Director Bart Layton made a splash a few years ago with American Animals, a true crime thriller about a gang of boys robbing a rare book about birds. It sounds low stakes but really wasn’t, and even if it was, Layton’s approach made you think it was the biggest heist in the world. It was one of the things I loved about that film, and also made me want to see more from Layton on a wider canvas. That time is here with Crime 101, a stylish, slick heist movie based on a Don Winslow book. It’s got the gutsy, full-throttle style of Michael Mann, a cast that any filmmaker would die for, and it will keep you gripping to the edge of your seat with anticipation.
Chris Hemsworth leads the cast as Mike, who dresses like Hemsworth’s character from Men in Black International. He’s decked out in a black suit, cool shades, and rocks muscle cars that would make Vin Diesel and Steve McQueen proud. Mike’s got a thing for living the high life, and the way he does it is by snatching diamonds along Route 101 in California. There’s a calm serenity to the way Mike does his business. There’s very little violence even though he does carry a gun, and if he has to snatch a hostage he’s sure to leave them a bottle of water. This non-violent approach, and the clear territory Mike favors, is a pattern noticed by beleaguered detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo). In true old school crime flick fashion, his bosses don’t believe his theories because they never believe the only smart, honest cop in the room. Duh.
The A-list cast includes Nick Nolte as Money, Mike’s handler and the mentor who guided him into crime in the first place. When a job goes off the rails, Mike sees it as a bad omen and starts looking for a way out. But Money is only about the…well, his name says it all, right? So Money hires reckless, out-of-control psychopath Ormon, played by Barry Keoghan, whose violent tendencies draw attention to Mike’s attempt to score some “walkaway money” on one last gig.
Crime 101 is pretty much everything a lover of heist movies could ever want. Mike is a guy with his own code of ethics, but he’s also deeply scarred and secretive. When he meets a girl that he actually likes, played by Monica Barbaro in a slightly underwritten role, Mike can’t reveal anything about himself. Certainly, he can’t tell her what he does for a living. When he sets out to recruit overlooked insurance agent Sharon, played by Halle Berry, he appeals to her wounded ego and want for revenge against the all-boys’ club holding her back.
Everywhere in Crime 101 there are good people who find themselves trapped in circumstances beyond their control. That doesn’t just include Mike, but even some of his targets. Mike’s tightly-controlled moral center is put to the test by Ormon, who makes a perfect, volatile nemesis. Shots of LA’s poverty-stricken population, also good people caught in a bad way, make sense thematically but disrupt the film’s flow.
Steve McQueen has already been mentioned once in this review, but it’s clear that the iconic actor was a huge influence. McQueen’s Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair get namechecked in a key encounter, and you can practically feel his presence in the suspenseful standoffs and car chases, making the most of some sweet stuntwork.
Crime 101 burns rubber from start to finish, and is truly one of those compelling, smartly-crafted movies for adults that don’t come around too often anymore. Admittedly, this movie is right in my wheelhouse, but that doesn’t mean Layton got a free pass. His work continues to impress in every way, and for me, he’s becoming one of those directors I will always expect big things from.
Crime 101 opens in theaters on February 13th from Amazon MGM Studios.
