Directed by Bart Layton — Screenplay by Bart Layton.
Based on a Don Winslow novella of the same name, Bart Layton’s Crime 101 follows a disciplined and lonely thief named Mike (played by Chris Hemsworth), who has done a good job of avoiding capture and planning out his robberies over the years. Now, after having completed a mission in which he stole diamonds (but which almost cost him his life), he’s on the fence about what to do next and is unsure about going straight into the next heist, even though his underworld middleman, Money (played by Nick Nolte), is frustrated by his unwillingness to go straight into the next job. So, while Mike strikes up a romance with a woman he encounters named Maya (played by Monica Barbaro), Money enlists a wild and unpredictable thief called Ormon (played by Barry Keoghan) to do what Mike won’t and possibly cut off the loose end that Mike personifies. Meanwhile, LAPD detective Lou Lubesnick (played by Mark Ruffalo) has managed to connect the crimes Mike committed and has determined that one person committed all of them. While both the criminal underworld and law enforcement are trying to track down Mike, he attempts to juggle a blossoming romantic relationship with getting ‘one last job’ done so that he can put his criminal days behind him for good. That ‘last job’ will involve Sharon Combs (played by Halle Berry), an increasingly disgruntled insurance broker, who may or may not be interested in breaking bad.
I am admittedly a little bit late to the party when it comes to Bart Layton’s L.A.-set crime-thriller, Crime 101, which is built around an A-list cast of actors. I missed it in theaters in February, but it remained high on my watchlist in the next months, and so I was excited to finally see it on Amazon Prime Video recently. Although it has some issues, it has more than lived up to my expectations, and it feels like the exact kind of crime thriller that could be very rewatchable for those with a particular interest in this genre blend. Although I really liked this film, I will begin my dissection of the film by calling out the issues that I have with it. Really, the main issue with Crime 101 is the fact that it doesn’t have many original bones in its skeleton, if any. This very much is a Michael Mann-inspired film that is knowingly indebted to genre classics like Thief and Heat, none of which it can fully live up to. At the same time, though, it is very much trying to be that kind of tropey film (e.g., a law-abiding senior cop, a good guy outlaw across from a more unpredictable one, a suspicious handler, a blossoming romance, and one last job, etc.), and Layton clearly took great pleasure in honoring tropes by crossing the right t’s and putting dots over the right i’s to execute his well-thought-out and well-executed crime-thriller flick.
Even though I think there is some strength in the way Layton builds the film around multiple different L.A.-based characters all trying to break out of the gear that they’re stuck in — all of whom may be able to get out of their predicaments, should they go about their ways correctly — I do also think the film is sometimes too squeaky clean with its main characters. There is an attempt to let audiences figure out for themselves what exactly Mike’s backstory entails, but the simple characterization of him sometimes feels like too clean a slate, and there are times here when I felt that he needed more distinctive features and, frankly, more dirt under his fingernails (really, that goes for the film as a whole, too). For example, Ruffalo’s character makes a point to call out how Mike never hurts anyone, and we see him being extraordinarily violence-shy in the hectic opening job, which doesn’t exactly go to plan.
But those are really the only caveats that I have here. Otherwise, it is a very well-made genre film, which looks fantastic with its steely modern sheen, that is cleverly edited with great visual language and transitions, even if it is slightly overlong. It’s got competent heist getaway filmmaking and intense robberies, and the A-list cast pulls off what is asked of each of them well. Although they’re more present at the corners of the story, the presence of both Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte helps to add gravitas to the picture, and I thought Nolte was a highlight here for adding the right gruff, underworld vibe. Although I had some issues with his characterization, I thought Hemsworth did a competent job in the lead role, and this is instantly one of his best non-Marvel performances. His scenes with Monica Barbaro, though predictable, are really nice, and they have solid on-screen chemistry. Similarly, although the men she interacts with in her profession are maybe a little bit too cartoonish as bad guys, Halle Berry makes those scenes work. As a big fan of Zodiac, I thought it was really nice to see Mark Ruffalo back in a California-based detective role, and he, once again, gave off a lot of Columbo-esque vibes. As always, he’s a joy to watch here. I’ll also add that Barry Keoghan, who plays the unpredictable, bad guy outlaw, really adds a lot to the film, especially because it sometimes feels like he’s in a different mode than the rest of the cast. He’s really good here and, in moments, almost a little bit scary for how jittery and strange he makes his character seem.
Bart Layton’s Crime 101 is a very entertaining, star-led, and knowingly tropey crime thriller heist flick clearly inspired by the works of Michael Mann. Although I do think the film — particularly because of its squeaky clean main character — could have done with more ‘dirt under its fingernails,’ I still think it is an excellently executed, slick heist film with great visuals, strong action filmmaking, and an overqualified cast doing great work. I really enjoyed watching it, and I could see myself going back to it, even though it is quite familiar and perhaps a little bit too long.
8 out of 10
– Review written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
