Running Time: 140 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, Tate Donovan, Devon Bostick
Back in 2012, Bart Layton burst onto the scene with The Imposter, an outstanding true-crime documentary following a French man posing as a missing Texas teenager. The filmmaker returned with 2018's American Animals, a compelling hybrid of documentary and dramatisation about a real-life book heist. With his third-feature, Crime 101, Layton transitions entirely to a fictionalised drama for this crime-thriller complete with a starry cast.
Adapting Don Winslow's 2020 novella, the story follows an elusive jewel thief called Davis (Chris Hemsworth), whose string of heists along the 101 highway has mystified police. After his last job turned dangerous, Davis is left scared and eyes an escape following the score of a lifetime. As his path intersects with Sharon (Halle Berry), a disillusioned insurance broker at her own crossroads, they are trailed by Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), a relentless detective intent on stopping the next heist.
Usually in crime thrillers, the main criminal is shown to be somebody as cool and slick as the film they are in, and often ready to commit violence. Davis is an interesting subversion on these traditional figures, as he is someone who plans meticulously in order to avoid conflict. Hemsworth adds to this through his performance, with some line readings sounding as though the character is nearly bursting into tears.
If one moment gets to the heart of Davis, it is his explanation that he tries to make order out of chaos. This is a choice informed by the troubled past which led him down a disreputable path, shackled by his socio-economic status, and leaving him determined to rise above it. This is an interesting contrast with Ormon, Barry Keoghan's volatile biker who is visually similar to Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond The Pines. Arriving like the spectre of chaos, the character seems to relish violence so long as it makes him more like his father, and Keoghan ensures the character is a compelling presence.
Amidst this cast, Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo both play characters with a moral compass that is affected by their circumstances. Viewers are introduced to both at unhappy points in their lives, as they are suffocating within their workplaces steeped in immorality. Whether it is Sharon's mistreatment as her age is weaponised against her, or Lou struggling to find justice amidst a department prioritising statistical figures, interesting threads are offered which inform the character's decisions.
Unfortunately, Monica Barbaro feels underserved as she is relegated to a forgettable romance, while the film seems to forget about Nick Nolte after a point. It is all part of a story which does not break the mould, but Layton effectively makes it an engrossing watch. From thrilling chase sequence to barbed conversation, it is an engrossing tale which does not outstay its welcome. Crime 101 rises above its undynamic title to be a solid entry into the genre.
Crime 101 is available in cinemas now
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