CRIME 101 Review

Despite its good reviews and word of mouth, I had missed Bart Layton's Crime 101 when it was in theaters earlier this year. It's not alone; it was simultaneously at the cinema with Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, and I never made it out those few weeks to see that, either. My loss, I suppose, but at least it did not take long for the former flick to hit Hulu for streaming purposes.

(As of this writing, the latter picture is only available as a rental, and it's still $20 just for that, so I'll be waiting a bit longer to watch it)

Crime 101 is the story of a high-class thief that has been striking couriers and deliverymen along the 101 freeway. We see him early in the movie rob a transport of diamonds worth three million dollars. He manages to get away despite making a critical error during the hold-up.

In the thief's wake, there is a detective named Lou tracking these robberies and trying to determine the perpetrator behind them. He has put together a pattern of the heists, and is hot on the thief's trail.

Additionally, we are introduced to Sharon, an insurance company employee who is responsible for the pay-out on the stolen diamonds. We find out that she is due to make partner at her firm, but the company has been punting on that promotion for a year now.

With these characters and more making up the world of California in the movie, the question becomes: how will they all fit together? And what will happen when the thief and Lou cross paths?

TWO UPS AND TWO DOWNS

+ The movie is made of several disparate elements and multiple protagonists. It slithers in and around and between plot lines seamlessly. It focuses on all core characters evenly and never leaves anyone of import out of action for too long of a time. Honestly, if you enjoy movies like Snatch where disconnected plot points all coalesce together, you'll like Crime 101. All of the characters are well acted, too, with the brilliant cast. 

Crime 101 stars Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, and Barry Keoghan in the primary roles. Hemsworth, Berry, and Ruffalo are all very nuanced as characters, and they play them with depth. Hemsworth in particular shows some solid range between his character's business personality and his personal life expressions. He is extremely competent and self-assured when committing his robberies, but a bit more lacking in confidence when dealing with his love life.

Ruffalo and Berry don't quite match Hemsworth only in that we don't see quite as much of them as we do of Chris. But their scenes are equally well done. They aren't easily pigeon-holed as strictly altruistic or antagonistic, and they are realistic and sympathetic.

Keoghan's character is a bit more one-dimensional as a violent villain in the film, but he still performs the role with zest and flavor. Keoghan is clearly having a blast throughout Crime 101, and the movie could actually have used a little more of him if anything.

+ The third act has quite a bit of tension, and it is shot and performed exceedingly well. It really capitalizes on what all came before it, and it finishes the movie is a strong fashion. It's great seeing the characters move into each other's orbit and how the resolution plays out; I was really into the climax of Crime 101.

Also, Crime 101 gives all of the characters a culmination that works for them. I spent the first two acts wondering how that might be possible--a few characters are in direct conflict with one another, but are each still protagonists for whom the viewer is cheering--but the film pulls it off.  

- There are several small plot details that the movie introduces that don’t really seem to matter too much to the overarching storyline. Halle Berry’s bad sleeping patterns. Mark Ruffalo’s separation from his wife. Chris Hemsworth's dating a woman that he meets. Probably several others I have long since forgotten. The movie seems enamored with introducing side angles but not really following through on them.

These could be chalked up as some character building moments and ticks, I suppose, but the movie is overstuffed as it is at almost two and a half hours. There is some stuff that could have been eliminated to get the run time more manageable is what I am saying. 

- Despite the strong third act and potent performances, there really isn’t much to Crime 101 that you haven’t seen before. It isn’t shot in any new ways, nor does it tinker with the formula too much. It’s just a crime flick. I've read multiple other reviews on Letterboxd say that this is like a lesser version of Heat. Which is probably not a bad thing to be, but a film should strive to be the best version of itself, not a lesser comparison to something else.

Crime 101 is a good crime movie, but it’s not ultimately my favorite genre. If they had introduced some new aspects, I could have appreciated that, but this all felt a little by-the-numbers. I still thought it was exceptionally well done for what I have seen.

All things considered, I enjoyed Crime 101 a good deal. The casting director did an impeccable job assembling the talent for this picture, and director Bart Layton really geared up the tension for its third act. Very good stuff here.

🍿 SCORE = 73 / 100