'Crime 101' Review: A Solid and Well-made, But Derivative Homage to Michael Mann’s Crime Classics
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By Dan Bremner - February 16, 2026
It’s been eight years since Bart Layton last directed a feature, the excellent American Animals, so seeing his name attached to Crime 101 instantly piqued my interest. That said, the underwhelming trailers and painfully generic title had me bracing for a star-studded but disposable February crime thriller. The kind that quietly slips into cinemas and vanishes two weeks later, you know the kind. Instead, what we get is something far more deliberate and character-focused, a slow-burn, vintage-feeling heist thriller that wears its influences proudly on its sleeve. Perhaps a little too proudly.
From the outset, the film positions itself as a love letter to Michael Mann, particularly works like Heat and Thief. The Los Angeles setting is rendered in sun-bleached daylight and neon-soaked nightscapes, turning the 101 freeway into a hypnotic ribbon of light cutting through moral grey zones. There’s a seriousness to the atmosphere, stoic criminals with personal codes, obsessive detectives, conversations about aging and legacy, that evokes 1970s crime cinema more than modern blockbuster gloss. It’s undeniably stylish, and for the most part, Layton pulls it off with confidence. It's also ironically far and away better than anything Michael Mann has made since 2004’s Collateral, which is even funnier because Hemsworth himself starred in the particularly dreadful and incoherent Blackhat from Mann back in 2015.
The ensemble cast is stacked, and thankfully they largely deliver. Chris Hemsworth plays the elusive jewel thief with a restrained, almost minimalist cool. Gone is the dumb charm, in its place is a measured, methodical presence that works surprisingly well. Mark Ruffalo brings a weary obsession to the detective on his trail, giving the character a dogged, Columbo-esque persistence as he also adds some surprisingly funny beats (Rugged Ruffalo attempting a women's yoga class? Why not). Their cat-and-mouse dynamic forms the spine of the film, and while it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it remains compelling throughout.
The real MVP, though, might be Halle Berry as the disillusioned insurance broker pulled into one final job. She gives the film much of its emotional grounding, portraying a woman caught between cynicism and yearning for something more. There’s depth and agency to her character that prevents her from feeling like mere heist-movie window dressing. Meanwhile, Barry Keoghan injects unpredictable energy as a volatile wild-card criminal. His twitchy intensity and darting menace steal several scenes, adding a layer of instability that threatens to derail the carefully constructed plans, in a good way.
Monica Barbaro is a particularly welcome presence, bringing warmth and emotional texture to a film that often risks becoming too cool for its own good. Her dynamic with Hemsworth subtly challenges his stoic, code-driven “no personal attachments” philosophy, creating some of the film’s more quietly compelling moments. There’s an understated deconstruction at play, the myth of the lone wolf criminal slowly unravelled through realisation, hesitation, and the suggestion that isolation isn’t strength but self-preservation masquerading as control. The only real weak spot in the ensemble is Nick Nolte’s brief turn as an aging crime boss. Intended to feel weathered and intimidating, his performance instead becomes distracting, largely due to his now-infamously gravelled delivery. Without subtitles, he’s borderline incomprehensible (a recurring issue that’s plagued several of his later roles since Warrior) and it undercuts what should have been a quietly menacing cameo.
Where Crime 101 really shines is in its craftsmanship. The cinematography captures Los Angeles as both glamorous and morally corroded, a city of shimmering opportunity and quiet desperation. Car chases feel raw and grounded rather than overly choreographed, recalling the grit of Bullitt and Drive more than anything over-the-top or bombastic. A high-stakes heist sequence at the Beverly Wilshire is tense and methodical, favouring precision over chaos. The action simmers patiently before exploding, and crucially, it remains character-driven rather than empty spectacle. If you go in expecting a sweaty action-heavy heist film like a Den of Thieves or The Town, I'd stay well away.
The score and sound design further enhance the mood, leaning into pulsating, atmospheric textures that echo Mann’s aesthetic without directly copying it. There’s a cool, nocturnal vibe to the film with long stretches of surveillance, quiet preparation, and reflective conversations punctuated by bursts of violence. It’s classy, measured, and clearly made by people who love this genre rather than people who wanted mindless set-pieces, and it was honestly quite refreshing in that regard.
However, that admiration for its influences is also the film’s biggest weakness. At times, Crime 101 feels less like an original take of the crime thriller and more like a very polished homage. The stoic professionalism, the honour-among-thieves philosophy, the brooding LA skyline shots, they’re all executed well, but rarely feel fresh. There’s a lingering sense of déjà vu, as though you’re watching a “Michael Mann lite” remix as it hits so many Mann beats it nearly becomes funny, rather than something boldly original. It’s enjoyable, but not particularly ground-breaking.
The runtime doesn’t help. At 2 hours and 19 minutes, the film occasionally overstays its welcome. The slow-burn approach is effective early on, but certain stretches, particularly in the middle act, feel indulgent. Scenes linger longer than necessary, momentum stalls, and the film occasionally stops and starts rather than building consistent propulsion. Trimming 15–20 minutes might have tightened the experience considerably.
Crime 101 is highly derivative of many classic crime-thrillers (especially Michael Mann’s work), but the vintage vibe, slow-pacing and character-focused approach makes for a better than expected heist-thriller. A stoic Chris Hemsworth leads with an interesting deconstruction of the lone-wolf criminal archetype amongst a mostly strong cast. A solid return for Bart Layton, but far too long for its own good and could have done with some fresh ideas, despite looking fantastic and building things up nicely to a strong resolution.
'Crime 101' is out now in cinemas.
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