---
title: "Crime 101"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/crime-101"
fi1m_id: "crime-101"
imdb_id: "tt32430579"
tmdb_id: 1171145
wikidata_id: "Q126394034"
fi1m_score: 67
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 20
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:45.186059+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Crime 101 (2026)

Directed by Bart Layton · 2h 21m · MPA R · Crime, Thriller

## Identity

Crime 101

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/crime-101
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** crime-101
- **IMDb ID:** tt32430579
- **TMDB ID:** 1171145
- **Wikidata ID:** Q126394034
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32430579/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1171145, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126394034

**Fi1m score: 67** · Critics 71 from 20 reviews

*In a sentence:* A polite jewel thief, a rumpled cop, and a city that has seen this film before

> Bart Layton’s Los Angeles heist film is handsomely built, patiently paced and cast far better than it needed to be. It has also watched *Heat* a great many times, and at 141 minutes we felt each viewing.

## Synopsis

Davis (Chris Hemsworth) steals diamonds. He works alone, he plans for months, he robs jewel couriers on the Los Angeles freeways, and he leaves nothing behind but a pattern that nobody in law enforcement has noticed. Nobody except Lou (Mark Ruffalo), a rumpled detective who has been staring at the robbery files for years and is sure they are the work of one man. Between them sits Sharon (Halle Berry), who sells the insurance on the stones. Barry Keoghan plays Ormon, a young crook who wants in; Nick Nolte plays a fence called Money; Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins and Jennifer Jason Leigh fill out the cast. Bart Layton directs and writes, from the novel by Don Winslow.

## Review

Bart Layton made his name with *The Imposter* (2012) and *American Animals* (2018), two films that kept interrupting their own stories to let the real people talk. *Crime 101* has no interruptions. It is a Los Angeles heist thriller, adapted by Layton from Don Winslow’s novel, and played straight: a thief, a detective, a woman between them, a last job. It is well acted, handsomely made and a good half hour too long, and it owes so much to [*Heat*](https://film.one/film/heat) (1995) that it sometimes forgets it is not in it.

Chris Hemsworth plays Davis, who robs jewel couriers along the freeway with a discipline that borders on the monastic. Hemsworth strips out the grin and most of the voice, and what is left is a large man trying to take up as little room as possible. The coldness is the point, and also the limit, because the film gives him one want and not much else to hold. Mark Ruffalo’s Lou is the detective who has noticed the pattern nobody else wants to see, and Ruffalo plays him as a man who stopped tucking his shirt in some years ago and does not intend to start.

Halle Berry is the best thing in it. Her Sharon sells the insurance on the stones Davis keeps taking, and Berry plays her as someone who is good at her job and has just noticed how little that has bought her. Her scenes with Hemsworth are written as chess and played as something warmer, and they are the only time the film’s ideas about money and worth arrive as behaviour rather than dialogue. Barry Keoghan’s Ormon is a young crook with more appetite than sense, and Keoghan gives him a wet-lipped eagerness we could not look away from.

Erik Wilson shoots the city almost entirely after dark, so that Los Angeles becomes a grid of orange lamps and moving headlights with nobody visible in it. It is a handsome look and a familiar one. Scott Dougan gives Davis rooms with nothing on the walls and Lou rooms with too much, and Jenny Eagan dresses the thief in dark, unmarked clothes that could belong to anyone. Benjamin John Power’s score is a low electronic pulse that rarely resolves, at its best when it drops out and lets a robbery run on breath and traffic noise. Jacob Secher Schulsinger and Julian Hart cut the heists slowly, each step in order, and the chases fast; the contrast is the film’s most confident work.

The first robbery had us leaning forward. It is done almost without dialogue, and Layton lets us understand the plan a beat before it happens, so that when a thing goes right we feel we have done it ourselves. We were surprised how much we cared about a man we knew nothing about. Then, past the halfway mark, two characters sat down to explain to each other what the film was about, and we realised we knew exactly which film we were watching, and it was not this one. The pleasure came back only for the last twenty minutes, which are tense and well staged.

The trouble is the script. Layton the director trusts us; Layton the writer does not, and every idea the images have already handed us is repeated in dialogue, sometimes twice. The film’s thoughts about a city run on money, and about who gets to leave it, are real enough, but they are announced rather than shown. At 141 minutes there is room to lose a subplot or two, and several of a large cast are introduced with ceremony and then given little to do.

*American Animals* was about young men who had watched too many heist films. *Crime 101* is by a man who has, and has decided to make one anyway. Against Michael Mann’s standard it is a careful copy; against the run of recent thrillers it is a grown-up, well-made one, and there are not many of those.

See it in a cinema if you can, where Wilson’s freeways fill the frame and Power’s score sits in the chest. At home it becomes a smaller, tidier film and its borrowings show more. It runs 141 minutes and carries a 15.

*Fi1m score 67, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Crime 101 without quite loving it. The praise gathers around the cast: Chris Hemsworth’s neurotic thief, Mark Ruffalo’s shambolic detective and Halle Berry in a supporting part several reviews single out, with Barry Keoghan mentioned more than once. Nearly everyone also credits the Los Angeles locations, the freeway imagery and the patience with which Bart Layton builds the heists towards a tense climax.

The reservation is the same in almost every notice: the film sits close to Michael Mann’s Heat, and the reviews divide over whether that is homage or dependence. The more sceptical critics add that the dialogue is obvious, the social commentary thin and the characters familiar archetypes. The spread is wide. RogerEbert.com stands well above the pack, finding a moving story about failure and a class-conscious portrait of the city, while Sight and Sound and The Playlist find it tepid and derivative, a copy without the intensity of its model.

## Straight answers

**Is Crime 101 worth watching?**

*Crime 101* is worth watching if you want a grown-up, well-made Los Angeles heist thriller and can forgive it for borrowing heavily from [*Heat*](https://film.one/film/heat); we scored it 67. Halle Berry is the best thing in it and the first robbery is superb, but the script repeats every idea the images have already given us, and at 141 minutes it is a good half hour too long.

**How long is Crime 101, and what is it rated?**

*Crime 101* runs 2h 21m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Crime 101 in the US?**

*Crime 101* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Crime 101, and is it suitable for children?**

*Crime 101* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, so it is not for children. It is a heist thriller of freeway robberies, chases and career criminals rather than a horror film, and the certificate suggests strong language and some violence rather than anything gruelling. Older teenagers who like crime films should be fine.

**How does Crime 101 compare to Heat?**

[*Heat*](https://film.one/film/heat) is the better film, and *Crime 101* knows it: Bart Layton borrows Michael Mann's cop, thief and night-time Los Angeles so openly that it sometimes forgets it is a different film. Mann's is longer and colder and gives its people room for loneliness; Layton's is tidier, warmer in Halle Berry's scenes and easier to take in one sitting. If you have seen neither, start with *Heat*.

**Is Crime 101 based on a true story or a book?**

*Crime 101* is adapted from Don Winslow's novel, not from a true story. Bart Layton wrote the screenplay himself and plays the book's thief, detective and last job straight, without the documentary interruptions of his earlier films. You do not need to have read Winslow to follow it; the plot is simple and the film explains itself more than once.

### Reviews we read (26)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Matt Zoller Seitz (95/100, inferred): A superlative heist thriller and underworld melodrama that shares DNA with Michael Mann films but stands out for its class-conscious portrait of L.A. society and memorable characters. It features strong performances, gripping car chases, and an unexpectedly moving story about personal failure and transformation. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/crime-1010-chris-hemsworth-mark-ruffalo-movie-review-2026)
- **Radio Times** (4/5): The critic hails an impressive slow-burn thriller that sustains tension through meticulous heists and erupts into a nerve-jangling climax. It singles out the quality cast and Layton’s direction for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/crime-101-review/)
- **The Telegraph**, Tim Robey (4/5): Crime 101 is a compulsive cops-and-robbers yarn for adults set in a universe adjacent to Michael Mann’s Heat, with Chris Hemsworth rarely better as a neurotic jewel thief and Mark Ruffalo as a shambolic detective. It is methodical and moody with a top-notch cast, grittily rewarding though lacking the depth of Heat. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/02/13/crime-101-review/)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The critic praises the smart, slick LA heist thriller as a satisfying throwback full of crackling dialogue and adrenalised chases. It singles out the strong central performances and noirish locations for praise. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/crime-101-review-2026)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (80/100, inferred): A clever, compelling character-driven jewel-heist thriller more focused on lost souls in a corrupt world than on crime itself. It features tip-top performances (especially Hemsworth's edgy turn and Ruffalo as the last honest cop) and an expansive feel for L.A., with strong climactic tension despite some indulgences. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-mark-ruffalo-1236658899/)
- **The AV Club**, Jarrod Jones (B): The critic describes it as a refreshingly mature and sturdy genre exercise with an unexpected polite streak, praising its sober restraint and well-crafted characters while noting a familiarity to polished cops-and-robbers melodramas. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/crime-101-review)
- **Screen Daily** (75/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a confident reaffirmation of the enduring pleasures of the LA crime-thriller genre, delivering a smart, slow-burn caper with strong sense of place. It singles out the use of Los Angeles locations and the central crook-detective dynamic for praise. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-and-mark-ruffalo-face-off-in-slow-burn-la-crime-caper/5213685.article)
- **The Independent** (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's sleek, modern take on Heat with a strong cast and LA setting, noting it runs like a finely tuned engine as a return to mid-budget thrillers with 2020s nihilism. They highlight how it blurs lines between thieves and the system while questioning financial security. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/crime-101-review-halle-berry-b2918153.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang (75/100, inferred): An absorbing, moody thriller that draws visual and thematic inspiration from Michael Mann films like Heat and Collateral while sidestepping many L.A. clichés. It excels in its hypnotic freeway imagery, strong lead performances, and philosophical take on work and integrity, though it has some L.A. grasp issues and derivativeness. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/crime-101-is-an-enjoyably-moody-exercise-in-michael-mann-lite)
- **Empire**, Ben Travis (65/100, inferred): The critic calls it a solidly enjoyable and well-constructed slick thriller with crisp LA photography and strong performances, especially from Berry, but notes it struggles beyond familiar tropes and archetypes without much to remember. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/crime-101/)
- **The New York Times**, Ben Kenigsberg (65/100, inferred): A Los Angeles crime saga that borrows heavily from Michael Mann's Heat, feeling like 'reheated' leftovers but still offering satisfactions through its charismatic cast, evocative locations, and granular details on crime and insurance. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/movies/crime-101-review.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (4/3/2): The critic calls the film mostly serviceable thanks to its strong cast but faults the weak, forgettable script and heavy reliance on Heat. It singles out the lack of an intriguing hook and mandated romance for complaint. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/crime-101)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (60/100, inferred): A familiar L.A. cop thriller that knows Heat too well, with strong tension, gritty locations, action sequences, and compelling turns from Ruffalo and Keoghan. It falters with overly obvious dialogue, shallow wellness-culture subtext, and a script that relies too much on plot. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-02-12/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-mark-ruffalo-halle-berry-barry-keoghan)
- **Sight and Sound** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a tepid, overly derivative throwback to Michael Mann’s Heat, cribbing its structure and characters without matching its intensity. It singles out the oppressive visual sheen and pandering anti-capitalist elements for complaint. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/crime-101-all-star-diamond-heist-thriller-feels-like-a-rewarmed-version-michael-manns-heat)
- **Financial Times**, Jonathan Romney: Crime 101 is popcorn of the very classiest gourmet variety, a slick cat-and-mouse thriller that is both cool and frenzied with strong turns from Halle Berry and Barry Keoghan. Layton plays it straight as a by-the-book genre number after his earlier docudrama style. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/cf17faa2-d92a-4639-a0ac-2501dfc3974d)
- **IndieWire**, Ryan Lattanzio: The critic calls out blatant Michael Mann imitations but concludes the Los Angeles-set ensemble crime thriller is far from terrible, crediting the cinematic city setting and strong turns from Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/crime-101-review-1235178819/)
- **Slant Magazine**: The critic finds the film plays by the book like its protagonist's criminal code, going through procedural motions with nods to neo-noirs but offering only diverting action scenes and shallow social commentary. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-mark-ruffalo/)
- **The Guardian**: The film is an enjoyable and very stylish high-stakes armed robbery thriller about a controlled, super-cool thief seeking one last job. It revs entertainingly but is less convincing on social comment, overall a highly watchable spectacle. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/11/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-barry-keoghan-mark-ruffalo)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The critic finds the film well-made but overly familiar, praising the labyrinthine storyline, superb production values, and excellent performances from an overstuffed cast while noting it strains to be more than the sum of its polished parts. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-halle-berry-mark-ruffalo-1236501421/)
- **The Times**: This LA-set thriller from Bart Layton starring Chris Hemsworth as an elite diamond thief is enjoyably superior hokum with hints of Heat and Halle Berry perfect in a key role. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/crime-101-film-review-halle-berry-chris-hemsworth-mlkp09kfz)
- **Deadline**, Damon Wise (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a rich, sprawling neo-noir that focuses on characters facing obsolescence in a money-driven society, highlighting strong performances especially from Hemsworth, Ruffalo, and Berry. They note its ambitious length and comparison to classic crime films but mention it lacks some indie energy. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/02/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-bart-layton-halle-berry-mark-ruffalo-1236715500/)
- **Collider**, Aidan Kelley (8/10): The critic finds it a thrilling, stylish crime thriller with strong performances and direction, though reliant on clichés from films like Drive and Heat; praises the cast, pacing, and climax but notes a melodramatic ending. [Read](https://collider.com/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-mark-ruffalo-halle-berry-barry-keoghan-stylish-thriller/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Linda Marric (4/5): The critic praises it as a confident, intelligent crime thriller with patient, grounded storytelling and strong performances, especially from Berry, Hemsworth, and Ruffalo. They highlight the nuanced characters, subtle suspense, and director's trust in the audience as standout elements. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/crime-101-review/)
- **The Wrap** (65/100, inferred): The review finds it almost great but flawed, with slick visuals and strong cast but lacking depth on LA and themes feeling like afterthought; praises performances but notes Hemsworth's character is distant. It concludes the flaws are minor and the film still succeeds on its own terms. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-halle-berry/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (6/10): The critic finds it a solid, old-school crime thriller throwback that succeeds on familiar charms and strong performances without reinventing the wheel. They single out the enjoyable, straightforward pacing and Hemsworth's likable 'criminal with a heart of gold' portrayal for praise, while noting it lacks the edge of classics like Heat. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2098680/crime-101-movie-review/)
- **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (40/100, inferred): The critic views it as a familiar, Heat-coded noir that fails to distinguish itself enough despite good intentions and a strong cast. They single out the lack of flair, idiosyncrasies, or fresh life in the characters and procedural elements for complaint. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/crime-101-review-chris-hemsworth-mark-ruffalo-halle-berry-cant-save-a-familiar-heat-coded-noir-20260212/)

## Details

- **Director:** Bart Layton
- **Director:** Bart Layton
- **Screenplay:** Bart Layton
- **Novel:** Don Winslow
- **Cinematography:** Erik Wilson
- **Editor:** Julian Hart, Jacob Secher Schulsinger
- **Music:** Benjamin John Power
- **Production design:** Scott Dougan
- **Costume design:** Jenny Eagan
- **Producer:** Chris Hemsworth, Ben Grayson, Eric Fellner
- **Cast:** Chris Hemsworth as Davis; Mark Ruffalo as Lou; Halle Berry as Sharon; Barry Keoghan as Ormon; Monica Barbaro as Maya; Nick Nolte as Money; Corey Hawkins as Tillman; Jennifer Jason Leigh as Angie
- **Runtime:** 2h 21m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 13 February 2026
- **Genres:** Crime, Thriller
- **Budget:** $90 million
- **Box office:** $73 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeEHsuZ4Ja4

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Heat* (1995), Fi1m 91: The film this one keeps glancing at; longer, colder and better. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/heat.md)
- *Thief* (1981): Mann’s first, a safecracker with a code and a city that ignores him.
- *Le Cercle Rouge* (1970): Melville’s silent Paris heist, where the planning is the whole pleasure.
- *The Friends of Eddie Coyle* (1973): Boston crooks getting older and poorer; Mitchum has never been sadder.
- *American Animals* (2018): Layton’s previous heist film, where the real thieves interrupt the actors.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/crime-101