CRIME 101
(director/writer: Bart Layton; screenwriter: novella Savages by Don Winslow; cinematographer: Erik Wilson; editors: Julian Hart, Jacob Secher Schulsinger; music: Blanck Mass; cast: Chris Hemsworth (Mike Davis), Mark Ruffalo (Lou Lubesnick), Barry Keoghan (Ormon), Babak Tafti (Ali), Halle Berry (Sharon), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Angie), Nick Nolte (Money), Patrick Mulvey (Phil), Monica Barbaro (Maya), Corey Hawkins (Tillman, cop partner of Lou), Matthew Del Negro (Stewart, police captain), Payman Maadi (Sammy Kassem), Tate Donovan (Monroe), Paul Adelstein (Mark), Devon Bostick (Devon); Runtime: 120; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Filiner, Dimitri Doganis, Benjamin Grayson, Chris Hemsworth, Shabe Salerno, Bart Layton, Derrin Sclesinger; Amazon MGM Studios; 2026-UK/USA)
“A stylish crime drama set in Los Angeles.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A stylish crime drama set in Los Angeles that’s smartly written and directed by Bart Layton (“American Animals”/”The Imposter”). It freely borrows from Michael Mann’s Heat (1995), as Layton adapts it to the screen from the 2021 novella Savages by Don Winslow.
The 101 of the title refers to the route on the L.A. Freeway used by the thief when making his escapes after his robberies.
The thief is the slick middle-aged loner and bachelor Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth), a skilled and wealthy career thief. We observe him as he conducts a jewelry robbery by kidnapping a courier at the Freeway’s entrance-ramp and robs his contact man possessing the jewels.
The schlub LAPD detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) is going through a marriage crisis with his wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) at home. At work he’s going through a bad period with his cop boss (Matthew Del Negro) after assigned to investigate a string of recent thefts and is under fire for being the only investigating cop believing it’s the work of only one man.
Sharon (Halle Berry) is the middle-aged claims adjuster of an established insurance company who is upset with her sexist boss (Paul Adelstein) for not promoting her when she deserves to be. She teams up with Lou to investigate the diamond robbery when the robbed jeweler Sammy Kassem (Payman Maadi) files an insurance claim with her company.
Those involved with the secretive Mike include his greedy elderly mentor Money (Nick Nolte), a brutish biker rival Ormon (Barry Keoghan), and his new love interest Maya (Monica Barbaro).
The result is a tense but contrived crime drama that is entertaining and well-acted but fails to make much of an impact.
REVIEWED ON 3/10/2026 GRADE: B
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