Crime 101 review (2026)

Crime 101 is one of the better heist thrillers in years. With an excellent cat and mouse dynamic between stars Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo it’s not exactly a stretch to call Crime 101 essentially Avengers Heat.

Director/screenwriter Bart Layton (American Animals) crafts a streamlined version of the iconic Robert De Niro/Al Pacino epic. Crime 101 very much feels like an homage to Michael Mann’s 1995 drama with similar themes of an obsessive detective trying to take down an elusive skilled thief whose personal stakes are threatening to derail his mission.

Hemsworth and Ruffalo have appeared on screen five teams with the four Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok so there isn’t the novelty of seeing two A-listers facing off for the first time against each other. There is the freshness of them being on opposing sides.

In arguably his career best performance, Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a master thief who has a strict code when conducting his heists. He doesn’t take unnecessary risks and is skilled enough that he doesn’t have to harm anyone.

Hensworth can’t lose his height and movie star looks but he successfully creates a level of insecurity and a lack of confidence around women — when he’s not running a scam — as well as having some borderline OCD tendencies and anxiety. This makes the actor who’s literally played a god onscreen far more human and vulnerable.

The grind has started to get to Mike and he’s working on his exit plan. Like most thieves he’s looking for the last big score to set himself up for life.

For Mike’s sake that needs to be soon as relentless police detective Lou Lubesnick (Ruffalo, She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law) is closing in on him and starting to detect some patterns. Lou isn’t getting much support at his precinct, but he knows he can find this thief sooner rather than later. Ruffalo makes playing a disheveled detective look easy while still providing some unique touches for Lou.

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Heat didn’t just have top tier hall of fame performers — it also had an embarrassment of riches with the ensemble with Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Haysbert, Wes Studi, Ashley Judd, Amy Brenneman, Mykelti Williamson, Jon Voight, William Fichtner and Natalie Portman.

Crime 101 doesn’t boast that kind of ensemble, but has equally stellar performances from Halle Berry, Monica Barbaro, Barry Keoghan, Corey Hawkins and Nick Nolte.

Mike’s handler, Money (Nolte, The Mandalorian), isn’t happy that he’s turned down a potential major score and contracts it out to another thief, Ormon (Barry Keoghan, The Batman). Ormon is far more reckless — as evident by his erratic riding around on his motorcycle — and less concerned with his victims’ health so long as he gets the money.

Another core ingredient to Crime 101 is Berry, who plays insurance broker Sharon Colvin. Mike identifies her as the best way to snag a massive payday from her company. After being strung along for years in her quest to become partner, Sharon might prove a willing accomplice. One thing Mike didn’t count on was falling in love. Thankfully Layton, who adapts Don Winslow’s novella (available on Amazon), doesn’t put Sharon at the center of a love triangle.

She has her own agenda and isn’t a trophy to be “won” by Mike or Lou. Sharon is feeling the pressure to compete when a younger associate gets her high-end client (Tate Donovan). Through Mike she can see a way out to set her own path although she didn’t count on the potential dangers. Despite being a Best Actress Oscar winner, Berry doesn’t get enough credit for her performances. Her Crime 101 performance is a strong one to remind viewers she can handle layered, complex characters.

Mike’s life gets significantly more complicated when he meets Maya (Monica Barbaro, Top Gun: Maverick), who intrigues and challenges him to open up in a way he’s never done before. Barbaro and Hemsworth have quality chemistry to help fill in some of the narrative gaps of Mike and Maya’s budding romance.

Layton utilizes some compelling transitions in Crime 101 where he shifts from one character’s perspective to another. It doesn’t feel gimmicky and does a solid job of conveying how these various subplots are connected.

At two hours and 19 minutes, Crime 101 does have a few slower moments, but it never drags. The characters are compelling enough to keep viewers engaged and wondering how everything will play out. Thankfully, it delivers with a very satisfying ending that makes this crime caper well worth the investment.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

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