Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry Lead a Slow-Burning Crime Drama
Usually in movies, the characters are cut and dry. The good guys are just that, and the villains are bad people who do amoral things like theft and murder. However, sometimes in films there are some grey areas and the good guys aren't so virtuous, and the bad guys have a hint of good in them. Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth; Thor: Ragnarok) is one of the latter, a thief who has a sense of morality. He never hurts his hostages and only steals from the rich...especially those who aren't so upstanding. Since Mike's crimes take place off the highway, Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo; The Avengers) has dubbed him the 101 thief in Crime 101.
Mike Davis is a jewel thief but not just any kind of thief. He meticulously plans his heists and inserts himself into the scenarios to make as little noise as possible. He avoids leaving any DNA evidence, doesn't physically harm anyone, and uses the 101 highway as his escape. However, when he is unexpectedly grazed by a bullet, Mike begins to rethink his life, especially after meeting Maya (Monica Barbaro; Top Gun: Maverick). Meanwhile, Mike's fence, Money (Nick Nolte; The Thin Red Line), is angered by Mike's lack of productivity and sends Ormon (Barry Keoghan; The Killing of a Sacred Deer) to kill Mike. At the same time, Det. Lubesnick is inching closer to finding the 101 thief, as he has dubbed Mike.
The cast brings this exceptional script to life. Woodall is a terrific, young talent who learned to play piano like a virtuoso for this role. His performance was so impressive that I thought he was a true piano player for years. Hoffman is ideal as the old, Mench Harry. He has the demeanor and acting chops to take on almost any role, and he does so here beautifully. Feldshuh is also well cast, along with Niki's love interest, Ruthie, played by Havana Rose Liu (Lurker).
Alliance Entertainment brings Amazon MGM Studios' Crime 101 to home entertainment in Dolby Vision with a 2160p resolution and a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. While these specs are fairly standard nowadays, this particular film accentuates its technical aspects well. The jewels sparkling in the brilliant light of day have incredible detail that makes them practically jump off the screen. Black levels look excellent and are rich and deep. Overall, the video quality is excellent and showcases the movie nicely.
Equally as impressive as the video quality is the Dolby Atmos audio. While there are intense moments such as the car and motorcycle chase scene, there are also quieter moments where the almost silent audio packs a powerful punch. As the saying goes...sometimes the silence can be deafening. That is very much the case with Crime 101, and the Atmos audio helps bring out the calm yet charged environment on screen.
Sadly, this combo pack only houses the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs but does not contain a digital copy. Nor does this presentation offer any bonus features at all, which is rather unusual for a home entertainment release.
Crime 101 has a fairly strong cast and a decent premise behind it, but it lacks the intangible ingenuity that makes the audience want to sit through its two-hour-and-twenty-minute runtime. The execution is merely satisfactory, which could have more to do with director Bart Layton (American Animals). His slow-burn technique makes the movie crawl at a snail's pace, making the two-plus hours seem more like three. Perhaps with someone else at the helm, the story would have been more successful.
Grade: C+
