An all-star cast leads Crime 101, a nihilistic modern take on Heat - review

"Crime 101 is sleek like a Michael Mann venture, but with a healthy dose of 2020s nihilism. We can relish in it as a return to the mid-budget thriller, with its marquee of stars - Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan - and its deployment of LA as a steel and sun-dappled chessboard, without pickling ourselves in our own nostalgia. It's hardly timid in its references, but it's never confined by them either."

"It takes a moment for writer-director Bart Layton - a documentarian working here for the first time in pure fiction by adapting a Don Winslow novella - to pin down his story. There are four major players and, at first, they intersect only by periodically passing each other on the 101 freeway. Mike Davis (Hemsworth) is a jewel thief with a conscience, who methodically strikes his targets along the 101, but abhors violence."

"Finally, there's Ormon (Keoghan), a rival thief who, like many a Keoghan role, is an agent of chaos with a bruised soul. Lou hunts down Mike. Mike's schemes put Sharon in his line of sight. Lou attempts to sway Sharon to his cause. Ormon threatens to spoil everyone's fun. On paper, these characters may seem to function more as moral representatives than real people, but that they can still seem so charismatic on screen is a testament to the film's cast."

Crime 101 blends sleek, Michael Mann–like visuals with 2020s nihilism and a mid-budget thriller pulse. Four central figures—an ethical jewel thief, a decent but waning detective, an insurance salesperson navigating moral compromises, and a chaotic rival thief—move along the 101 freeway and gradually collide. Methodical heists, investigative persistence, and intersecting agendas drive tension and moral contrast. Strong performances elevate characters that verge on moral archetypes, and Los Angeles operates as a steel-and-sun backdrop that shapes mood and movement. The film balances clear references to genre forebears with an updated, nihilistic sensibility and charismatic casting.

Read at The Independent