An Engaging Crime Thriller
Summary
I was hoping for more action with Crime 101, but it still has a few moments with the car chase being the obvious highlight. The cast are all excellent with Barry Keoghan at his crazy best and Chris Hemsworth being ice cool. I’m glad I saw it on the big screen to enjoy the visuals and the awesome music which will keep you engaged.
Plot: Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, Crime 101 weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway have mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime, his path crosses that of a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads. Convinced he has found a pattern, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in, raising the stakes even higher. As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices–and the realization that there can be no turning back.
Review: I’ve been looking forward to Crime 101 for some time as it gave off Heat vibes from the trailer and the cast of Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan made it a must see.
Crime 101 is really more of a crime thriller than an action picture and doesn’t have any major set-pieces other than an impressive car chase. It still manages to engage due to solid performances from the entire cast, but it’s Barry Keoghan who steals the movie as a twitchy psychopath. Every moment he is on screen is brimming with tension and I love how the camera is at weird angles to exacerbate how unhinged he is.
Chris Hemsworth is perfectly cast as a jewel thief who only robs along the 101 Highway and never hurts anyone; he’s just in it for the money. I found it a little hard to believe that his character would be awkward with women and yet he still managed to pull it off and was sympathetic despite his trade. Mark Ruffalo is at his disheveled best as a burnt out cop hot on the trail of our thief but no one in his department believes him that there is a pattern.
Halle Berry’s character works for an insurance company and is fed up of being ignored as she wants to make partner. Soon all their lives will all intertwine. This isn’t a spoiler if you’ve seen the trailers by the way, so don’t worry. Halle Berry has one of the best lines in the movie where she said something like “I always thought I had more time” and that just stuck with me.
There actually aren’t any major surprises to the story and I did find it overlong and a little slow at times. Where Heat had one of the best shoot-outs of all time Crime 101 only has a few exciting moments between the talking.
Where it shines is the Michael Mann-esque visuals with the aerial photography of LA at night and the music was awesome too. It may not have been packed with action, but this is still the kind of movie I love and could watch all day. You just get into the vibe of it and enjoy the ride.
Overall, Crime 101 doesn’t have that much action but it has an amazing car chase and a few exciting moments to keep things moving. Barry Keoghan is electric and steals every scene and the film looks gorgeous. If you’re needing some Michael Mann-esque crime thrills then this should keep you happy until we finally get to see Heat 2.