Crime 101
In 1985, director William Friedkin gave us “To Live and Die in L.A.” – a police procedural that wasn’t a big hit at the box office, but which presented Los Angeles as an outstanding location and backdrop for many subsequent films. In 1997, Curtis Hanson’s “L.A. Confidential” followed a similar structure but gave us more background on the lives of its characters. Now in 2026, Bart Layton’s “Crime 101” again uses the same pattern, but here his original screenplay places so much emphasis on personal backstories as to diminish the plot development, but not at all to its detriment.
The characters
Chris Hemsworth plays Mike, a professional (and extremely talented) jewel thief, who primarily works for a receiver of stolen goods named Money. He is inexplicably played by the barely audible Nick Nolte, whose grating voice is now substantially softened by years of smoking, drinking, and drug use. Mark Ruffalo plays Lou, a disheveled, Columbo-esque veteran LAPD investigator dead-set on capturing the thief. He’s tied the robberies together via their proximity to California Highway 101, hence the film’s title.
Mike and Lou are the film’s primary characters, but Layton peppers his narrative with several important supporting players, including Barry Keoghan as a young, slightly less talented burglar that Money seems to be utilizing more often these days. Meanwhile, Halle Berry plays Sharon, a high-priced insurance broker who has made a successful career out of providing coverage to the filthy rich. Layton introduces us to each character early on, even though we’re not entirely sure how each one will play into the story.
Best supporting performance
In the film’s best supporting performance, Monica Barbaro (Joan Baez in last year’s “A Complete Unknown”) plays Maya, a young lady who accidentally rear-ends Mike’s car at a red light. Mike asks her out a couple days later, and she becomes his love interest as “Crime 101” progresses. Her character’s inclusion is immaterial to the jewel heist plot, but it fleshes out the screenplay to involve her. Again, this film is more a character study than it is a plot-driven police procedural.
Old vs. young theme
And with this emphasis on character development, we learn that not only is Mike beginning to lose “business” to a younger generation, but Sharon is continually passed over for promotion to partner in favor of younger co-workers. Notice a theme here? Would it surprise you to learn that Lou’s superiors want him to close more cases and not spend so much time on catching the jewel thief? Lou comes from a generation in which detectives were to utilize their smarts to unravel a mystery, rather than feel rushed to the finish line.
Weak link
The only character about whom we learn very little is Mike himself. In fact, Maya threatens to cut off their relationship on several occasions. Why? He won’t open up about his work, he never shares stories of his childhood, his apartment has no pictures of family, and he has little interest in romance. He’s a tough egg to crack, and it’s a wonder Maya stays with him as long as she does. Perhaps she enjoys the challenge.
Viewers, on the other hand, are inclined to lose interest in Mike at the expense of the others. In this respect, Hemsworth is the weak link in the cast, although not through any fault of his own. I suppose Layton could have invented a false narrative for Mike to present to Maya, but it wouldn’t have changed the fact that he’ll never be able to get close to a woman given his line of work. His situation is more interesting than the character itself.
Early favorite
Save for that one flaw – and it’s not so much a flaw as it is a function of the narrative – “Crime 101” takes the (very) early lead as the best film so far in 2026. I realize that doesn’t mean much, as we haven’t even had the 2025 Oscars yet. On the other hand, Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag” was released clear back last March, and I had it #2 on my list of the year’s best films. “Crime 101” doesn’t rise to that level, but it is a strong, engaging film with a character-driven angle that separates it from most other pictures in the police-film genre. This one is a refreshing change from the norm.
Andy Ray‘s reviews also appear on https://townepost.com/tag/film-reviews/