Film Review: Crime 101

Welcome back to the blog readers. Crime thriller is a genre that I can be a real big fan of, especially if the film is done right. I remember hearing about this film from my main man John Campea, who went to CinemaCon in April and saw footage from this film. Obviously, since I did not go to Vegas, I had no idea what to expect from this film. Would I come out of this film happy or disappointed? Stick around to find out.

Crime 101 was written and directed by Bart Layton, based on the 2020 novella Crime 101 by Don Winslow. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, and Halle Berry. In the film, a master thief and an insurance broker team up for a multi-million dollar job while a determined detective hunts them down to prevent the heist from happening.

Like I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, I am a sucker for a good crime thriller, especially if there are multiple layers and levels to peer through. And seeing the name of this film at first without knowing anything about it honestly turned me off until I saw the trailers. Thank goodness the trailers turned me on, because this film is the best film of the year so far (there are many more films to come so it probably will not last). The performances of Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry were stellar, as was the layered and emotion-packed story, music, and cinematography. This may be a long review, but it is definitely worth it.

I want to start by talking about the performance of Chris Hemsworth. Let's get one thing straight, this paragraph is not happening without his turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor. This allowed a young Australian man to develop his chops as an actor and eventually be able to take on the role of Mike Davis. And this is honestly the best I have ever seen Hemsworth. Although his American accent needs a bit of work, I seriously have no other notes on his performance. He is able to bring a complex nature to the role that makes it hypnotic to watch. As the meticulous and competent thief, he brings a Bond-level suaveness to the role. And as the longing man looking for connection, he is able to blend his expertly-crafted charisma with excellent emotional work. Well done, Chris. Now, bring this same energy to Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

Speaking of people who may or may not be in Avengers: Doomsday, we must talk about Hemsworth's fellow "Revenger" Mark Ruffalo (that is a deep cut, and if you remember that you are my friend). Ruffalo is a four-time Academy Award nominee, Screen Actors Guild award winner, and an Emmy winner. The guy is a truly gifted and fighting for the right causes, including hunting down criminals as detective Lou Lubesnick. He brings his natural charisma to the role and is able to mix that with a determined complexity that is so fun to watch. When he is questioning his morals (and later on his department), you can feel with his character because of the raw power that he is able to bring. Again, many congratulations must go out to Ruffalo on a job well done. I cannot wait to see him in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).

Once again, speaking of people who may or may not be in Avengers: Doomsday, we finally have to talk about the performance of Halle Berry (I mean, most of her X-Men costars are in the film so it would be reasonable to assume we may see her, Famke Janssen, Shawn Ashmore, etc.). Berry is yet another Academy Award nominee in this film (but she is different from Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Monica Barbaro because she is the only Oscar winner in the film), and she absolutely shows why. The power that she is able to command in this film as investment broker Sharon Combs is second-to-none. She is able to drive the performance in such a way that you feel mixed emotions whenever the character is doing something shady or under-the-table, and she brings a level of determination that is unmatched compared to her contemporaries.

Now that we have gotten the performances out of the way, I want to next talk about the music. The composer of this film is Benjamin John Power, who goes by the stage name Blanck Mass. He has done nothing notable, but has done a Barry Keoghan film called Calm with Horses/The Shadow of Violence (2020). He is also the composer for the film She Rides Shotgun (2025), but for this film, he brings a slick electronic beat to the score that left me mesmerized. I vividly remember a few points in the film where I was seeing what was on screen but focusing more on the soundtrack because it is that ear-poppingly good. It almost reminds me of some musical motifs I had heard in the video game Cyberpunk 2077 (2020). The electronic nature of the score really lends itself to the dark and complex nature of the story, which I will be talking about in just a bit.

The next aspect of this film I want to talk about is regards to the film's cinematography. The man behind the camera for this film is Erik Wilson, a Norwegian fellow who has been known for shooting the Paddington films, Better Man (2025), and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019). While I have not seen any of those projects, I can only go off of what I see in this film, which is absolutely stellar work. Some of the shots that really stood out to me include the upside-down shots of the 101 Highway and the action shots that we see. The camera work is up-close and personal, following our characters in a setting that is not too intimate for its own good. Even the car shots are done with expert crafting, including one where the camera follows a car door that closes.

And finally, I want to talk about the story of this film. The film follows a meticulous jewel thief who conducts his crimes along Route 101 and cannot be tracked. Not only that, but there is a detective that is under a lot of pressure from his force to get results and bring this thief down. All of this is happening while an insurance broker is struggling at her job to get a well-deserved promotion. This story does a brilliant job of blurring the lines as to who the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) are because every character is tipped with complexity and multiple layers to peel back, so it really comes down to who you resonate with. I also love what this film says about corruption and the power of money, which are two aspects of the film that really resonate with current-day affairs.

In conclusion, Crime 101 is a slick and complex look at corruption and power while being one of the better acted films to start this year. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.