The long overdue follow-up to his well-liked American Animals from 2018, director Bart Layton is back with Crime 101, a stylish thriller starring Chris Hemsworth (Avengers: Endgame), Halle Berry (X-Men) and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things). The plot centers on an elusive thief eyeing his final score, who encounters a disillusioned insurance broker at her own crossroads. As their paths intertwine, a relentless detective trails them hoping to thwart the multi-million dollar heist they are planning. Competently acted with a surprisingly digestible plot, Crime 101 might follow a familiar path and unnecessarily elongate the run-time in the process, but boasts a stylish, entertaining approach that audiences will enjoy.
Worth seeing for the cast alone, Crime 101 is the definition of a true ensemble piece. Leading the pack is an ever competent Chris Hemsworth, who plays our elusive thief with more nuance than expected. The mysterious criminal doesn’t wish to hurt those at the opposite end of his crimes, which alongside his budding romance with co-star Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick), makes him more likable than your average thief. Halle Berry also has an interesting arc as Sharon, and puts a strong performance behind it. Constantly sidelined by her colleagues despite putting in 11 years of graft, her individual motives to work alongside Hemsworth add an interesting spin. Investigating it all is Mark Ruffalo as Detective Lou Lubesnick. He uses his tried and true method as seen in the likes of Dark Waters (2019) and Spotlight (2015) but it undeniably works. Experiencing relationship breakdown with bis wife and obsessing over the serial thief so much that it often gets in the way of the investigation, he play a familiar yet likable detective. Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), Nick Nolte (Cape Fear), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton), to name just a few, round out the supporting cast with tremendous talent.
Crime 101 avoids convolution by providing quite a straightforward story. It does tread the line of familiarity fairly often, but it’s easily digestible for the genre and gives you plenty to root for. The characters have depth, the end goal is made clear and despite a stacked cast, there’s not a great deal of tiny moving parts that risk confusion. Whenever the dialogue isn’t the most engaging, which sometimes occurs but is thankfully rare, there’s a few well-shot, high stakes action sequences that break things up and keep you entertained, with the car chases particularly impressing. From a filmmaking standpoint, Crime 101 is really slick and stylish. From our characters costumes to the confident cinematography that gets quite playful in places, it feels very sleek and inviting. Much of the focus is on lavish cars, expensive diamonds and rare art, which certainly gives it aesthetic appeal. The titular Route 101 is a large focus of the films cinematography, and those birds eye view shots of the busy roads and city skylights look astonishing. Crime 101 is confidently crafted, with Layton adding another impressive directorial effort to his roster.
Crime 101’s biggest downfall is simply the familiarity. Those well versed in the crime thriller genre will find little here that truly stands out, as both the dialogue and the plot layout fall into well-trodden territory. If it had a touch more flair of its own, Crime 101 would leave a lasting impression, but however stylish it comes across, it can’t help but feel borrowed. Clocking in at 140 minutes, the run-time can certainly be felt, particularly during the first and third acts that bookend the story. It takes a while to both settle in and wrap up, meaning it loses some of the slick nature it’s aiming for. To put it plainly – Crime 101 is occasionally drab. When not delving into our characters personal lives or providing some noteworthy action, it meanders a little and feels undercooked. It never truly becomes boring, but it comes scarily close.
Crime 101 tells a very familiar story, but proves that things that aren’t broken don’t need to be fixed. Besides minor pacing issues and some obvious cosplay here and there, it’s a well acted, entertaining enough thriller that looks sleek and tells a story that you feel compelled to follow. The character depth gives it edge that films of this ilk can occasionally lack, and the cast elevate this tenfold. Whilst not stellar, Crime 101 is satisfying.
