There’s something slick and glossy about writer-director Bart Layton’s adaptation of Don Winslow’s novella Crime 101. From its opening shot of Los Angeles at night, with all the city lights and cars on the 101 freeway, yet upside down, with the sky beneath and the city right on top. It’s a gorgeous, disorienting shot that creates tension. A woman’s voice narrates the usual meditation spiel (or later revealed to be part of a yoga practice). The two elements – the upside-down city and the meditation – contrasts to create an interesting effect. It sets us up for the crime thriller Crime 101.
Crime 101 is an ensemble piece that follows three characters – Mike (Chris Hemsworth), Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), and Sharon (Halle Berry) – whose lives intersect through a crime. Mike is a thief who plans untraceable robberies of insured items and jewels. He strikes along the 101 Freeway while ensuring that no one gets hurt. He is methodical, cautious, and as a person, very lonely. Lou is a cop who comes across as someone who seems past his prime. He’s always unkempt, no one respects him anymore, and his theory about the robberies along the 101 Freeway goes unheeded in the force. Sharon works at an insurance company serving the wealthiest clientele. She’s a vice-president at the company, but her promotion to partner is impeded by the old boy’s network. Their worlds collide when issues in their personal lives force urgency putting Sharon in the crosshairs of Mike while Lou finally finds a clue that can lead him to Mike.
What’s exciting about Layton’s direction is how he takes his time to establish the world, allowing us to get to know these characters and painting a portrait of a society bereft of integrity and decency. Lou is looked down upon by the rest of the force because of his old-school ways and values. Through his perspective, we see the rot within the police force and their own corruption. Sharon becomes a victim of a patriarchal system that undervalues women and their place in the corporate hierarchy, as well as being witness to the vulgar value systems of the extremely wealthy. These two storylines are meant to serve as a contrast to Mike’s own sense of honour and code. His methods are precise and deliberate, ensuring that no one gets hurt and only insured items are taken, so in theory, no one is meant to suffer a great loss. But of course, we also see how the insurance companies, through Sharon, do their best to get away from paying their clients.
Layton uses clever editing techniques and vibrant mise-en-scene to link the three characters. A single motion from one character often cuts to another finishing the action, creating a semblance of inevitability. The film’s pace moves slowly to build the world and raise the stakes so that we sense that when these three collide, the impact will be explosive.
Urgency is amplified when Mike starts to lose his nerve and cancels a hit, which his fence (Nick Nolte) is not happy about. He hands over the assignment to a fiery, unpredictable biker (Barry Keoghan), who is later ordered to follow Mike and rob him after his next gig.
While this is happening, Mike meets Maya (Monica Barbero), who catches his eye and tries to start a relationship with her while Lou is separating from his wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The events fuel the narrative to an explosive 30-minute finale, where Mike makes his final score, and everything is on the line.
Honestly, this kind of movie might have worked better if it came out fifteen years ago. The Robin Hood angle of its protagonist no longer feels apt in our current global crisis of civilization decay. The narrative encourages us to cheer for Mike because he only targets the rich, to cheer for Lou because he’s a good cop, and to cheer for Sharon because she’s been treated unfairly and she deserves her flowers but at the heart of all this is a crime. We’re meant to excuse them because all the rich people in the film are despicable and I suppose we are to take a nuanced approach to the narrative but another wrong does not make it right.
Perhaps fifteen years ago, when the illusion of a civilized world meant we could fantasize about a Robin Hood-like character coming in to mess with the rich but that isn’t justice. And Crime 101 paints a world without justice, and it feels so bleak. I loved the performances, Layton’s direction, and the way he subtly critiques the overwhelming number of cars in Los Angeles and how unhealthy it is – bright lights constantly moving on the 101 freeway that all I could think about is the pollution and how unfriendly it is to commuters – but I came out of the theater feeling empty. I couldn’t cheer for these characters. The film moved me, but it didn’t give me the justice I had been hoping it would deliver.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thrills, crime, and high-stakes chaos await, watch Crime 101 on the big screen and feel the tension unfold. Check showtimes here.
