‘Everybody Loves Diamonds’ (2023) Prime Video Series Review - An Almost Heist

Who doesn’t dream about financial freedom, especially when they’re good at the art of stealing? Leonardo wanted a big life and not to work as a driver. After working closely with Levi, a part of the World Diamond Center (WDC), he concocted a brilliant plan to loot the place.

Taking the help of his old alliances and using his expertise in researching and learning about the place, the 50-year-old man came up with an elaborate master plan to steal the diamonds. After a neat and successful heist, things start to get messed up. They weren’t caught in an act by the Police, but a small mistake cost Leo his life.

While discussing a heist, three phases need to be brought up: before, during, and after. Leonardo had to pay in the after events of the heist as people were ready to cut his throat. The diamonds in the WDC didn’t belong to innocent people but the ones that were involved in illegal things.

The passion we see in Leo’s eyes for stealing is like a spark of light. His eyes glow up at the thought of stealing. If art is a passion for someone, stealing is for Leonardo and he was damn good at his job. The story is about the betrayal he received at the hands of his trusted people and what happened to the diamonds at the end.

Everybody Loves Diamonds from the beginning has shown how what could be the heist of the century was messed up. Despite having a perfect plan, Leonardo couldn’t have a perfect crew that wouldn’t betray him. It was obvious that someone had set him up, but the question that remains is who would. A near-perfect plan was ruined by a single piece of paper stating the transaction for the tools used in the heist.

The paper was deliberately left there so that Leonardo gets caught up in the situation. This was his worst nightmare. I could understand the fear he had because the man was just an inch closer to having a bright future. In the sixth episode, we get a clear picture of who could have been potentially behind it. Everybody Loves Diamonds has a good ending justifying the title of the series. Who doesn’t get allured to the idea of owning such shimmering diamonds that can change your life?

Leonardo was constantly being threatened by various people while he was in jail. It bothered him a lot, but what he should have been worried about was what his crew was doing on the outside. This was not a minor hiccup and the man still didn’t try to think the possibilities of who could be the traitor.

The series had a good start and with the eight episodes it showed us, I think that much better things could have been done. The plot is nice and every episode gives you insights about what is going on and what did they all do to prepare for a nearly perfect heist. The show needs to improve making it more engaging. There were several moments where I tended to lose my attention.

I think that while the makers showed us the story of the heist, which was loosely based on real events, they could have picked much better ways of showing how it was done. The characters included are the gemstones of their field, and Leo couldn’t have got a better crew. Instead of taking us back and forth after every other scene, stability could have been better. Even if they were juggling with timelines, it wasn’t necessary to do it after every minute.

I was amused after the makers revealed at the end that the diamonds stolen in the heist hadn’t been found yet. It’s been almost twenty years and still, there’s not a single clue where all that ended up.

Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times