It is slightly astounding that Crime 101 and its 2 hours and 20-minute runtime came out of a short story. Bart Layton took the short story that Don Winslow wrote and expanded it out into a thrilling crime saga with branching paths that ultimately converge into one. It starts off with a diamond heist. Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is a thief who doesn’t hurt people during his heists; that’s hammered into the audience’s head, especially when it’s juxtaposed against Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a rival, younger thief who also works for the same boss, Money (Nick Nolte). While these various heists are happening, the police are working the trail, including Lou (Mark Ruffalo), who’s almost obsessing over the supposed “101 Thief”.

All of these heists follow a pattern along the 101 freeway in Southern California, including the M.O. of not hurting anyone involved. The final piece of the puzzle is the insurance company, including a long-suffering employee looking to make partner at the company, Sharon (Halle Berry).

All of these stories melt into one by the end of the movie in a story that feels very reminiscent of something like Grand Theft Auto. It doesn’t take nearly as long as those games for the stories to converge, but it feels similar nonetheless. It also features performances from Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tate Donovan.

Of all the storylines, the most satisfying was actually Sharon’s. She doesn’t whip out a gun, she doesn’t beat anyone up, but Halle Berry adds so much raw emotion and energy to the film with her performance. Particularly in the last third of the film, she ratchets it up and gets the most thunderous reaction of any scene in the film, and it’s just her yelling at someone.

The lighting and cinematography basically feel like another character in the film. Its a breath of fresh air to see a film lit like this in an era where that seems to be a lost art. Every street light, stoplight, headlight, and other ancillary lighting all add to the characters. Seeing the deep red of a stoplight on Chris Hemsworth’s face at the beginning of the movie sets the tone for what you’re going to see in the rest of the film.

If you love Los Angeles, this movie is for you. It traverses almost every area that the sprawling city has to offer from Downtown, the beach, Beverly Hills, and everywhere in between. That’s what I mean by this feeling like a throwback film. Bart Layton’s writing and direction all feel like they’re harkening back to that 90s era of filmmaking.

There’s definitely some thrilling scenes in Crime 101, but they’re spread out enough to let each of them breathe and get the audience ready. Once these scenes get going though, its a ball of tension that doesn’t let you go. When Ormon is robbing a jewelry store, you can feel the atmosphere come off the screen. He’s green and doesn’t quite know what he’s doing, and that reflects with the camerawork, the performance, and the writing.

When Davis is working though, everything is smooth, clean, and feels planned out, like the next move is already on its way. Its a tremendous job by all involved to make these differing heists feel so different on all accounts.

Now, Crime 101 isn’t perfect. The runtime is pretty long and it definitely feels like that long of a movie at points. The middle section of the film and where it starts leading up to the finale run a bit long in the tooth. There are a lot of plotlines and characters to juggle for the audience, but even then, Maya (Monica Barbaro) feels like a bit of an afterthought. She’s here to provide the “new life” that Davis is looking for, but her character feels like a means to an end, instead of someone that’s fully fleshed out. The other side of the coin is the antagonistic forces of Money and Ormon, particularly Money’s motivations. He’s just doing what he’s doing because Davis wants to stop working for him. So the career criminal boss can’t plan his own heists?

The other side of it is that some of the plot points feel a bit too convenient. The ending, while satisfying, verges on the borderline of unbelievability, especially in this era of surveillance we live in. I’m not one to question the logic of a movie very often, but in this case, a billionaire’s room at a hotel would certainly have cameras operating outside of the room.

Outside of those quibbles, though, Crime 101 is an excellent crime thriller. It has plenty of style, substance, and features a trio of absolutely smashing performances from Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, and Mark Ruffalo. The action and tension in the film are top-tier. For everyone who whinges and complains about a lack of original, non-superhero films at the box office, this is one of the best original films of the year so far.

Crime 101 releases in theaters on February 13th, 2026.

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