archie Madekwe
Her day takes an unexpected turn when a gang of violent robbers, wearing prosthetic masks, bursts into the office, firing machine guns, intending to take the entire company hostage. Under extreme pressure, Zara and Luke, both members of the low-level transaction processing team, are ordered to carry out an unauthorized transaction. When the chaos finally subsides, the gang of robbers makes off with £4 billion of the hard-earned pensions of British citizens.
In the aftermath of the chaos, Chief Detective Inspector Rhys Covec (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), his partner Inspector Ellie Lloyd (Ellie James), and financial crimes investigator Darren Yoshida (Andrew Koji) investigate what happened. Rhys is convinced it was an inside job, but his personal life becomes an obstacle to his own case. A gambling addict burdened by enormous debt, he soon realizes he's in over his head, especially when MI5 intervenes with its own investigation into the heist.
With only six fast-paced episodes, “Steal” is an intense series. The first episode sets the tone for a dynamic thriller that unfolds gradually, like an onion, skillfully revealing the different pieces of the complex narrative to the audience. Turner and Madekwe are excellent in their roles as two young twenty-somethings trying to carve out a future in a world that has made living well, joyfully, and without overwhelming worries almost impossible. Furthermore, the thieves, especially the mastermind (Jonathan Singer) and the hot-headed sniper (Andrew Howard), are brutal, volatile, and completely distrustful of one another. Showing the other side of crime from the villains' perspective contributes to the series' tense and unsettling pace.
Episode 3, “Short Run,” is fascinating and offers insights into Zara and Luke's friendship and their respective roles in Lochmill. The episode also highlights Zara's strained relationship with her alcoholic mother, Haley (Anastasia Hille). While the mother-daughter relationship isn't a central component of the story, it does underscore the plight of a generation of young people who feel lost even after following the "right" path in a world eroded by millionaires and billionaires determined to stay on top at any cost.
However, there are some far-fetched plot points throughout the series that detract from its effectiveness, particularly in the middle episodes. Zara acts recklessly in her attempts to uncover what's really happening at Lochmill, leading the audience to question her survival instincts. Meanwhile, Inspector Rhys becomes personally involved in the investigation, which undermines the series' authenticity. Nevertheless, the central theme of "Steal" is how far people are willing to go and how much they are willing to endure when large sums of money are at stake.
"Steal" works well thanks to Turner's fantastic performance. At the heart of the series lies an unimaginable conspiracy that disrupts the entire British financial ecosystem. However, this unsettling thriller is actually about the discontent that simmers beneath the surface of society and the extreme things that human beings are willing to do for the chance to live the life they believe they deserve.
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