A meticulous diamond thief (Chris Hemsworth) targets jewellery stores neighbouring the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. In need of some intel for his next job, the thief begins cultivating a relationship with a high end insurance agent (Halle Berry). One disappointed with the lack of forward motion in her career. All while the one cop (Mark Ruffalo) who has connected the 101 robberies slowly closes in.
I think it's fair to say that Bart Layton's latest crime thriller has some serious Heat vibes. Obviously this works in the movie's favour, even if Crime 101 doesn't quite meet the incredibly high bar set by Michael Mann's classic tale of cops and robbers. But it is still a slick and stylish thriller, that sees Hemsworth's complicated thief steal millions of dollars in diamonds by intentionally avoiding violence. It's a brilliant performance, in which we see something a little different from the Thor actor. Yes he's playing a career criminal, but not what you’d call a typical career criminal. In fact, there is a lot more to this man who goes by more than a few names. His meticulous nature, his capability for violence, and his deliberate avoidance of it, all make him a fascinatingly layered character. Even his way with people is intriguing, and he can almost be two different people depending on whether he's working or not. Something his interactions with the under utilised but undeniably excellent Nick Nolte certainly show.
What's really interesting, however, is that a lot of what we learn about this mysterious thief comes more from other people. Especially his interactions with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a woman he begins dating, and the police investigation into his crimes. All of which makes the unravelling of this guy almost more interesting than his actual crimes. But at some point he does have to commit a crime or two, and when he does it can be quite the heart-pounding experience. Brilliant but simple plans, executed almost perfectly. With Hemsworth showing us a man who is on top of his game, but understandably nervous and on edge. During the opening heist you might even find yourself wondering why Hemsworth looks a little different. The thief also happens to be pretty good behind the wheel. A chase in which he sees off a competitor (played by a decidedly unhinged Barry Keoghan) is a particular highlight, as our thief chases his motorcycle-riding opponent through the city streets in a beautiful Dodge Challenger - V8 engine singing, as he flies through traffic.
At the same time as our thief is tearing about the city, and Ruffalo's 'Detective Lou Lubesnick' is pursuing him - albeit a little more sedately - Halle Berry's insurance agent has her own issues to deal with. As is the case for many women, 'Sharon' has hit the glass ceiling, and not one of her colleagues will lift a finger to help. Many of whom are male, and have received sought-after promotions, whereas Sharon has essentially been replaced. Of course, age also has a lot to do with it. Layton chooses a brutally honest approach in bringing this all too common scenario into the spotlight, with Berry perfectly portraying what a humiliating and soul-crushing experience it must be. We see in Sharon the struggle to keep going, despite all the knock-backs, until she succumbs to exhaustion and begins contemplating other options. All of which culminates in a particularly enjoyable scene in which Sharon confronts both her boss and her replacement.
As for Ruffalo, well his character's storyline is a little more standard. His dealings with his colleagues as the one cop who believes the 101 robberies are connected are nothing we haven't seen before, but his performance certainly brings some intrigue, elevating Lou's journey. While his back and forth with his partner, Detective Tillman (Corey Hawkins), brings more than a laugh or two. What could be a blink and you'll miss it appearance by Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lou's wife, Angie, is also fairly standard for a cop drama. Even though it does provide a little insight into what the job has done to him. Anyone else in that role and it would be fairly forgettable, but the fire Jason Leigh brings, as well as the connection she shares with Ruffalo, make it more.
The trouble is, with all this going on, Crime 101 gets to feeling a little long. Whereas Heat has this sense of propulsion that makes it feel like a rollercoaster ride throughout, even at nearly 3 hours long, Crime 101 lulls towards the end. It just about runs out of steam, when the big finale begins to kick in. All of a sudden these characters that have been occasionally passing through each other's orbits are all of a sudden, and to some extent unknowingly set on a collision course. As we watch our master thief and his rival prepare in very different ways to take another big score, the tension once again begins to simmer. There's even a nice little reference to the movie that Crime 101 so closely resembles. After an increasingly tense build-up, characters that have avoided each other up to this point, suddenly collide in a moment of extreme and terrifying chaos. Guns are pointed, people are screaming - shoutout to Tate Donovan as the unlucky rich guy - and Bart Layton does a very good job of keeping us guessing.
A gritty and intense crime drama, filled with interesting characters. Crime 101 may begin to lull towards the end, but it quickly recovers with an increasingly tense finale.
8/10
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