“Crime 101” (2026) turns Don Winslow’s 2020 novella into a two hour twenty-minute movie. Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) has figured out a way to commit high level robberies without anyone getting hurt, but Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in as is Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a hothead determined to get the drop on Mike and steal the goods. Mike decides to switch up his methods and recruit Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry), an insurance agent to the affluent, so she can give him leads on new targets. Will her decision change their lives? Every critic left the screening and agreed that writer and director Bart Layton clearly is a Michael Mann fan. Layton’s sophomore feature is a popcorn movie with heist as more effective than therapy and justice.
All the movies with hot actors are opening in Boston on Friday the 13th, 2026: Alexander Skarsgard in “Pillion” (2026), Jacob Elordi in “Wuthering Heights” (2026) and Chris Hemsworth in “Crime 101.” Didn’t Hemsworth retire? For you pervs, he is only briefly unclad in the opening sequence, but it is functional nudity to ensure that the master thief does not leave any DNA. Mike is the rare insanely smart, hot and wealthy guy that is awkward around women. To give his life meaning, he gets a love interest, Maya (Monica Barbaro, who played Joan Baez in “A Complete Unknown”), as an incentive to turn his life around, but he has yet to feelsas if he has enough money to stop committing crimes.
Cue Lou, a good cop who cares more about the truth than closing his cases much to the consternation of his partner, Detective Tillman (Corey Hawkins), and boss, Captain Stewart (Matthew Del Negro). He is out of shape, has no swag and will never get a promotion at this rate. The number in “Crime 101” refers to a freeway, not a class. Lou figured out that all the robberies cluster along that area. A highway becomes Mike’s Rosebud, and if Lou can solve it, it could be the key to solving his problems. Lou has a cat, and it is grey and adorable. What is the fluffy baby’s name? Dunno. Pspspsps. A great actor plays Lou’s spouse, and the cameo is a brilliant bit of casting. Ruffalo is pitch perfect and looks great in the film even though people keep taking potshots at his character. Pedro Pascal was supposed to play the part, but it is nice to remember that Pascal is not the only show in town for women looking for a more mature hottie than Hemsworth offers.
I wanted to watch “Crime 101” for Berry, and she does not disappoint. Berry is everything. Her character is relatable, smart and gorgeous. Without making it a plot point, Berry and Layton snuck in some cues of disgust over her clients treating valuable cultural work as if it was furniture from Pier 1 or just a commodity. Sharon has moral qualms about her job and senses that her boss, Mark (Paul Adelstein who is always great at playing magnificent bastards), is jerking her around and will not promote her. Sharon code switches and calls people on their BS. Unlike the other characters, she is comfortable in any sphere and understands the rules even though it does not get her ahead. There is a self-help meditation app that plays throughout the film, and it is almost as pivotal as the score. It is her app. Unlike the other characters, she knows what is wrong and how to solve it, but she does not know how to get there.
Does Keoghan do a good job? Yes. Is he required to give one of his customary subtle and unusually unsettling roles. No. Ormon is a mad dog, the proverbial bull in the China shop (or the jewelry shop in this case). He does little things to distinguish his performance such as getting jittery in the elevator, and they do not go unnoticed. Nick Nolte plays Ormon and Mike’s handler, Money according to the credits, and he does not stay too long. He does fine, but it is not as impactful as his role in “Die My Love” (2025).
“Crime 101” does not need to be that long. Cut out all the needless chase scenes, especially the first confrontation between Mike and Ormon, and the love interest story, then it becomes a tighter story. It feels as if Layton wanted the audience to be able to predict the twists to feel rewarded when they correctly guessed what was around the corner. If they felt compelled to keep the romance angle, Berry is right there. Clearly the advertisers agree, but the tsk tsk at age discrimination against women only applies in the office, not movie love interests. Fine. The most interesting aspect of the story is guessing how the characters will meet each other, when and what their impact will be. It is reminiscent of a network narrative without feeling like a gimmick.
Though billed as a heist movie, “Crime 101” is really a movie about workers who hate their bosses that do not appreciate their excellence and need a mindset shift to break the cycle. Money (the character) does not care about Mike’s qualms about safety and acts as if he owns Mike. Captain Stewart cares less about the truth and justice than getting ahead. Sharon is the only one depicted as failing to seal the deal, but it gets defrayed because the mistake embeds a criticism of a supporting character who later gets punished for making her life more difficult. Layton is Hayes Code adjacent. Everyone gets punished to a degree if they stray outside of the lines, but because the system is not merit based, there are rewards if they get back on track to help them get liberated from soul killing workplaces.
Ultimately “Crime 101” is not revolutionary and relates to Sharon’s personal code: financial security as the key to happiness. To be happy, you need a nice car, a home with an ocean view, access to fancy restaurants that you do not want to eat at, nice clothes and yoga classes. It is not just the American dream. It is the California dream. There is a curious scene that gives insight into Mike’s past, but it becomes obvious that this link is isolated. There is no looking back and helping others who are less fortunate. What is charity? Rewards go to hard work and correlate proportionally to how the rewarded helped the person with the big pockets. It is cute until you think about it.
Fortunately, “Crime 101” is the kind of film that you are unlikely to devote any thought to once the credits roll. It is entertaining and will evaporate the minute that the lights come on. The acting is terrific. Everything in the film looks sumptuous. It just takes too long to reach its destination and is not as fresh and nuanced as Layton’s true crime masterpiece documentary, “The Imposter” (2012).
