Crime 101 (2026)

One master thief (Chris Hemsworth) is planning one final score to steal some expensive jewels, one burned out, veteran cop (Oscar-nominee Mark Ruffalo) is on the trail to catch him after a rash of recent robberies, and one disillusioned insurance broker (Oscar-winner Halle Berry) gets involved to claim her own piece of the action....and ALL of this takes place along Highway 101 which runs through Los Angelese.  From director Bart Layton (American Animals), this sprawling LA crime saga also co-stars several other Oscar-nominees including Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Nick Nolte, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

CRIME 101 – 2026

Directed by Bart Layton

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Nick Nolte, Tate Donovan, Devon Bostick, Paul Adelstein, Matthew Del Negro, Drew Powell, Babak Tafti, Payman Maadi, and Jennifer Jason Leigh

Genre: Crime Thriller(Audio clip)

Ever since Michael Mann's Heat came out just over thirty years ago, irredeemable fans like myself (in that we can never shut up about it) of that LA crime epic have had just had an unquenchable thirst for any new crime film which appears to be inspired by it. 😄 The basic parameters of a Heat-inspired crime film usually focuses on two key characters on opposite sides of the law: a burned out obsessed cop (Al Pacino's Vincent in Heat) whose personal life is in ruins trying to take down a career master criminal (Robert DeNiro's McCauley) who has no personal life and wants to pull off ONE last big score. Other common factors include a tense, chance meeting between the two in the second half of the film, ONE critical mistake made by the master criminal early on which kind of sets the plot in motion, an irredeemable side criminal (Kevin Gage's Waingro) on the periphery who throws unexpected monkey wrenches into the overall plot AND....a brand new potential love interest (Amy Brenneman's Edy) whom said master criminal meets RIGHT before that last big score making him want to quit being a thief all the more. It also helps if the story takes place around LA (though certainly not required) AND to have a pulsating synth score playing over it all. ;) 

And writer/director's Bart Layton's (American Animals) Crime 101 pretty much check off EVERY ONE of those boxes! Most other variations like The Town (Boston Heat) or American Gangster ('70's Harlem Heat) or Mann's own Public Enemies (Prohibition-era Midwest Heat) don't take place in modern Los Angeles but THIS one does....like the recent gem Den of Thieves which I affectionately like to refer to as Diet Heat. 🫣 And with a top-flight cast no less: Mark Ruffalo playing the cop Lou, Chris Hemsworth playing the thief Davis, Monica Barbaro's Maya as "the Edy'", and even Barry Keoghan's Ormon as the....um Waingro. Not only spot-on casting for the most part but that's three recent Oscar-nominees there! 🫡 PLUS a new element: Oscar-winner Halle Berry who plays Sharon, a disillusioned insurance broker KIND of caught in the middle as she has the inside scoop on Davis' next big score while also encountering Lou during his investigation.

What LAPD detective Lou (Ruffalo) is investigating has a series of high-value robberies around LA which SEEM to be forming a pattern: they're all non-violent and they ALL seem to be taking place just off of the '101 freeway. Hence the very clunky "Crime 101" title for this film. 🙄 (Which to me is one of its weakest aspects) Now having ZERO clue about the actual geography of Los Angeles, I'm really not sure just how feasible it is for any master criminal to rely on highway traffic for a quick getaway but undoubtedly the City of Los Angeles factors heavily into the plot. And to this film's benefit, this was shot on location among several distinctly different neighborhoods of LA lending a nice sense of time and place to everything. 

So with all of these critical pieces in place, how does the whole thing play? Well I would say pretty well....the performances are good, the pacing is solid, there's sufficient tension, and I was not always sure where the story was going. It's definitely less violent than most other Heat-like films but also a bit more thoughtful. Infact much of the thoughtfulness comes from Berry's Sharon character who is pretty much the co-lead alongside Hemsworth's Lou's Davis. As with his performance in Mann's Blackhat, Hemsworth is making a valiant attempt to nail that American accent and it's at least less distracting this time around. (His character being a native orphan of LA is a key aspect of the plot whereas I never saw the need for him to have a New Yawk accent playing a hacker in Blackhat) 

To BEST describe what type of variation of Heat this might be, I would probably best refer to it as "Hallmark Heat" though that's not as negative a description as you would think. :) I mean the star-driven casting is a double-edged at times. Halle Berry is effectively portraying some one who feels too often passed over by her superiors who seem to be shifting their superficial tastes towards a new female broker who is younger and HOTTER; only problem with that her Sharon STILL looks like Halle Berry! 😄 Same goes for Hemsworth's Davis who's pretty good portraying an autistic (a character trait which seems to be inexplicably dropped after the first scene) loner who's socially awkward and able to stealthily avoid being spotted pulling scores....only issue is that HE still looks like Chris Hemsworth, also impeccably dressed and groomed. 🤪 And that's definitely a contributor to the whole Hallmark-movie aspect of it with the key players looking for love being so impossibly attractive that it stretches credibility at points....

Even Ruffalo's rumpled cop is strangely referred to as "fat" throughout....even though he has clearly lost whatever paunch (fake or real) he was sporting for his recent stellar turn on HBO's "Task" and yes it's hard to NOT be reminded of that similar character here. (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - playing burned out cops is clearly a good lane for Ruffalo as an actor) The whole Hallmark comparison also stems from a minor streak of sentimentality which runs throughout this story....these are pretty likable, sympathetic characters for the most part which differentiates it from Heat. Not a bad thing, just makes it different and probably less edgier.... most of the edge is really given Keoghan's constantly biker helmet-clad thug Orman and he IS fun to watch.

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

I liked the score for this film, it’s very much in the vein of stuff which we have heard from the likes of Cliff Martinez, Brian Eno, or Moby for films within this subgenre.  Very much synth-based and it’s propulsive especially during the car chase scenes.  It’s also comes from an up-and-coming composer from London, Benjamin John Power, who has also been a experimental musician for many years – he is professionally known as Blanck Mass and has done a few smaller films so far with this like his biggest project so far.  And he NAILED it….and as of the time of this recording sorry, I couldn’t find any clips nor even a track listing.  But when the soundtrack is available by all means, check it out.

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Regarding the rest of the cast well....it's probably an understatement to say that they're underutilized. Barbaro is certainly likeable with the thankless role of some one (wasn't completely clear on her actual job) who is smitten with Hemsworth's Davis, struggling to "reach" him. 😐 Nothing we haven't seen before and her character probably isn't necessary to the overall plot. That kinda goes for Nick Nolte's (!) heist-arranger Money (that's the character's name) who initially seems promising as a side character but eventually feels dropped. And the same goes for Corey Hawkins' Tillman who is initially Lou's partner in the LAPD....until he's just not? 🤔

Yeah despite solid performances all around, there are probably a few too many side characters and/or subplots which just pad the movie a bit. You can see the scope which Layton is clearly going for but the meshing of several different characters just doesn't feel as organic as....GUESS which movie? 🫣 Even Jennifer Jason Leigh is in this for a hot minute as Paul's....wife....yeah it really IS just a minute. Hey not everybody can do what Michael Mann does, it's an admittedly high bar. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now back to Barry Keoghan’s Orman….he pretty much headlines my favorite scene in the film which I believe occurs around 45 minutes in.  As a stark contrast to the other three main lead characters who each seem both thoughtful and precise with their work, he's much more of a bull in a China shop....and this comes through in what might be the film’s tensest AND funniest scene when we watch him rob a jewelry store, apparently without any kind of exit strategy. 😄

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

This was kind of a tough call as I DID really like most of the cast and MOST (though not all) of the choices made with regards to how the film was written and directed.  Like with most of the more engaging crime dramas, it comes down to performances AND how they LOOK.  And this one looks very good, making great use of a lot of distinct LA-based locations including several which I know I have seen before like Beverly Hills and the Pacific Palisades.  More than most films taking place around this area - outside of previous episodes like Mann’s Collatoral AND Heat of course as they set the standard – we get a nice sense of the SPRAWL of Los Angeles from downtown to Calabasas.  It's all well shot by DP Erik Wilson (Better Man, the Paddington trilogy which I hear is good), especially some nifty street action. 😉 The overall narrative is surprisingly light on shoot-outs though is not lacking for car chases....shot during both day and night, those chases really fly thanks to strong camerawork from the DP.  And MOST importantly….he shoots the titular highway with some style, lending as much as character as you CAN….to a freeway.  Erik Wilson is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 3.4 stars out of 5

Overall, you can follow the story well, there's plenty of solid intrigue, and I DID find myself caring about each of the three lead characters. Also interconnected crime sagas like these are often difficult to wrap up and gratefully, this one mostly sticks the landing with a satisfying conclusion. Even though I have never been a particular fan of Hallmark movies, I genuinely enjoyed this.

Now Playing In Theaters

And that ends another SPRAWLING review!