CRIME 101 (2026)

Filmed against the juxtaposing Los Angeles landscape, Bart Layton’s Crime 101 follows a group of disparate individuals whose lives become intertwined. The film glides in and out of their worlds, cross-cutting as they drive along Route 101, each absorbed in their own business. The story follows a non-violent thief, Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth); a run-down detective, Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo); and a high-end insurance broker, Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), whose paths converge following Mike’s latest robbery.

Mike is a meticulous thief with a moral code, targeting couriers delivering jewels and cash. He leaves no injuries or clues, allowing him to strike multiple times along the 101. However, Lou—a curmudgeonly cop who’s plateaued on the force and commands little respect from his peers—spots a pattern in these “victimless” crimes. Sharon, meanwhile, remains largely detached from the main plot until the third act. She spends her days selling insurance to the global elite but has hit the professional glass ceiling, failing to make partner despite committing over a decade to her firm.

When Mike makes a minor error, his confidence wavers. This creates a domino effect across Los Angeles, giving Lou a lead to follow and Sharon a chance to disparage her chauvinistic male colleagues. Following Mike’s “wobble”, his boss, Money (Nick Nolte), hires the chaotically violent biker Ormon (Barry Keoghan) to take over—but this inexperienced hitman is far less gentle in his methods.

Rather than focusing solely on the cat-and-mouse game between thief and copper, the film bounces between three points of view. While it strives to be more than a standard genre piece, it’s at its best in full-throttle heist mode. The “noise” surrounding the central crime bulks out the overlong 140-minute runtime without adding necessary layers.

The characters, despite some strong performances, are frustratingly one-note. They lack clear motive or backstory, even though the film frequently hints at both. The inner workings of this world are never fully addressed; instead, the audience is forced to piece things together through snatched conversations and police paperwork. This feels less like a stylistic choice and more like lazy writing that expects the viewer to do the heavy lifting.

Crime 101 dives unsatisfactorily into personal lives. Mike starts dating Maya (Monica Barbaro) after she crashes her boss’s car into him. The script alludes to a tragic childhood and a “bigger picture” behind his crimes, but this remains background noise with no relevance to the plot.

We also see Lou adjusting to bachelor life following a split from his wife (an underused Jennifer Jason Leigh),attempting yoga and coastal living. He possesses a strict moral code that clashes with the LAPD’s penchant for corruption. His partner (Corey Hawkins) worries Lou is hindering his own career ambitions. While there are mentions of cover-ups, the film frustratingly retreats from these threads before they can be explored.

The film is riddled with subplots that never find a purpose. If you’re waiting for the supporting cast to become relevant, you’ll be disappointed. The script is a mishmash of ideas that feel over-compartmentalised and never quite meld. You keep waiting for a “click”—a reveal or a twist—that sadly never arrives. The writing would’ve benefitted from boiling the story down to its essence; audiences are here for the action, not the midlife crises, especially when the side-plots aren’t interesting enough to warrant the diversion.

Chris Hemsworth is bogged down by a clichéd “cold criminal” role. He isn’t quite a strong or charismatic enough actor to elevate such a thankless part. Ruffalo returns to “hangdog cop” territory, essentially reprising his role from HBO series Task. Both are clearly enjoying themselves, but neither has much substance to chew on.

Berry is on form as a relatable woman in a room of chauvinists, her frustration simmering. In an early scene, she values a millionaire’s house, smiling through gritted teeth as he flaunts his wealth. Some of the best moments revolve around Sharon realising she might not be the “good guy”. It’s a shame the other women are mere accessories to the men’s stories.

The movie sparks to life when Keoghan is on screen, but his biker is wasted in a nearly silent role. Even more “criminal” is the sidelining of Barbaro as a love interest with no personality—a role seemingly mandated by Hollywood convention rather than narrative necessity.

While Crime 101 feels narratively empty, it looks beautiful. It captures Los Angeles in its entirety, from beachside mansions to the tents of Skid Row. Cinematographer Erik Wilson lovingly captures the city, making it feel like a character in itself. Editors Jacob Secher Schulsinger and Julian Hart also do a fine job depicting character parallels through nifty cuts.

The film hints at a commentary on inequality, referencing the imbalance of wealth. Mike admits his motivations are financial because he grew up with nothing; Lou calls out Sharon for gatekeeping the wealth of the elite. Yet, the writing isn’t brave enough to make a definitive point.

The action scenes—of which there are too few—are slick but offer nothing new. The opening heist promises more than the film ultimately delivers. Based on Don Winslow’s novella, the setup is far better than the payoff. Writer-director Layton takes an engaging bunch of characters and does very little with them. It’s entirely watchable, but you’ll likely have forgotten it by the summer. It shares some DNA with Michael Mann’s Heat (1995), but lacks the soul. Heat? More like tepid.

UK • USA | 2026 | 140 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

director: Bart Layton.
writer: Bart Layton (based on the novella by Don Winslow).
starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte & Halle Berry.