The first trailer for Criminal is a knockout. Haunted performances, particularly polished direction, a grimy atmosphere, and tension that seems ready to explode at any moment. Could Amazon finally have the great dark crime thriller, brutal, visceral, and uncompromising, that we no longer dared hope for? Judging by these first images, all the ingredients are there for a real blast.
Criminal to be released in two parts
The series, made up of 8 episodes, revisits the world of the comic books while adapting two of their most acclaimed story arcs. The first part, made up of four episodes and titled Criminal: Coward, will be released starting January 13, 2027. The second, called Criminal: Lawless, will follow two weeks later, on January 27.
The story opens with Leo Patterson (Charlie Hunnam), a cautious, calculating thief trying to escape the criminal life he inherited, and his childhood friend Ricky Lawless (Gus Halper), determined to follow in his father's footsteps, a notoriously infamous crook. Their shared history, already complex, takes a new turn when Tracy (Luke Evans), Ricky's older brother, returns from the army, forcing the family to confront a past it has been trying to bury for years.
Adria Arjona plays Greta, a sharp-tongued car thief linked to Leo's past. Emilia Clarke plays Mallory, Ricky's girlfriend, who fears how far he might go to survive. Richard Jenkins, John Hawkes, Kadeem Hardison, Logan Browning, Michael Mando, Garrett Hedlund and Patrick J. Adams complete the cast.
A dark crime series as dreamed of
Ed Brubaker developed this adaptation with Jordan Harper, a crime novelist. The two also serve as executive producers alongside Dee Rees, Sarah Carbiener and Phillip Barnett. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson, Captain Marvel) direct the first four episodes.
At a time when crime thrillers are multiplying without always managing to stand out, the prospect of finding a true dark, furious, uncompromising crime story is frankly delightful. And if Criminal lives up to the promise of these first images, we may well be in for a real knockout.
