Jewel thief Davis (Chris Hemsworth) has lived a life on the run, constantly moving from place to place and forming no human connections. He has to hire prostitutes just to get some companionship. Davis meticulously plans each of his heists to ensure that everything goes smoothly, there is no violence, and he doesn’t leave any DNA evidence behind. He has been committing all of his robberies along Route 101, but only LAPD Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) seems to have made this connection among the crimes in this recent wave of high-end robberies. However, the other cops think his theory that one person is responsible for all of these robberies is ridiculous. Lou is going though a divorce, and has started taking up yoga to deal with his stress (and possibly meet someone new).

For his latest heist, Davis intercepts $3M in diamonds from a courier, but things don’t go as smoothly as planned. The driver of the vehicle pulled a gun on him, and the bullet would have killed him had the weapon not misfired. Lou is assigned to investigate the case, which he believes is another instance of the 101 Robber. Also looking into what happened with the courier is insurance broker Sharon Coombs (Halle Berry). She has been a dedicated VP at her company for a over a decade, and keeps getting promised a partnership, only to have her boss constantly delay the promotion. Her age is also quickly becoming a factor—she’s no longer the young woman whose looks can easily sell insurance policies to wealthy male clients, and even her boss makes a comment about how at 52 she’s no spring chicken.

Still rattled from the events of his previous heist, Davis tells his fence, Money (Nick Nolte), that he wants to call off the Santa Barbara job he had been planning next, because things just don’t feel right. However, Money isn’t willing to budge, and he hires psychotic biker Ormon (Barry Keoghan) to carry out the robbery behind Davis’ back. Ormon is far less subtle than Davis, and goes in with guns blazing, attracting a lot of attention, and leaving some bodies in his wake. This puts Davis in a dangerous situation, especially with the detective closing in (and now believing he will resort to violence). Davis needs one last score so he can walk away. But as the date of this heist approaches, the stakes and danger get higher, and all three of these parties—Davis, Lou and Sharon—find themselves put to the test as the lines between right and wrong get blurred and decisions must be made.

Crime 101, which is adapted from Don Winslow’s acclaimed novella of the same name, is a solid action thriller, that feels like a throwback to big 90s crime darumas like Heat. It wastes no time jumping into the action, following thief David on his latest heist, and introducing us to the two other main characters whose paths will ultimately cross over the course of the film. Despite being almost 2.5 hours long, the film moves at a fast pace and never feels boring or excessively slow. The filmmakers do an excellent job of fleshing out these characters, and exploring their home/personal lives, showing that each is at a crossroads in their lives, before putting them in a situation of moral ambiguity. Even before these characters actually meet one another, we get glimpses of their lives crossing paths, but they are unaware of it at the time.

The main trio of actors are quite engaging, delivering on the more emotional aspects of their characters, and for Chris Hemsworth, the action-packed elements as well. Davis is a master thief with a mysterious past and motivation. However he still has morals and rules. He is not willing to hurt anyone or bring violence to his robberies—he only goes after things that are insured, which the owners can simply collect on once he has stolen the property. Davis always meticulously plans his heists, and knows the names and backgrounds of everyone who will be involved, from the victims, to the guards, and so on. He is able to use this information to help ensure a peaceful passing of the property. However, living this life of crime has also taken a toll on Davis. He has no family or friends he can go to, and is often quite lonely.

The other two main characters in the film aren’t that lucky in love either. Mark Ruffalo’s Lou is a bit of a sad sack. He’s divorced and no one at work takes him seriously. But he still tries to remain positive, motivated to prove his theories about the case, and always uphold the law. Though sometimes he finds himself faced with scenarios where following the letter of the law may not actually be doing the right thing. And finally, Halle Berry’s Sharon also feels underappreciated. She knows she’s getting older and soon won’t be able to compete with the younger brokers at her company. She has trouble sleeping, often waking up at 3am just to start her long makeup process to get ready for the day. It’s an unfair world for her as a woman of a certain age. She has given up her personal life, and devoted years to her company, and it seems like the partnership she has been promised over and over again is never really going to happen. She starts to wonder if being honest and following the rules is really the way to go—so far it has gotten her nowhere.

The film also has several other recognizable faces in supporting roles. One of the standouts is Barry Keoghan, who always completely throws himself into his characters. Ormon is a truly terrifying guy. He is psychotic and unpredictable—you never know what he’s going to do or what violence he’s capable of. When he’s hired by Money (Nick Nolte is also fantastic in this minor role), it’s like unleashing a wild dog that can never once again be contained. Ormon is like a Terminator on a singular mission—he will stop at nothing to achieve it, and feels no emotion as he systematically takes out anyone and anything that gets in his way.

Amazon MGM Studios/Alliance Home Entertainment have released Crime 101 on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. We were sent the 4K release for review. The film’s visual presentation really brings this dark, gritty world of Los Angeles to life. Even though the film in generally dark and grey, even during daytime sequences, it still has a beautiful, cinematic look. Blacks presented flawlessly, and there is a solid level of detail throughout, even in the darker nighttime sequences. The film’s immersive Atmos soundtrack also puts the viewer right into the middle of the scenes—whether it’s a high speed car chase/getaway, or just the ambiance of the city.

The 4K release includes just a single barebones 4K disc, which does not contain any bonus material. The disc is packed in a standard 4K keepcase along with a carboard slipcover, but no digital copy code is included.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:20:00)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), English Descriptive Audio, French Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digitsl, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish – Castilian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish – Latino 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French Canadian, French, German, Italian, Spanish – Castilian, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish – Latino

Extras:

There is no bonus material included.

Final Thoughts:

Crme 101 is a well-acted crime thriller that blends interesting character drama with tense and exciting action sequences, and some mysterious twists and turns. Each of the main characters are presented with some moral choices, and you’re never sure of how things are going to ultimately play out. The 4K release looks and sounds great, but the disc is barebones, not including any bonus material or even a digital copy. That said, the release is definitely worth checking out for the film itself. The movie is also currently streaming as part of Amazon Prime/MGM+.