Crime 101 brings together two thiefs, a detective, and an insurance broker into an interwoven chain of events that is bound to uproot each of their lives. Each member of the quartet is given space to leave their mark, but Barry Keoghan steals the show and acts as the crux of this film.
We begin with Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth), who has gained a reputation for jewel heists where there are never any injuries and are all along the 101 freeway in Los Angeles. This not only puts him on Detective Lou Lubesnick’s (Mark Ruffalo) radar, but gets him mixed up in insurance broker Sharon’s (Halle Berry) world. Unluckily enough for everyone involved, Barry Keoghan’s Ormon becomes a major wildcard as a thief who is the polar opposite of Mike Davis. From the moment he is introduced, you can sense the erratic nature of his behavior that instills a true sense of danger whenever he appears on screen. What drives this home even more is that the fear of whoever is around him is palpable, and when we do see him have his guard down, it’s obvious that his recklessness knows no bounds.
Circling back to Hemsworth as Mike Davis, his performance lacked a certain edge that was in some way anchored to a screenplay that didn’t do him any favors. His character is spelled out more than once in the film and it just felt hard to connect with the performance in any meaningful way, although there are hints of him evolving emotionally in the back end of the film. Lou and Sharon possess a similar direction here as two people of integrity who have strived to uphold their moral principles. Their entanglement in this story, coupled with less than ideal treatment at their respective jobs bend their perspectives, giving them each a taste of what life could be like on the flip side of the coin.
Compared with Bart Layton’s first two films as a director, American Animals and The Imposter, Crime 101 has a significant bump in runtime, clocking in at 2 hours and 20 minutes. While it might seem imposing and the film isn’t bursting with action, the film manages to still feel light on its feet. Even if some characters were lacking nuance and depth at certain points, it’s difficult not to appreciate these performances being given ample space to breathe and grow. Cinematographer Erik Davis also makes one unique choice that is utilized in the beginning and towards the end of the film, but by the second framing you can feel that things have changed. This moment feeling interconnected to what our characters have gone through, everything they thought they knew about themselves getting flipped on its head was a fantastic artistic choice.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Even though Crime 101 might not reinvent the wheel when it comes to crime cinema, there is certainly enough here to give this film its own identity and purpose. Enough is done with the characters and each respective performance to provide serious rewatchibility, providing unique twists here that will allow this film to stand amongst itself in a genre where it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle.
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