I was close to giving up on Hollywood movies but this recent release raised my hope again. Well, just a little bit. Simply seeing Chris Hemsworth, Halle Barry and Mark Ruffalo as lead casts piqued my interest to watch. So I went in blind and it was worth my time.
Crime 101 (2026) is an American crime thriller written and directed by Bart Layton based on the novel of the same name by Don Winslow. It stars actors like Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Corey Hawkins, Monica Barbaro and others.
The opening scene presents us with three characters: Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth), a meticulous and cool jewel thief, Sharon Combs (Halle Berry), an insurance broker, and Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo). It's past five am and these three are awake, preparing to start their day. Mike Davis is wearing a suit, black gloves and is armed, following two men transporting diamonds. He intercepts them, takes the case of jewels from them and as he wants to drive off, one of the men raises his gun and shoots. Mike is shocked but not hurt. He quickly aborts his mission and reports to his boss, Money.
Money is unhappy Mike aborted the mission simply because he never hurts anyone or commits any act of violence. Money calls Ormon (Barry Keoghan), an impulsive thief and biker, to follow Mike on the next heist and rob him after it's done.
In another scene, Detective Lou and his partner are called to the crime scene where the jewels had been stolen. Sharon is at a billionaire's house, trying to convince him to let her company insure his valuables. She returns to the office and is informed of the lost jewels and whether her company should insure the owners.
While Lou is determined to catch this meticulous thief who operates only on 101 Freeway in Southern California, Mike plans to handle a final heist. He meets Sharon and tries to convince her to work with him. She's reluctant at first but when her bosses at work bypass her for partnership, she meets up with Mike. Will Sharon and Mike succeed on this heist? Is Lou willing to get this elusive thief to gain his fellow officers’ respect?
My Review And Rating
I was glued to my screen all through the two hours of this movie and not once did I see a dull moment. Crime 101 is thrilling and entertaining. The plot is unoriginal, common in crime thrillers. Though it fits the bill of a normal heist film, the storytelling and cinematography set it apart from other movies.
The cast is impressive. Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo are great actors and bringing them together elevates this movie from a type B to A in my opinion. They embody their roles very well and delivered spectacular performances. Chris Hemsworth is charming as always. His character suffered childhood traumas and as an adult, he's shy yet meticulous and empathic. He plays this role convincingly.
A part of this movie that sets it apart is the contrast between Mike Davis' approach to heist and Ormon's. They are both thieves working for Money but they operate differently. Mike is calm, calculating, and doesn't hurt anyone. Ormon on the other hand is impulsive and crazy in a psychopathic way. He moves fast, yelling and waving his gun around like a drug addict and doesn't mind killing people. This makes me like Hemsworth more.
I have always loved Halle Berry in movies and she didn't disappoint me in this one. She's a focused broker with ambitions yet carries the pain of a woman bypassed for promotion by a patriarchal workplace. She has the grace to look pained and remorseful for being an accomplice to a heist. I particularly liked the scene where she stands up to her boss and gives him a piece of her mind.
I love that the director draws some decent attention to the supporting characters like the psychopathic Ormon played by Barry Keoghan, Mike's love interest played by Monica Barbaro, Money, the crime boss played by Nick Nolte and others. They are memorable and their roles fit perfectly into the heist.
Also, the director gives us a satisfying end but not the type you would expect. He steers viewers to look beyond what the law requires in that situation to see the grey areas. In a strict heist scenario, the detective would have arrested Mike. Instead he leans into his human side and tries to do right by the parties involved. I don't often applaud a movie where a supposed villain goes scot-free but this one is well deserved.
The cinematography and action scenes are outstanding. The visuals are sleek and the transitions are excellent. The night time views of the city are lovely. I liked the three-way split screen at the beginning that introduces the three lead characters. There aren't many fight scenes except for when Mike Davis and Ormon face off. But the car chases stand out. I loved the display of stunning cars.
Rating this movie, I'd give it 8 stars out of 10. The movie is well made and the acting makes it even better. It humanises the characters, allowing us to look beyond their unlawful acts and understand their motivations.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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