Posted by Films in the cinema that aren’t a sequel, prequel or remake and don’t involve superheroes or big CGI battles are harder to find nowadays. If you are in the market for such a film then may I introduce you to Crime 101. An old fashioned crime thriller directed by Bart Layton, that is a dogged game of cat and mouse between Chris Hemsworth’s master thief and Mark Ruffalo’s career copper.
Chris Hemsworth’s aforementioned criminal is Mike Davis, a super sleek and highly efficient thief who only does high end robberies and never gets caught. He is rich and suave but a transient and a bit of a loner. This is in contrast to Mark Ruffalo’s everyman policeman Lou, who is going through a rough patch and drives an old banger that his partner would love to see scrapped. Lou’s life obsession has been to nab the illusive route 101 high end jewel thief and when Mike does a job that goes awry, Lou is like a dog with a bone and just will not let it go.
The high stakes hunt begins from there in this taut, slow burning film that builds at the just the right pace. The film that primarily comes into mind is Heat, and like that the characterisation is natural and it keeps the showdown between cop and robber hidden till the end. You empathise for both Buffalo’s slightly slobbish but loveable copper and Hemsworth’s sleek, sophisticated but lonely crook. Along the way we meet Halle Berry’s scene stealing, fed up insurance broker Sharon, who loses patience at her horrible bosses and gets tangled up in Mikes plans.
There is just enough spectacle intertwined with the characters’ dramas to keep you absorbed throughout. All coming to a climactic and very satisfying ending, which brought to mind Ben Affleck’s crime caper The Town.
Crime 101 is a high stakes crime thriller with a stellar cast that is nothing but engaging. Cinema done right.
8/10
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