Crime 101 (2026) is written & directed by Bart Layton. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry, Monica Barbaro, Nick Nolte, Corey Hawkins, Tate Donovan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Andra Nechita, Crosby Fitzgerald, and Paul Adelstein. The film follows Davis (Hemsworth), a skilled thief who sets his sights on one last multi-million dollar heist before throwing in the towel. This upsets his former mentor (Nolte), who hires a younger, bolder thief (Keoghan) to hijack the score. Meanwhile, an aging LA detective (Ruffalo) is hot on their trail, obsessively pursuing the case against the wishes of his superiors. Caught in the middle of it all is a disillusioned life insurance broker (Berry) whose involvement in the heist forces her to confront the soul-crushing strain of such a financially predatory career. 

Despite the main character sometimes coming across as frustratingly stoic (maybe the prime example of the male struggle to express any emotion), he offers Hemsworth a nice opportunity to showcase some of his subtler acting skills. Davis is designed to be a bit of a mystery to the audience as well as the other characters, but it leaves him feeling a tad plain whenever he’s not actively executing a heist. This is a staple archetype for this kind of crime film, but the script takes it a bit too far. For example, the film tries to present his new relationship with Monica Barbaro’s character as potential true love, but he’s so mysterious that you begin to question what she sees in him. The only answer is that he has money and looks like Chris Hemsworth, which are probably the two least romantic reasons to be with someone from a storytelling perspective. Thankfully, this subplot isn’t offensive by any means, just devoid of emotion. 

Despite a few cliché genre elements like the one I just mentioned, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the film mostly feels like a distinct entry in the ‘one last job’ crime subgenre. There isn’t a cool story hook or action sequence that this can be attributed to, but the screenplay is particularly well-balanced/polished. Much of its smaller details come together in key ways, and the 3 protagonists all receive satisfying character arcs. Considering the marketing’s tendency to focus on the film’s most clichéd elements, my expectations were a little low, which worked in the film’s favor. 

The film plays with many elements we’ve seen before, but presents them in a way that’s authentic, stylish, and, for the most part, intelligent. It includes a handful of story beats I believed were impossible to execute without feeling cliché, such as a climactic moment where the cop is torn between shooting the criminal or letting him go. The buildup to this moment provides it with the proper context so that it doesn’t feel random, silly, or unrealistic. 

Overall, this is a stylish, entertaining, and well-acted LA crime drama in the vein of Heat (1995). Bart Layton shows a ton of promise as a director, but even more so as a writer. Despite the somewhat derivative story elements, there are more than enough timely and subversive touches to keep things fresh. The ensemble cast is as strong as one can hope for, and the film is rarely boring despite its almost 2 ½-hour runtime. If you like a good cops-and-robbers crime movie, check this one out. B