‘Crime 101’ Is the Gritty Anti-Blockbuster We Need

The title “Crime 101” evokes a sense of starting from the basics. When the era of big budget comic blockbusters may be at the tail-end of its popularity, we need a recalibration of sorts. A reminder of why action thrills us so much. The French Connection has no mention of multiverses, and The Italian Job (the original and the Marky Mark remake) has no large purple men with a world-collapsing bejeweled glove. We had richly familiar characters in unique circumstances right in the cities we live in. No Gotham, no Metropolis, but our own backyards. Crime 101 strips the spectacle and gives a raw, visceral thrill ride.  

We begin with Mike (Chris Hemsworth) as he grooms himself before his next score, stealing $3 million worth of diamonds while in transport. Also, we have Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), an overworked detective who is an outsider at the force and in his own marriage. Lastly, there is Sharon (Halle Berry), an aging insurance broker who is overlooked at work in favor of younger talent. These three polished yet slightly undone characters will play equally pivotal roles in how Crime 101 unfolds. (Isn’t it ironic that this movie stars Thor, Hulk, and X-Men’s Storm?)

After the robbery, Mike discusses the next job with Money (Nick Nolte), but has cold feet because it is too risky. Money, without telling Mike, gives the job to Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a wrecking ball of a thief that couldn’t spell “subtle” if you gave him all the letters. Lou suspects that a series of robberies alongside the Los Angeles 101 freeway is being committed by one person who leaves no evidence, commits no violence, and can get a quick exit on the 101. He is right about Mike; he is meticulous, cold, and calculating. However, Lou’s theories and no arrests do not please his demanding boss. 

Because Mike is so rigid, he is nervous and lonely in his personal life, ready to break at any moment. He is so frightful that if he weren’t the most attractive man in Southern California, he would be on a government watchlist. That is, until he meets modest but lovely Maya (Monica Barbara, A Complete Unknown) and works up the courage to ask her out on a date. While growing into a Romeo, Mike learns that Money has given away his job. The two have a falling out, and Money hires Ormon again, but this time, the stakes are different.

The women characters in Crime 101 serve an interesting function, as they mainly hold up a mirror to the men in this universe, who are self-involved, egotistical, and oblivious. In maybe the best line of the movie, Maya tells Mike, “Someone needs to teach you how to be human.” She is absolutely right. Though played tongue in cheek, the men are all robots, and if you get swept up in the story, it is easy to forget that. 

Sharon tries to excel in her largely male, white workplace but has hit the glass ceiling. When confronting her boss, he continues to string her along, all the while reminding her of her age. The men act however they want, with no consequences. In my second screening of Crime 101, during Halle’s climactic scene when Sharon tells off her boss, a woman in the crowd yelled “You go, girl!” at the screen. These delightful memories you can’t get at home on the couch watching streaming.

Crime 101 is a house of cards, and if any piece is missing or ajar, the entire establishment would crash. However, it manages to hold everything for an entertaining, throwback movie experience (though a plot line or two are left in the wind). All the actors bring their best, but Barry Keoghan is the standout. His manic, dynamo energy keeps the proceedings from feeling mundane. There is a scene where Ormon is following someone, and the movie treats it like Jaws about to attack a scantily clad teenager. Keoghan is almost in a different movie, and he is the only character who can get away with it. His neon iridescent pink BMX helmet and dirty blonde shag clash against the steely blue and grey coldness of Crime 101, but it gives the movie flavor.

Michael Mann’s Heat easily comes to mind when thinking about this movie, but Crime 101 may actually be closer to Thief in its sensibilities. Audiences may go into this expecting a high level of action, but it’s more of a person-of-interest heist drama. Crime 101 is much more interested in the characters than their functional abilities, in the same way that we were invested in James Caan and Tuesday Weld’s relationship. If you go into it expecting a slow burn, tense experience, Crime 101 will please. Not to make things sound too dour, there is an amazing car chase scene, reminiscent of The French Connection and Bullitt (who Lou gives a nod to). 

Director Bart Layton is at his best when letting the city of Los Angeles be its fifth lead. He does a commendable job of showing the vast expanse of LA, its glitz and grit, and how wondrous and lonely the City of Angels can be. Layton understands the relationship we have to our environment, and is clever enough to let one of the most extraordinary and diverse cities in the world do the heavy lifting just by pointing a camera at it. Every film has sets, but it was good to get away from the artifice of green screens and overwhelming digital imagery.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars