Out this week in Irish cinemas is Crime 101, starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan. From director Bart Layton, Crime 101 is a crime thriller that follows Mike Davis (Hemsworth), a jewel thief who has stayed under the radar of the LA police with his unorthodox, but highly successful, style of heists. He leaves no physical evidence; there is never any violence, and it is always by the 101 freeway. No one has caught on to his nefarious deeds, save for one lone figure, Detective Lou Lubesnick (Ruffalo). This down-on-his-luck detective is obsessed with the “Lone Ranger heists” and is desperate to bring in Mike, even though no one else believes Mike exists.
When one seemingly innocuous event happens to Mike during a heist, Lou, Mike, and several other seemingly unconnected people will collide.
I need to be in your line of work
Crime 101 is an old-school crime thriller that would fit so perfectly in the 90s. It’s charming, it’s action-packed, and the cast is thrilling to watch. Hemsworth is impressive as Mike Davis, the thief with a heart of gold. While on the job, he’s direct, no-nonsense, and if it requires it, charming as hell. While outside of these high-intensity environments, he is a withdrawn individual, clearly scarred from his youth, unsure of those around him, even though he looks and is built like Chris Hemsworth. It’s a delicate balancing act that Hemsworth pulls off.
Hot on his trail is Ruffalo’s Det. Lou, he’s a guy just trying to get by with his lot in life, and as the film goes on his character arc is a quirky one that is oddly engaging. Ruffalo pulls off the everyman schtick well, and you’re rooting for him, even though he and Hemsworth are clearly on a collision course.
Along with them is Halle Berry’s character, Sharon, an insurance agent who is pulled into their battle. Sharon’s storyline, like much of the film, is trope-ridden. She’s an older woman in a job dominated by misogyny, and Mike offers her a way out through his particular brand of money-making.
Once again, chemistry is key here. The interactions with each character are well-written and delivered, and the acting is top-notch. This brings me to Barry Keoghan, who plays an absolute chaos gremlin in the shape of young up-and-coming thief Ormon. This kid is a psycho, and this brings me to this film’s clear inspiration, Heat. If Hemsworth is De Niro, then Keoghan is Kevin Gage’s Waingro. On top of this, the film lays itself out like the little brother to Michael Mann’s iconic thriller.
I’ll know when I have enough
There are several similarities between the character arc of Mike and a scene that is eerily similar to the ionic diner scene between De Niro and Pacino. Sadly, the film is also too long; a leaner cut would have added more of an oomph to the climax. Also, there are several characters that don’t need to be in this film; cut them out, and the film may just have been better for it.
I will say the film looks great, except for one or two scenes in elevators, the world that these characters live in is as attractive as its cast. Plus, there are several cinematography choices that reflect the mind of its characters, and I liked that.
Overall, Crime 101 is a decent film, unfortunately marred by familiar tropes of the genre, a too clean ending, and a clear love of a 90s classic.
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