The Reel Review
A Robin Hood-type jewel thief that only steals from wealthy criminals targets a disillusioned employee at a high-end insurance agency to help him with one last heist – just as a detective who has traced his pattern of robberies along Los Angeles’ Highway 101 closes in on him. Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan star in this crime thriller based on Don Winslow’s 2020 novella.
At its heart, this old-fashioned crime noir is about several individuals at major crossroads in their lives. Writer/director Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter) packs so much into the story that at times it feels more like a laundry list of ideas rather than a well-oiled plot. Heavily reminiscent of the decades-old, Michael Mann crime dramas Heat and Thief, it even has moody cinematography and a synth-heavy score. In addition to pulling Berry’s Sharon into his planned heist, Hemsworth’s Davis is also juggling a relationship with a new love interest (Monica Barbaro) and a deteriorating relationship with his shady crime boss (Nick Nolte), who, unbeknownst to Davis, has brought in a way more reckless and inexperienced thief (Keoghan) to double-cross him.
The overlong, nearly two-and-a-half hour film suffers from sluggish pacing in the first act and a frenetic third act that, while at least more entertaining, has an eyeroll of an ending that is frustratingly convoluted and so far-fetched as to be unbelievable. Acting wise, Berry steals the show during her big resignation speech to her boss after being repeatedly passed up for years from becoming a partner, with many of Layton’s big-name cast (Barbaro, Nolte, Jennifer Jason Leigh) left with relatively little to do.
REEL FACTS
• Mark Ruffalo took over as the detective in Crime 101 after Pedro Pascal left the project due to a scheduling conflict.
• All four leads in Crime 101 have played superheroes in Marvel and DC Comics films.
• Filming took place in Pacific Palisades shortly before the January 2025 wildfires that destroyed parts of Los Angeles.
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