A jewel thief tries to pull off one last heist, but forces are in his way in Bart Layton’s tiresome Crime 101.
Crime 101, written and directed by Bart Layton and based on a novella by Don Winslow, follows a thief reaching the end of his days of heisting, as a schlumpy cop tries to convince his bosses about the crime spree, an insurance agent for the rich is reaching a breaking point and targeted for the next, and an upstart robber disrupts the pattern. That’s a lot of character and plot, yet Crime 101 is a dull, awkward, and listless nothing; desperately wanting to be a Michael Mann film but failing.
Despite its overlong two-hour and twenty-minute run time, Crime 101 is an empty film. Empty of connection, empty of interest, empty of urgency, empty of any real driving (heh) force. It’s an awkward collection of half-developed characters working their way through a half-developed plot. There’s a lot of air in the proceedings. What’s weird is, despite this length of time, there are a lot of “wait, how does this person know this thing?,” what are we even doing here?”, and no real connective tissue between. It’s a thoroughly underwhelming picture.
I can’t imagine how such a solid cast is wasted. Chris Hemsworth is the thief who works off the 101, doing his best for quick, painless, and violence-free jewel thefts during transfers. He’s supposed to be mysterious, cagey, and awkward in his own skin, but comes off blank. This is especially true with what passes as a relationship with Monica Barbaro, a wholly throwaway character and plot. Man, everything about them is awkward. Mark Ruffalo is a doughy, honest cop, at odds with his partner, Corey Hawkins, and bosses over his approach, flailing about, making weird connections. Halle Berry is a great insurance agent, but has to deal with a misogynistic office and clients. Barry Keogan, who worked with Layton in American Animals, is miscast as a hot-headed, wild-card of a robber. Nick Nolte is around to gruff it up. They try, Ruffalo seems to be channeling Peter Falk a bit until he gets bored with it, for example, to attempt to give life, and Jennifer Jason Leigh drops in for a scene to break up with him, but there is nothing to grasp onto. It’s the sort of film where the characters don’t exist when they’re not on screen. There is no further life to them; yes, we’re told details of who they are, but nothing to see and feel. They merely meander through the plotting with no sense of character or needs.
I can see being attracted to the idea, a sort of Michael Mann interconnected Los Angeles crime flick. I can see something better at the heart, under the boilerplate half-assery. It’s such a shame. Bart Layton’s 2018 film American Animals was a wonderful twist on the heist film, sharp and snappy. Showed an amazing promise as a director. The slow, turgid nothing of Crime 101 is such a letdown. Conversations that are supposed to be snappy and witty come off as on-the-nose, awkward, and forced. So strange to have a normally charismatic cast give nothing; are they actively trying not to have chemistry? 
Yes, as should be noticeable by now: the title is a terrible pun on I-101 (think crIme-101), one of the highways running through the Los Angeles area, and not a reference to a college course. While Ruffallo makes the connection that the robberies are near the 101, it doesn’t seem to really factor in as a coincidence. (Movie idea for the title: a criminology professor teaches his students to commit a crime, leading up to a massive heist! Off to write that instead of finishing this review!) Since we never really follow Hemsworth’s planning of the crimes (who is on the other end of the phone in the family threats?), it’s a big gap in connection or the whys of how he does it this way. Big gaps all around as whole plots and characters are abandoned unfinished, the world Layton builds is left distractingly disconnected.
On the plus side, the heist and car chase bits are very well shot and are thrillingly edited. There are moments of cinematic scenery, and some pointed, meant humor within the unintended silliness that rears its head just as much. Lines meant to have a power or make a point come off heavy-handed and comical. So many scoffs and “laughter at the wrong moments” in my screening.
Don’t get on the Crime 101, it’s not a trip worthy of your over two hours. With flat characters, unimpressive plotting, and just a whole lot of nothing, Bar Layton’s film will just end up in the breakdown lane.