‘Lucky’ review: Anya Taylor-Joy’s con woman drama is slick summer fun with little substance

Lucky puts its cards on the table too early.

The new Apple TV limited series, starring and executive produced by Anya Taylor-Joy, kicks off with its titular protagonist (Taylor-Joy) on the run from an FBI agent. Sporting a bleached bob and a Caesars Palace jacket, she scrambles through a maze of parked trucks, desperately crawling under wheels and slamming around corners until her fate finally catches up with her. It’s a fairly thrilling action sequence, but soon, all too predictably, Lucky flashes back to the fateful hours leading up to this high-octane chase.

The move is an all-too common one in film and TV, meant to give viewers a tantalizing taste of what’s to come. Often, though, it feels like titles that use this tactic aren’t confident that viewers will buy into their story without the promise of action. With Lucky, that unfortunately proves to be the case. A crime drama bursting with clichés, Lucky works best when its characters are getting out of serious scrapes, and less so when they’re actually talking.