Lamar Reviews - "Crime 101" (Airdate 2/20/2026)

Lamar Reviews - "Crime 101" (Airdate 2/20/2026) 

The trailer for this looks fantastic and it certainly
has some big names in it. Chris Hemsworth, Mark
Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and
Nick Nolte, to name a few.
By the title you know this is a crime drama. There
are a couple of types of crime dramas, full on
action that never stops, explosions, and dramatic
CGI. Or, an intricate story that follows multiple
characters who start off on separate paths that
eventually come together, often with a twist
ending. Crime 101 is the latter, pay attention, there
will be a test.
Chris Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a high end
thief that follows couriers transporting expensive
jewelry, he interrupts the exchange and takes it
without harming anybody, never leaving any clues.
All of his robberies take place on the 101 Freeway
in Southern California, hence the movie title. Mark
Ruffalo plays Lou Lubesnick, an aging, rumpled,
chain smoking detective that is obsessed with the
thefts taking place on Highway 101. His career

has stalled and his Captain is ready to get rid of
him.
Halle Berry plays Sharon, an insurance broker
who works for a company that insures high end
clients, some of which have been robbed by
Davis. She has put in 11 years and is waiting to be
made partner, but it looks like that is never going
to happen.
Nick Nolte plays Davis’s middleman known as
Money, who sells his stolen loot.
The movie is 2 hours and 19 minutes. Rated-R for
language, some violence and sexual material.
The movie opens with Hemsworth’s character
showing us how he makes a living and how
meticulous he is about how he goes about it.
The character development for Hemsworth,
Ruffalo, and Berry is extensive. We feel like we
know them pretty well, and actually like each one,
and care about them in different ways. We are
now invested in what happens. This takes the
movie to a deeper level for me.

This is a very different role than Chris Hemsworth
normally plays. Despite his devastatingly good
looks, he is confident and steady in how he
handles his job, but on a date, he is unsure, has
trouble with eye contact, and is not comfortable.
He has never been able to outrun his past.
The movie does not rush but gives time to savor
the story in between violent action sequences like
a crime caper from years ago.
In the midst of the relaxed tone is a rival thief
named Ormon, who is played by Barry Keoghan
who is an agent of chaos. He is the exact opposite
of Mike. He leads with violence, and doesn’t use it
because he has to, he uses it because he loves it.
I really enjoyed this movie!
My favorite exchange was. Character 1 “Eleven
million dollars. Isn’t that what you guys call “walk-
away” money? Character 2 That's the thing about
walk-away money. You have to be able to actually
walk away with it

My Score: 5 Cold Budweisers

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