FILM REVIEW
CRIME 101
Rated R
139 Minutes
Released February 12th
Based on a novella by Don Winslow published in 2021. Crime 101 is a modern-day noir crime caper that makes optimal use of its setting, the often chaotic yet remarkably gorgeous organic collage that seems to emanate from the heart of the Los Angeles basin. Geologically the basin is described as “a large sediment-filled depression in Southern California, bounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean…the location for most of Los Angeles.” This area has fascinated decades of writers and artists who are bold enough to take on its messy complexity of humanity and its many intense forms of stress, both geographical and psychological.
The buildings and landscapes are so memorably visualized by director Bart Layton and cinematographer Erik Wilson, that the 101 Freeway and its surroundings become characters in the film. The cars, the roads and the surrounding landscapes take on personalities. Several Santa Monica locations shine. That’s what the art of cinema is capable of if done well.
The people in this story are psychologically distinct, each with their own voice. Chris Hemsworth truly draws on his talent to bring his role of “Davis” to life. Davis lives on the edge between violence and control in the agenda he has set for himself to survive in this city, but it is key to his survival that violence never takes over. He plans meticulously to evade surveillance in his heists of high-end gems and jewelry.
Halle Berry portrays “Sharon,” a vibrant, powerful woman who specializes in reading other people but may be avoiding self-introspection in the process. Her agenda for survival in insurance sales is the same as Davis’s in his line of work. Sharon’s challenge is that as a vibrant woman, she should not become obsolete – she must take charge of her environment, not let it change her.
Mark Ruffalo is “Lou,” the frustrated detective obsessed with catching Davis. The ever-astonishing Barry Keoghan is “Ormon,” a dangerously jumpy, hyperactive thief sent by his handler to sub for Davis. Monica Barbaro is “Maya,” Davis’s romantic link to the world of “normal people.” Each character is taking the steps they have mapped out to carve a life in LA, and that dynamic is the key to endurance in this crazy metropolis.
Director Bart Layton is British. He got his start with a documentary feature, The Imposter, which received huge critical acclaim at Sundance in 2012. His 2018 film American Animals was part fiction, part documentary and well-received at Sundance. Often someone from an outside culture can observe nuances about an environment foreign to them that people living in that location don’t notice or take for granted.
This was what propelled the success of British director John Boorman’s Point Blank (set in LA) and Deliverance (set in the Appalachians), and that’s probably the case here. I’m not surprised that Layton began his career as a documentarian, as have several great filmmakers, including Agnes Varda, Marin Scorsese, and James Cameron. Layton in this film paints an extraordinary mural of LA and its characters.
Layton has also chosen a superb cast. Australian Hemsworth, who is best known as “Thor” in The Avengers movies, shows significant range as an actor here, as the conflicted and contemplative jewel thief. He seems as if he grew up in the US. Two interesting facts about Chris – he studied American English at Screenwise Film and TV School for Actors in Sydney, and he is an avid beekeeper.
Berry started out as a cheerleader in high school, won a beauty pageant in 1985 and in 1991 was cast in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever. She studied acting with famed LA coach Ivana Chubbuck and won the Best Actress for Monster’s Ball in 2001. Irish actor Barry Keoghan is one of the most fascinating actors working today. He booked roles on Irish TV and now is in demand for edgy and pivotal roles in films such as The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) and Saltburn (2023). Barbaro’s Maya is supposed to be naïve to the dark world of Davis, but she might have shown more tension perhaps, as a coping mechanism for making it on your own in LA.
No one in this movie is perfect, nor is the setting, but they are aware of their flaws and are trying to work through their lives to the best of their ability, as is the metropolis of LA on a greater scale. All the characters have angst, all are about to go through existential changes, and the cast play this extremely well. Layton has created a great panorama of the LA area. Note that scenes of Pacific Palisades were shot shortly before the January 2025 wildfire. You will see Santa Monica, Malibu, Grand Central Market, and other familiar places. If you know LA well, you will enjoy an extra layer of visual significance.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com.
