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Light spoilers follow for Crime 101.
Chris Hemsworth can’t seem to catch a break away from the MCU.
Best known for playing Thor in Marvel‘s cinematic juggernaut, his CV largely reads like a list of critical darlings that underperformed at the box office (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Rush) and critically-panned flops (Spiderhead, Men In Black: International, and 2017’s Ghostbusters). Sure, there have been successes, such as Netflix‘s Extraction franchise, but even those are considered to be unoriginal overachievers by plenty of people. Not exactly the consistent hitmaker some might have expected him to have become, then.
And so comes the turn of Crime 101, an action-heist thriller fronted by Hemsworth. At first glance, it looks like the kind of gritty and pulsating film that’ll go down well with fans and critics alike, and be the big, non-superhero box office success that the Aussie actor needs. Enjoyable for what it is, though, Crime 101 commits too many offences to be a must-see film and/or an immediate genre classic.
To catch a thief
Written and directed by BAFTA-winning crime genre fanatic Bart Layton (The Impostor, American Animals) and based on Don Winslow’s short story namesake, Crime 101 introduces us to Mike Davis (Hemsworth).
An extremely meticulous and seemingly untraceable crook, Davis’ penchant for committing armed robberies – often of the jewellery variety – along the Hollywood Freeway puts him in the crosshairs of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Davis is a walking contradiction in every sense of the word – and, by proxy, an incredibly interesting individual
When a routine diamond heist goes awry, Davis soon finds Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), who’s hunted him for an extended period of time, hot on his trail once more. The only way to evade capture and set himself up for life, it seems, is to successfully carry out one last money-spinning crime. And, for that, Davis will need to employ the services of Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), a disillusioned insurance broker who holds the key to his $11 million plan.
There’s no question that Hemsworth has the charisma and acting qualities to be a leading man, which he’s demonstrated as Marvel’s heroic God of Thunder and Furiosa‘s the love-to-hate villain Dementus. It’ll come as no surprise to learn, then, that he turns a potentially one-dimensional character in Davis into a fully rounded individual with real emotional depth and complexity
Okay, given his line of work, Davis has learned to become a enigma whose vulnerabilities only surface with people he’s close to. Once the soul-shuddering moment that spooks him during the near-botched diamond robbery occurs, though, a window is opened into Davis’ life and mysterious backstory that suggests he’s not the run-of-the-mill thief you might expect.
Neither a master of his craft nor a perfect executor of a plan, and armed with an unexpectedly strict moral code that juxtaposes the criminal world he operates in, Davis is a walking contradiction in every sense of the word – and, by proxy, an incredibly interesting individual to accompany as Crime 101‘s story unfolds.
It’s the journeys that Davis and his fellow alienated individuals in Lubesnick and Colvin embark on, plus the broken systems they operate in, that makes Crime 101 shine as a character-led crime drama.
Crime 101 shines as a character-led crime drama
Whether it’s Davis’ faith being shaken by his near-death experience, Lubesnick’s hands being tied by red tape and lacking the support of his law enforcing counterparts, or Colvin being overlooked by her peers due to her gender and age, Crime 101‘s core trio are all pushed to their breaking point.
Watching these individuals grapple with their conscience and fully transform into morally ambiguous individuals, especially once their worlds collide, is arguably the Amazon and Sony flick’s best feature. My only criticism? That these engrossing interactions, which I was fully invested in alongside their individual arcs from the outset, aren’t revisited as often as I’d have liked.
Under pressure
Outside of these character interactions, Crime 101‘s story is as disappointingly derivative as they come.
Its action, while slick, kinetic, and at-times edge-of-your-seat viewing, is pretty par for the course. When you consider the Mount Rushmore of genre movies that Layton says Crime 101 was influenced by, especially from an action spectacle standpoint, I expected more from its rubber-burning set-pieces and gun-toting stand-offs.
I expected more from Crime 101’s rubber-burning set-pieces and gun-toting stand-offs
The same can be said of Crime 101‘s romantic sub-narrative, which sees Davis fall for, and later date, Maya (Monica Barbaro) after they’re involved in a car accident during its first act. Hemsworth and Barbaro have a mostly natural chemistry that bubbles with sexual anticipation, and its inclusion certainly adds some amorous spice that’s missing from Winslow’s original tale. Contextually, though, it’s a storytelling addition that’s hokey at best and, at worst, is an unnecessary distraction from the primary plot.
Even Ormon, a belligerent, overeager, and violent criminal portrayed by the ever-excellent Barry Keoghan, lacks originality. A one-note pantomime villain, his inclusion is nothing more than simply being a deeply unlikeable, antagonistic foil to the multifaceted Davis, and play a vital role in Crime 101‘s nail-biting albeit formulaic final showdown.
Crime 101 feels like a throwback to movies that aren’t made anymore – but maybe that’s the point
And that’s a pity, because Crime 101 could’ve saved face if said confrontation had built upon the suspense-riddled foundations that it had done a largely good job of laying throughout.
Sure, it’s not the worst face-off in movie history, and it would be remiss of me not to mention that the Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures venture dispenses with the usually grim endings that the crime genre is renowned for. Spoilers notwithstanding, I respect that it wraps up many of its characters’ individual stories in a satisfying manner.
Nevertheless, the slow but purposeful ratcheting up of the tension throughout its two hour and 20 minutes runtime doesn’t get the payoff it deserves once things come to what should be a thrilling, high-stakes head.
My verdict
Crime 101 is a serviceable albeit puzzling film. There’s a fair amount to admire about the first feature that Layton has directed that’s based on a work of fiction rather than a real-life crime. That’s especially true from a character-first perspective, with the action-thriller anchored by many strong performances.
Still, while it’s commendable that it’s a largely authentic retelling of Winslow’s original tale, Crime 101 just isn’t ground-breaking or genre-bending enough as it needs to be to stand out.
It’s honorable that one of this year’s new movies tries to evoke films of its ilk of yesteryear, and feels like a throwback to movies that aren’t made anymore – but maybe that’s the point. Filmmaking and storytelling has moved on so much since the crime movie genre’s heyday of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Such big-screen offerings need to do or say something fresh and exciting to drive the genre forward. Put simply, Crime 101 doesn’t.
Crime 101 arrives in theaters worldwide on Friday, February 13.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
