Reviews

Marvel co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth have been trying to find a different project to star in together for a while, and they finally found it with Crime 101.

Bart Layton’s sleek, old-fashioned crime thriller tells several interwoven stories connected to a spate of high-end jewellery heists that have occurred just off the 101 freeway in Los Angeles.

Detective Lou Lubesnick (Ruffalo) is the man on the case, and he is determined to prove his theory that all of the heists were committed by the same person.

But thief Mike (Hemsworth) doesn’t make the job easy, because he takes a meticulous, methodical and non-violent approach to his work, meaning there’s no evidence at the scenes to pin him to the crimes.

While that cat-and-mouse chase is the main event, there are other storylines revolving around luxury insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry) and a violent young biker Ormon (Barry Keoghan) that eventually tie into the central plot.

Thanks to the premise and the location, it’s very easy to make parallels between Crime 101 and Michael Mann’s classic crime movie Heat.

However, this film has enough differences and refreshing ideas to set it apart and establish itself as its own thing.

After the opening heist, which drops you right into the action, the pace slows down as Layton properly introduces his characters and gets their stories in motion.

The film switches back and forth between the four main characters often and it takes a while for the stories to slowly come together.

Some viewers may find it too long and slow, but rest assured that your patience will be paid off in the exciting, gripping finale.

With Crime 101 and Furiosa, it’s clear that Hemsworth is trying to break out of the superhero mould and prove he can also play different, morally dubious characters. It’s refreshing to see him as a criminal, although Mike is a surprisingly decent thief who follows a strict moral code.

Ruffalo and Berry aren’t particularly stretched in their familiar roles, as we have seen Ruffalo play a similar cop character several times before, most recently in last year’s TV miniseries Task.

While Berry’s character doesn’t feel like a challenge for her, Sharon has an interesting moral dilemma to consider as well as a substantial subplot about the ageism and sexism she faces at her company.

This is Layton’s first film not based on a true story – following the acclaimed 2012 documentary The Imposter and the 2018 docudrama American Animals – and it’s not quite as successful as those.

However, it is a solid, old-school slow-burner that doesn’t come around often these days, so it’s still worth seeking out.

In cinemas from Friday 13th February

By Hannah Wales

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