Michael Fairbanks
One might expect American Animals director Bart Layton to take a more subversive approach to his first major studio film. That prior film intercut a dramatization of the Transylvania University Book Heist with interviews of the real life thieves involved. It was not a film I particularly enjoyed at the time but I’ve grown fond of its experimentation. By contrast, Crime 101 lives up to its title. This is an aggressively traditional Heat riff down to a somewhat meta pairing of former Avengers co-stars in a story with a bit more grit. There is still a certain novelty: star-driven theatrical crime thrillers are a rarer breed in 2026 than they were in Michael Mann’s prime, and Crime 101 is a solidly entertaining piece of pulp fiction.
We follow career thief Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) in the midst of a string of robberies that he’s been committing along California’s 101 Freeway. In a somewhat disorienting opening sequence, we watch him lift jewels off of a courier with only a vague understanding of who they are and where these gems are being brought too. What is clear is Mike’s demeanor. He’s not an aggressive guy, doing his very best to escalate encounters where he’s the one pointing a gun in people’s faces. Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) is starting to catch on to Mike’s patterns, although his peers dismiss him completely. He’s a bit sloppy. Should’ve been promoted some time ago but just doesn’t have the discipline to match his conviction. Both Lou and Mike start making inroads with Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), a disgruntled insurance broker for wealthy clients who works at a company liable for the opening robbery. Meanwhile, Mike’s mentor Money (Nick Nolte) has taken on a new protege, bleach blonde delinquent Ormon (Barry Keoghan). Ormon is far more willing to get violent on his missions and once he executes a Santa Barbara robbery that Mike had been planning in a sloppy and unhinged way, the two become heated rivals.
Despite his obvious gift for more flamboyant performances (Furiosa and Bad Times at the El Royale), Hemsworth has long fancied himself a stoic action hero. Extraction. 12 Strong. Blackhat. Red Dawn. All dour and mediocre thrillers that he’s grimaced his way through without bringing much to the table. Crime 101 just barely gives him a more compelling vehicle for this persona. Mike is a bit of a softie, only into the stealing game to hurt wealthy people financially. He doesn’t really know how to express what he wants, which becomes pathetically apparent in his attempt to start a relationship with the remarkably patient Maya (Monica Barbaro). It is a role that requires an actor who can portray subtle emotional wounds and Hemsworth just doesn’t quite sell it. He’s charismatic enough to not be outright bad and of course is a natural in the action sequences but Crime 101 never plays to his strengths.
Ruffalo is also on autopilot, reheating his Collateral/Zodiac performance with a far less interesting character. Still largely enjoyable to watch, he makes it look easy. Keoghan falls a bit flat as the lurking wildcard. His bleach blonde hair and pink motorcycle jacket is an evocative look but his generic American accent stifles a lot of his emotional range. He’s just never quite as scary or unhinged as the film wants us to believe he is. Berry is easily the standout lead performance. Sharon’s arc is the most dynamic. She starts out delusionally believing that after over a decade at her boys club insurance company, she will finally get her due. Eventually, that optimism turns to righteous anger and Berry has a blast with lashing out.
Strangely, the minor supporting players often pop more than our stars. Barbaro is a terrific grounding presence as an assertive but empathetic love interest for Hemsworth. She’s gracious with Mike’s vagueness about his past but as he continues to not let her in, her frustration boils to the surface. Corey Hawkins rattles off a few funny one liners as Ruffalo’s partner and there’s an underlying exhausted chemistry between them that could’ve really blossomed in a film that completely centered around them. There’s even a brief pop in from Jennifer Jason Leigh as Ruffalo’s checked-out wife, and she is immediately missed once he decides to move to the beach.
Layton’s direction is slick. Crime 101 was shot in Los Angeles (it is still possible!) and the city bleeds through every frame. A few centerpiece car chases are captured practically and are all exciting despite the roads being a bit too empty. The midpoint car/motorcycle standoff between Hemsworth and Keoghan is the highlight, promising a venomous beef that never quite delivers for the rest of the film. Even so, the third act heist sequence is suspenseful and aided by the long awaited meeting of Hemsworth and Ruffalo. The violence is a little more muted than ideal, but that will perhaps help its chances as a crowd pleaser.
Crime 101 may never execute its well-worn genre tropes at the highest level, but it is still a consistently entertaining medium-well caper. While it may be a little too obsessed with maintaining the clean cut image of its well mannered stars, perhaps Layton will channel the genre chops he built here into a more distinct vision next time around.
