‘Crime 101’ Review: A Fun But Flawed Throwback

Crime 101 follows a jewelry thief, Davis (Chris Hemsworth), who adheres to a strict regimen during his heists, including a no-violence policy. He commits his robberies on the 101 freeway, which causes Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) to have growing suspicion about a serial robber. After one of Davis’ jobs goes wrong, he reconsiders his lifestyle and decides to plan one last job himself, involving a disgruntled insurance broker, Sharon (Halle Berry), who is searching for a better life. Crime 101 feels like a throwback to so many classic crime dramas from the 90s and 2000s, taking its time establishing its characters and their motivations properly, instead of immediately rushing through details like modern films do. By giving the audience time with these characters, it makes them and the world feel more lived in as a result. It also feels so refreshing to see a movie shot on location in a major US city, as that tends to be something audiences are seeing less and less of in big-budget films lately. The cinematography of Crime 101 by Erik Wilson (who also shot 2024’s Better Man) is as slick as one would think a criminal would be after not getting caught during years of robberies. There are several shots during car chases that feel so low to the street level that I thought the camera was about to smash into the pavement, creating another layer of tension beyond the fast vehicles chasing one another. 

While this film has been compared to Michael Mann’s LA heist epic, Heat, quite a bit, I find that to be an incredibly reductive take that completely misses the mark on what the film is trying to achieve. While Heat is also really entertaining, the characters are set in their ways, leading to most of their demises, whilst Crime 101 shows that it is never too late to turn your life around, having an infinitely more optimistic tone than the former. During Davis’s planning phase, he ends up meeting a woman, Maya (Monica Barbaro), with whom he begins a relationship, giving him further hope that he can soon leave his life of crime behind.

The sequences between Davis and Maya give the film an extra sense of realism, while Chris Hemsworth is incredibly attractive, his character, unfortunately, cannot talk to women. Making the scenes between the two a lot more interesting, because you can tell Davis is making an effort to do some good with his life, even though his attempts are quite futile, as Maya keeps prodding him for regular information about his past that he doesn’t feel ready to reveal. However, Davis isn’t the only one looking to make a change in his life, as Lou goes through a physical transformation, and the more he dedicates himself to tracking down the alleged robber, the more in shape he becomes. Little details like that would be brushed off in most films released by big studios these days, but Bart Layton gives his audience the trust that they will notice minuscule details like creating an even deeper connection to the characters. As always, this film is not perfect by any means. Characters like Nick Nolte’s Money, Barry Keoghan’s Ormon, and Corey Hawkins’ Tillman all feel like afterthoughts in the grand scheme of the narrative; there’s also a lack of a memorable score in any way, and the ending feels a little too neat for my liking. 

Crime 101 is a great time at the movies that feels like a proper throwback to the adult dramas that would mainly be in multiplexes decades ago, with gorgeous visuals, a stacked cast, and a compelling narrative. I urge studios with the resources to do so to make more films targeted at adults again. 

Crime 101 was written and directed by Bart Layton, based on a novella by Don Winslow. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Nick Nolte, Corey Hawkins, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Crime 101 was released in theaters and IMAX on February 13 by Amazon MGM Studios. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and more.

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