MALICE Review | A Slick, Addictive Thriller Held Back by Shaky Logic

Prime Video’s Malice steps into the revenge-thriller arena with sharp performances, an enticing setup, and the promise of a twisty domestic nightmare. The story follows Adam (Jack Whitehall), a charming tutor who inserts himself into the wealthy Tanner family during a vacation in Greece. When the family’s nanny becomes unexpectedly ill, Adam finds an opening into their London home and begins to unravel their lives from the inside.

Jamie Tanner (David Duchovny) and Nat (Carice van Houten) don’t see the danger coming until Adam’s fixation grows, his lies pile up, and his past becomes impossible to ignore. The central question becomes clear: how do you protect your family from someone who already lives in your house?

A Story About Priorities and the Price of Losing Sight of Them

Malice presents themes around family, ambition, and the things people don’t realize they’ve lost until it is too late. There are clear attempts to explore what matters most in life, how easily people become distracted by status and work, and how resentment and neglect leave space for manipulation.

These ideas have weight, but the storytelling doesn’t always support them. Logical gaps, uneven pacing, and unanswered questions limit how deeply the series can land its emotional swings.

Performances That Keep the Series Engaging

The strongest element of Malice is the cast, who give the show more dimension than the writing always earns.

Jack Whitehall delivers an unsettling performance as Adam, leaning into a deceptively gentle exterior that hides an unstable center. He gives off shades of Joe Goldberg, though Adam lacks Joe’s calculated intelligence, making his success feel less driven by skill and more driven by convenience. He is reckless and often sloppy, yet the series rarely punishes him.

David Duchovny and Carice van Houten offer grounded, lived-in portrayals of a couple whose relationship cracks in all the ways Adam needs it to. Their scenes add emotional texture and make the family dynamic the most compelling part of the show.

Even the supporting cast finds standout moments, though many are forced to serve plot mechanics rather than natural character choices.

A Thriller That Reveals Too Much Too Soon

The early reveal of key end-game events undercuts the suspense. Instead of building tension, the structure removes it. The narrative races forward with the expectation that the audience already knows where it is heading, which causes certain reveals to lose impact.

Combined with moments of questionable logic, the show often asks viewers to take leaps that the story does not fully justify.

Logic Gaps and the Adam Problem

The biggest hurdle in Malice is the way the script treats Adam.

He is endlessly suspicious, rarely subtle, and obviously unstable, yet nearly every character misses it for most of the season. The series focuses so heavily on his scheme that it ignores opportunities to challenge or complicate him. This keeps the plot moving, but it also exposes cracks that make the world feel thin.

By the time the ending arrives, the show leaves more questions than answers, and audiences may debate whether the conclusion is satisfying or simply abrupt.

Final Takeaway: A Strong Cast in a Story That Needed More Discipline

Malice is a fast binge with solid performances and an intriguing central idea, but the execution wavers. It entertains, it grabs your attention, and it keeps you curious, but it doesn’t always reward those instincts. The cast is the highlight, and the tone has potential, but the series needed stronger internal logic and a clearer commitment to its themes.

It is a decent thriller for a one-time watch, though it may not leave viewers eager to revisit it.