Our take
Heist movies and TV shows as of late have been trying to experiment with form more than substance. In the case of the Italian series Everybody Loves Diamonds, we’re shown the actual heist right from the beginning, as the show then moves back and forth through time to track the investigators right on the thieves’ tails, as well as the delicate alliances that hang in the balance if the protagonists don’t get away scot-free. There’s a lightheartedness in the storytelling (complete with direct-to-camera address) that allows some of the more familiar elements to go down easily, and the more convoluted plot details to feel more like they’re just part of the messiness of real life.
Unfortunately, the fact that the series doesn’t innovate nearly as much with its actual story eventually catches up with it. At the end of the day, it still feels as if Everybody Loves Diamonds is counting on our being familiar with the heist formula to become invested, rather than giving us more substantial characters with motive. It doesn’t help that the performances can’t always get on the show’s wavelength; many of the actors have trouble locating themselves between the serious and the comedic, which may be just as much a problem with the scripts, too.
The story
A team of small-time Italian thieves who manage to deceive top-level security to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious stones from the Antwerp Diamond Centre.
A crack team of thieves scrambles to cover their tracks following a successful diamond heist, while the authorities try to prove their involvement.
There is one performance that immediately stands out, though, at the end of the first two episodes watched for this review. An unrecognizable Rupert Everett (in a grey wig, glasses, and an eternal scowl) shows up to interrogate lead thief Leonardo (Kim Rossi Stuart), and you can practically feel gravity get heavier. Intelligent and subtly menacing—but still somehow so playful—Everett brings out the best in his scene partner, and almost single-handedly ratchets up the tension for everyone involved. It feels like the kind of role you'd expect Anthony Hopkins to play, which should tell you everything about how much of an impact Everett makes.
I just think it would be nice, for once, not to have a heist involve a bunch of people who act like they're [Vin Diesel voice] family.
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
