Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble, Apple TV’s ‘12 12 12‘ begins by explaining that a perfect bank heist is the labor of 12 months of planning and 12 hours of execution, followed by 12 days of successfully evading the police. While FBI agent Jack Strickland is quite familiar with this supposed rule, he is still taken aback when his arch-enemy, Paul Galvin, pulls off a billion-euro robbery at the Lindenhof Bank, only to disappear into the shadows with his crew. Determined not to let that 12-day threshold pass, Jack decides to give his all to bring Galvin down, even if it means questioning his own values and ethics in the process. Through this story, the crime thriller series taps into the psychology of heists, both from the perspective of the robbers and the police.
12 12 12 Tells the Story of a Fictional Bank Heist Inspired by an FBI Rumor
’12 12 12′ is a work of fiction penned by Dudi Appleton, Jim Keeble, Jamie Carragher, Tolula Dada, and Samantha Corbin-Miller, and does not draw its inspiration from any real-life bank heist. That said, there is an interesting real-life story about how the writers came up with the premise for the show. Speaking to Condé Nast Traveler, Keeble explained that they “accidentally came across an FBI crime manual” claiming that a successful heist takes 12 months to plan, 12 hours to execute, and that criminals who aren’t caught within 12 days are unlikely to ever be apprehended.
While this “12-12-12” rule serves as the driving force behind the show’s three-timeline structure, it should be noted that it hasn’t been verified as true or found in any known FBI publications, suggesting that what we see on screen is essentially an imagined story. A more concrete line of stylistic inspiration can be traced between the show and some of the classics of the crime genre. In a conversation with Hollywood Life, Keeble explained that he and Appleton were watching Michael Mann’s ‘Heat,’ having recently seen Ben Affleck‘s ‘The Town,’ when the idea of crafting a heist narrative for TV came to their minds.
One detail from ‘The Town’ that inspired them the most was the idea of two groups, namely the police and the robbers, who had grown up in the same neighborhood but eventually found themselves on opposite sides of the law. As the writing process continued, titles like ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ and ‘The Sting’ also emerged as reference points. The writers particularly studied the craftsmanship that went behind these 1970s classics and tried to incorporate it into the show, with real drills, small tools, boxes, and cash coming into play. All of these details help ’12 12 12′ pick up a strong sense of realism, despite the story itself being fictional.
Paul Galvin is a Fictional Robber Whose Charisma is Modeled After Paul Newman
Paul Galvin, the mastermind behind the heist in ’12 12 12,’ is an invented character who serves as one of the show’s two protagonists. In fact, one of the strongest references for Galvin comes not from a real-life robber, but a Hollywood legend, actor Paul Newman. In an interview with The Telegraph, Jamie Dornan, who essays Galvin, noted that both Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble often discussed Newman as the “North Star” for their creative processes, particularly because of the “assuredness he brought to a lot of his roles.” While this helped inform Galvin’s personality to some extent, much of the character is rooted in a fictional context, given the heist plotline that shapes every bit of his arc.
Another important influence on Galvin’s characterization can be traced back to the moral ambiguity associated with the heist genre itself. For Appleton, much of the tension comes from questions of individual identity and paternal influences, as he explained in a conversation with The Knockturnal. He added, “A lot of it is admitting who you really are. You’re a thief, and it’s not because of your father; you just like stealing things.” Through this, the story adds many shades of gray to the character’s arc, while also giving Dornan ample room to experiment. While Galvin’s overall arc may be tied to the heist across all three timelines, there is an underlying human storyline as well, and it’s a blend of both that brings his character to life.
Read More: Where is Apple TV’s 12 12 12 Filmed?
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