Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Crime 101’ begins with a slick heist, one with sparse blood, zero deaths, and some mandatory car chasing before the thief disappears with his entire haul, leaving no clues behind.
Created by Bart Layton and Don Winslow, Crime 101 stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Extraction, Spiderhead) as Davis, a brilliant jewel thief behind a string of high-stakes robberies in Los Angeles. His meticulous modus operandi leaves behind no violence, no casualties and certainly no DNA evidence. But when his latest heist leaves him grazed by a bullet, Davis begins hesitating over his next big job, a risky daylight robbery, prompting his handler to bring in a hot-headed rookie called Ormond (Barry Keoghan) instead. Meanwhile, LAPD detective Lou (Mark Ruffalo) becomes convinced that a series of robberies along the 101 freeway are the work of a single mastermind, and sets out to track down his prime suspect.
So where does Halle Berry fit into the story? She plays Sharon, a veteran insurance broker dealing with ultra-rich clients, whom Davis keeps an eye on while planning his next heist. Her world overlaps with detective Lou’s too, since one of the robberies involves her company’s clients, leading the insurers to team up with the cops in hopes of avoiding massive insurance payouts.
Don’t be misled by the ‘Crime 101’ title into expecting a fast-paced action thriller, even though it does feature a fair share of gun violence and bike/car chases, they are nowhere near the energetic action of Marvel films viewers are used to seeing Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo in. Instead, ‘Crime 101’ is a slow paced film that’s most rewarding for viewers possess the patience to sit through languorous character shots and scenes which do little to push the tale forward. It’s the background music that lends a steady, intriguing rhythm to the scenes.
Barry Keoghan’s tempestuous Ormond offers a fitting contrast to Chris Hemsworth’s calm, calculated Davis. Ormond is an “act first, think later” kind of thief, while Davis is overtly cautious in his movements, keen on minimizing attention and damage. While we learn almost nothing about Ormond (expectedly so), ‘Crime 101’ gives us just enough insight into Davis’ past to piece together his life without taking away the enigma surrounding his personality.
Mark Ruffalo as Detective Lou is the standard ‘honest cop’, one that prefers to play by the rule book and is in no hurry to simply ‘close’ a case like most of his colleagues. In-fact, even Davis for that matter feels trope-y, the ‘good thief’ who came from nothing and doesn’t hurt anybody, thus positioned to win viewer sympathy.
A small romantic subplot follows Davis striking up a connection with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a young woman who bumps into his car, leading to an unexpected conversation. The relationship is clearly there to humanize the thief a little more.
But well, regardless of familiar tropes and the challenging pace, ‘Crime 101’ is a well-crafted thriller set against the glitzy Los Angeles, with its shiny streets and aspirational beach houses, and a cast that keeps you engaged until the end.
The final act delivers a tense showdown and a heist that goes messily wrong, despite Davis doing everything possible to keep things controlled and precise. A few plot conveniences are hard to ignore, especially in the way the ending bends itself around certain characters.
Overall, ‘Crime 101’ is a good pick for anyone in the mood for a leisurely paced thriller that relies more on tension and atmosphere than nonstop explosions and flashy combat scenes.
Watch ‘Crime 101’ on Prime Video.
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