This review was made possible by Popped attending an advanced screening of Crime 101.
A crime caper is a dime a dozen these days, every corner you turn someone’s got a new idea for the biggest heist yet. Many struggle to really stand out, I mean not all of them can live up to Gru’s plan to steal the moon in Despicable Me. Crime 101 will peak the interest of many from its cast alone. With names like Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan, Nick Nolte, Monica Barbaro and of course a Thor: Ragnarok reunion with Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth leading this all-star cast, yet again pitted against each other.
Hitting The Books
Adapted from Don Winslow’s novella of the same name, the film follows an elusive Jewel thief striking along the Pacific coast highway until a detective begins to notice a pattern in each of the separate incidents and a highly unique modus operandi. Hemsworth stars as the infamous robber “Mike” with Ruffalo as the down-on-his-luck schlubby detective Lou Lubesnick. The core story of the novel is focused on Mike’s strict creed when it comes to his life of crime, no violence. Seriously, no one gets hurt. It’s a method that helped him elude authorities for a very long time, that is until he begins to plan his final heist and get out of the game for good.
The movie doesn’t really focus on any of that, not as much as the novella does. It is still part of the story but doesn’t seem as important anymore, and is merely brushed over by the detectives and shown by Mike’s restraint. The film also really doesn’t make it abundantly clear what Mike’s real goals here are. He never really talks about a big, final score and seems to just be flying by the seat of his pants. A movie doesn’t have to spell everything out for you, but at time,s it can feel like there isn’t even a semblance of a thought-out narrative here.
The movie struggles with all of its moving pieces that it suffers from feeling disjointed and features weird tonal spikes in the least expected direction. Just the odd moment here and there that just takes you out of the movie leaves you questioning the exact vibe that they’re going for here. The film certainly features an array of wildly different characters, and it can feel like they may have forgotten what the tone of the film is.
Hemsworth may be the most perplexing here. He’s not bad in the role, he can just feel a bit wooden here and there, struggling to find a middle ground with the character. They make a point in the film that his character requires order in his life due to an impoverished upbringing, but this character feels messier than that. He’s neurotic but never feels visually presented that way, and it takes you out of the character a bit.
Waiting For The Bell
The film runs for about two hours and twenty minutes and you really start to feel that about midway through. The pacing for the film feels so wildly off and when you get to the midpoint of the film, there is just so much going on, a result of multiple underdeveloped side plots, that you really aren’t sure which direction you’re heading in. Like previously mentioned, the midpoint of the film is where things really start to drag, So much is going on with each character that you struggle to really put all of these moving pieces together, pieces that ultimately don’t even come together in an all that satisfying way.
There’s quite a few criminals on the run here, but what we really need is a wanted poster out for is some more tension. Heist films like these usually ooze tension out of every crack and crevice, yet here it’s in high demand, and the supply chain doesn’t have much to deliver. Moments that feel as if they should be pulse-pounding and high in intensity often fall flat or deflate quickly. There are very few moments where things really feel out of control and that’s got a lot to do with the simplicity and overall exhausted quirks of the crime genre. Some may label these aspects as odes to the thrillers of yesterday but it just feels played out.
One of the biggest issues is definitely how long it really takes for the film to get moving, it takes a little too long to really focus on its goals while also trying to add any sort of depth to its characters. Whether it be a pointless romance or divorce out of the blue, there are multiple failed attempts to give any of these characters backgrounds that allow you to connect with any of them in the slightest.
A Few Good Marks
Director Bart Layton manages to shoot a pretty slick film; the visuals are quite well thought out here, and editing is as slick as it is creative. It’s when the sun sets, and the engines ignite, that really revs up excitement. The aforementioned missing tension really kicks in when they hit the streets. Hemsworth and Keoghan have a pursuit that really acts as the climax of the film, and when some of these storylines really start to work in the films favor. These high-octane moments on the late-night streets of Los Angeles really help ease it into the neo-noir.
The talent here is, of course of the charts, especially with Halle Berry. Her dynamic and chemistry with Ruffalo is fantastic, so of course its something barely focused on in the film. I would’ve traded the subplot with Barry Keoghan’s character if it had meant I could get more of these two together. Berry is, of course, pretty great; her character isn’t the most interesting and is very much carried by Berry’s star power, there are a few exciting moments with the character.
Like previously mentioned, Ruffalo is pretty great in the movie. When referred to as “schlubby” it’s meant with the upmost respect, especially for the kind of character he is playing; it almost feels like a requirement. Ruffalo’s detective Lou may be the films most well-rounded and developed character, with Berry’s in a close second. There’s an odd moment shoehorned in for some quick development for development’s sake but it does end up working in the character’s favour, even with how rushed it was.
‘Crime 101’ – Final Thoughts
Crime 101 is at times an entertaining yet messy crime caper with a star-studded cast. Unfortunately, not even those big names can bring all these characters to their full potential. Ruffalo certainly soars the highest with the material given, but it’s hard to do enough when the characters are bare bones as it is. While still somewhat entertaining, Crime 101 often feels poorly paced and overstuffed, catching itself in a bit of a narrative labyrinth.
Crime 101 releases in theaters on February 13. Check out the trailer below:
The Review
Crime 101
Crime 101 is at times an entertaining yet messy crime caper with a star studded cast. Unfortunately, not even those big names can bring all these characters to their full potential. Ruffalo certainly soars the highest with the material given but its hard to do enough when the characters are bare bones as it is. While still somewhat entertaining, Crime 101 often feels poorly paced and overstuffed, catching itself in a bit of a narrative labyrinth.
