Steal is a crime thriller that wants to be a slow-burn mystery, and mostly succeeds. The premise is simple: an armed gang breaks into Lochmill Capital, a pension management firm, and forces Zara Dunne and her friend Luke Selborn to help them steal £4 billion. Detective DCI Rhys Covac then races to find out who pulled off the job and why. The show runs six episodes on Prime Video, and it earns its keep through a strong cast and a script that trusts its audience to sit with uncertainty.
Trailer, via Prime Video.
Zara and Luke in the Middle
Sophie Turner plays Zara, an office worker at Lochmill Capital who finds herself caught in the middle of a robbery she may not have fully understood. Her performance anchors the show, giving Zara a sense of dread and confusion that keeps the viewer invested even when the plot slows down. Archie Madekwe plays Luke Selborn, her best friend, and he brings a quiet desperation to the role that balances Zara’s fear.
The show spends its early episodes establishing what happened on the day of the robbery. We see the gang enter the building, we see Zara and Luke react, and we see the aftermath ripple through the company. What sets Steal apart is that it doesn’t rush to answer the central question. It lets the tension build by showing the fallout instead of the action itself.
Rhys and the Investigation
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd plays DCI Rhys Covac, a conflicted detective trying to solve a case that could collapse the pensions of thousands of people. His performance grounds the show’s procedural elements, making the investigation feel urgent without rushing the storytelling. The supporting cast includes Andrew Howard as Sniper / Morgan Trahern, Ellie James as DI Ellie Lloyd, Jonathan Slinger as London, Harry Michell as Milo Carter-Walsh, Thomas Larkin as Wayne, Sarah Belcher as Kate Shaw, and Tara Summers as Sophia. Each actor adds depth to the world around the central trio, though none of them get enough screen time to become a real threat.
The show’s pacing is deliberate, almost methodical. It takes its time showing the effects of the robbery on the people involved, from Zara and Luke’s guilt to Rhys’s professional pressure. That approach works well for the first half of the series, but the back half stretches thin as the answers start to arrive. The final episode rushes to tie everything together, leaving some threads loose that earlier episodes carefully set up.
Where the Show Falls Short
Steal isn’t perfect. The mystery drags in the middle episodes, and the resolution feels rushed compared to the careful setup. Some of the supporting characters are introduced and then forgotten, which weakens the overall impact. The show also leans heavily on Sophie Turner and Archie Madekwe to carry the emotional weight, which puts a strain on both actors by the finale.
Still, the show’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses. The writing is sharp, the performances are committed, and the central premise is compelling enough to sustain a six-episode run. Here’s how the pieces rank:
- Sophie Turner’s performance as Zara.
- Archie Madekwe’s performance as Luke.
- The show’s deliberate, slow-burn approach to the mystery.
- The rushed resolution in the final episode.
The Verdict
Steal is a solid crime thriller that knows how to create tension and then hold onto it. The performances are strong across the board, and the show’s willingness to let the mystery simmer is refreshing. It stumbles in the back half, but the first half earns its place.
The show is available on Prime Video, and anyone looking for a crime drama with a large-scale heist at its center should give it a chance. It won’t satisfy everyone, but it offers a different pace than most shows in the genre.
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