We watched Crime 101 last night starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo. It was a decent movie -- not great, but watchable.
I too thought it was good for several reasons. It's an enjoyable noirish crime yarn which is refreshing for its originality as well its relative scarcity of violence and gutter language-- truly a rarity these days.
Writer/director Bart Layton helms a veteran cast, including
Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Nick Nolte, and J
ennifer Jason Leigh. Also featured is multiple award winning Irish actor,
Barry Keoghan.
The film’s title is catchy, but misleading. It refers to the central premise of a jewel thief Mike (Hemsworth) who targets his heists with proximity to California’s Highway 101 in order to facilitate his getaways. Mike’s handler, Money (Nolte), provides info on valuable marks. After mike barely eludes a close call during an L.A. heist, he calls off a planned theft in Santa Barbara; so Money enlists a violent nut case (Keoghan) to complete the job, and also to shadow Mike and to to hijack his next job.
Along the way the detective assigned to the case (Ruffalo) gradually identifies Mike as a suspect, but is warned off the trail by his superior. We meet a high end insurance agent (Berry) who eventually provides target information to Mike because she is frustrated by being continually passed over for promotion by her employer. Mike also begins a relationship with a lady who serendipitously bumps into Mike’s car at an intersection.
The story weaves in and out, while introducing various plot points that serve to draw together all of its elements to provide a final confrontation, followed by a satisfying ending.
The cinematography by Erik Wilson is stunning. Of the thousands of movies which have featured footage of L.A. and Hollywood, it’s remarkable that Wilson finds compelling subject views, and also films them in an attractive innovative fashion. Direction by Layton is sure footed. Despite his scant resume of feature films, he has drawn together all elements of his screenplay in a manner of a far more experienced director.
The acting is first rate. Hemsworth shows an admirable range playing a taciturn complicated thief who has a clouded past. Ruffalo turns in a deft portrayal of a world weary but intuitive detective. He is a bit of a one note samba, since he has played several similar roles. But he does it with perfection. Berry still has it in the looks department, and she is perfectly cast. And Keoghan is chilling as a violent nut job. The one weakness is Monica Barbaro who plays Mike’s love interest. She’s a decent actress but was badly miscast in her role. There is zero chemistry between her and Hemsworth.
Plaudits go to the production for it’s restraint in mimicking contemporary shoot-em-ups, violence, and gratuitous language. which have become the norm. It’s a good picture reminiscent of earlier movie styles.
Doc’s rating: 8/10
