HOLLYWOOD—Sometimes you watch movies that surprise, ones that you go into with little to no expectations, and you come out thoroughly surprised with the outcome. That is how I felt after watching “Crime 101.” The movie at its core is a crime heist, but all is not as it seems.
The movie focuses on Mike Davis portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, a well-trained jewel thief. Davis is an enigma, we know nothing about his life, his past, but there are secrets that he harbors, and as a viewer you want to know what those secrets are. He is a very organized individual, and quite disciplined to say the least. He even has a moment early in the movie where he pays for an escort; we don’t see any of the action, but it is implied.
The narrative has a bit of a shift because we are introduced to Sharon (Halle Berry), she plays an insurance broker, who we meet at the start of the movie, and she plays a pivotal role in Mike’s next scheme, but the notion that she is entirely engulfed in Mike’s ruse is a misdirect. Berry is solid in the role, but I felt like her character was more eye candy than anything, and she was a bit underutilized in my opinion.
Mike wants to utilize Sharon for his next scheme to steal some super expensive jewels from one of her clients, but she is not intrigued by his offer. Let’s just say things change and she makes a decision to go after what she wants. The character I found fascinating after Mike was Ormon, portrayed by Barry Keoghan.
Ormon is a wild character, who doesn’t seem to have any limits. He will violently attack, shot and brutalize you to get what he wants and he makes no qualms about doing it thanks to Money (Nick Nolte), a well-connected, underworld fence that Mike has ties to.
In the midst of all this treachery and deception, you have Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo). I know I’m going to sound crazy, but doesn’t it feel like Ruffalo is constantly playing a detective hunting for a killer or criminal. I can name so many movies where I have seen the actor portray this similar character, I’m starting to feel he is typecast. However, by the end of the movie, I was surprised by some things that unfolded that I thought I knew how things end.
Yes, you can make the argument that “Crime 101” gives you small breadcrumbs, and I love that. You pine for more information about Chris Hemsworth’s character, you know he lived a traumatic childhood, but we don’t ever get the whole package, which I think director and writer Bart Layton does quite well.
You will go into this movie with an eclectic cast of strong actors who deliver performances that are captivating to watch and I had a ball watching the movie. Definitely looking forward to a second watch of this movie to catch all those little gems that I may have missed on the first watch.
