Judging by Bart Layton’s previous directorial effort, American Animals, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from Crime 101. Animals is a deftly experimental crime drama about the meaning of small-time crookery, and while 101 certainly isn’t as experimental as its predecessor, it has just as much to say about where we sit in the American experiment today.
Three grand journeys of intrigue and change occur and intermingle with each other up and down Los Angeles’ 101 freeway. A fastidious career thief who goes by the nondescript alias of Mike (Chris Hemsworth) hopes that the job the film opens with will be one of his last. A high-end insurance broker named Sharon (Halle Berry) has her patience tested by the dishonest and misogynistic company she works for. Detective Lou (Mark Ruffalo) is the least-liked guy in his precinct, despite being the most by-the-book of anyone there. Each of these characters’ best attributes are being overlooked in favor of youth and/or expediency, including the intentionally non-lethal Mike, whose position at the top of a criminal totem pole controlled by “Money” (Nick Nolte) is being threatened by the presence of brash young upstart Ormon (Barry Keoghan, a Layton veteran from American Animals).
Layton’s script sometimes hits these themes of trying to move up in the world and wondering what true success looks like slightly too square on the head, but not enough to be a real problem. Of course, the film is built on these themes, and any action movie with this much on its mind is alright by me. Thankfully, Crime 101 is more than just alright. There are so many strong choices Layton makes with his writing and direction here, chief among them the lack of narration from Hemsworth’s character, which I think a weaker writer-director would have impulsively used as a stylistic crutch. This choice allows the film and its themes to play out visually for the most part, and brings the audience along to pay attention to its solidly unpredictable narrative.
There are moments here and there which are fleetingly predictable, but these are more to do with some of the tropes the film is built on, and which it beautifully surpasses. For example, we’ve seen the thief with the heart of gold hundreds, if not thousands of times before. However, because we’re never exactly sure where our main characters will end up, it’s very easy to get invested in Hemsworth’s interior, anachronistically shy performance, and whether his eyes will lend us any clues as to where the film is ultimately going. Even when Mike meets Maya (Monica Barbaro) in an amusing meet-cute, the film is on good enough footing that nothing about the relationship feels rushed or clichéd in order to garner more sympathy. Partly because we’re seeing his tight, rules-based work through Lou’s admiring eyes and seeing how sloppy Ormon’s work is in comparison, we already have plenty of sympathy for Mike, even within the construct of a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game.
Sharon is one of the starkest emotional through-lines of the film. When we first meet our array of protagonists, we’re not exactly sure how she will connect to the cops-and-robbers story. Layton layers her into their world so well that the transition from these characters seeming like disparate elements to their linking as part of one grand narrative feels effortless; literally like drizzling icing on a cake. Part of the tension of the entire film becomes wondering if it will stick the landing of staying true to each character and each theme it establishes from the start. It’s so, so satisfying when any film can stick that kind of a landing, especially with this wonderful of a cast.
Watching Crime 101, I kept thinking back to how much I enjoyed Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag around this time last year. If you still haven’t seen that film, I’d highly encourage you to seek it out. 101 is less sexy and more meat-and-potatoes than Black Bag, but both are truly riveting and daring examples of smart, well-crafted thrillers. I don’t know that I like both films on exactly the same level, but I’m at least convinced to give Crime 101 another look at the end of the year for top-ten or honorable mention consideration. It looks like it’s going to be a packed year, though. As Mike would probably remind you, buckle up! | George Napper
