Steal Review
Director: Hettie Macdonald and Sam Miller
Date Created: 2026-01-21 18:06
2.5
Steal Review: Created by Sotiris Nikias and directed by Hettie Macdonald and Sam Miller, this Prime Video thriller has six episodes, with each episode running for roughly 40 minutes. The series is led by Sophie Turner as Zara Dunne, supported by a strong ensemble that includes Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Archie Madekwe, Jonathan Slinger, Andrew Howard, Ellie James, and Harry Michell. Set largely within the tense confines of a pension fund investment company, the series positions itself as a high-stakes financial thriller, blending a digital heist with questions of morality, loyalty, and power.
Steal Review
The narrative of Prime Video’s Steal starts with Lochmill Capital in a violent and disturbing manner, masks and guns unclear, and thieves force certain workers to carry out an enormous money transfer. Instead of a regular cat-and-mouse game, the series soon displays the aftermath as its major concern. The main draw to the series is not in the making of the crime but in the characters showing their weaknesses when the police and spies come around. This decision gives the series a psychological dimension, but at the same time, it cannot escape falling into one of its major flaws.
Zara Dunne is the main character around whom all the events take place. She is the survivor and the puzzle all at once. Zara is very clever, extremely careful, and she keeps on thinking of her next move all the time, which is the reason why she stays interesting as the main character, even when the plot does not catch the viewer’s attention.
Besides, Sophie Turner has one of the more restrained performances of her career; she chooses to dive into Zara’s inner struggle rather than to crank up the melodrama. Her acting properly illustrates the fright, the shame, and the increasing firmness of a lady who is caught by her own choices. The character of Zara has not been created as a regular heroine, and that moral vagueness is among the factors that have led to the show’s success.
The crime thriller Steal’s early strength was the atmosphere the series created. The first few episodes are full of tension and very narrow; they use closed locations, the communication is very quiet, and there are long pauses to let the fear ascend little by little. The film’s start is slow, yet very powerful; the mystery slowly gets revealed. There is a real feeling that everybody is hiding something, and the series, even for a short time, gives the audience the impression that the reality may be much more intricate than it seems.
Nonetheless, with the development of the episodes, that acceleration starts to be lost. The central part of the series seems to be elongated and saturated with scenes that talk about the same things in different words, and the same conversations going around in circles. Instead of making the audience more curious, Steal frequently stops to impose its themes, mainly their critique of the conflict between wealth, power, and moral duty. These thoughts are not weak by nature; just that the presentation seems to be too much. Instead of making the viewers infer the conclusions, the show presents them one by one presents them, which lessens their effect.
A different problem comes with the ensemble cast. The stars are really good, but still, a lot of parts are not developed enough. The characters seem to live only for the sake of the plot or for the sake of the idea they represent, rather than being full-fledged human beings. This becomes clearer and clearer when betrayals go on and secrets are uncovered. The emotional tension should go up, but since the characters are not that well worked out, the reactions to and the impact of the disclosures are often less than what was planned.
In terms of visuals, the series Steal is competent but not very memorable. The director’s choice of colour is dull, and the focus is soft, which fits the dirty nature of the story but does not often produce striking images. The financial parts of London and the more personal and less ostentatious living areas of the characters are vividly contrasted, yet the narration through images does not take full advantage of that split.
The set is neat and realistic, but it does not have a character of its own that could have made the show stand out from its genre rivals. Meanwhile, the music sometimes works against tension by calling too much attention to itself instead of amplifying the mood.
By the time the series reaches its final episode, it is very much evident that Steal series has a lot of circling around to do before it gets to the main idea. The themes of justice, capitalism, and personal responsibility get to be intertwined a bit too deeply, but the whole thing reads like a philosophical statement rather than an ending that bears the weight of the drama. The conclusion gives out some answers, yet it does not completely make the long process worth it, thus leaving the whole experience slightly hollow.
On the other hand, Steal has its good sides as well. The acting, specifically that of Turner, is a major factor that allows the show to be watched, and the basic idea of the series still draws interest even when the implementation is faulty. The show is best when it is taken in small doses; the more tension there is, the more alive the mystery feels. Unfortunately, those instances are made rarer by slow and varied pacing and the habit of mistaking complexity for importance.
Prime Video Steal Review: Summing Up
Overall, Steal is positioned in the middle. It is not a failure nor a big success. The series has a top-notch cast, an engaging premise, and moments of intense suspense, but it still is not that great in terms of pacing, character development, and theme clarity. Therefore, if you are the kind of person who seeks a sophisticated, mind-bending thriller, you will find some parts of it captivating, but those who anticipate a precise or powerful ending might end up with a letdown.
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