Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Smart but violent character-based crime thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Crime 101
What's the Story?
In CRIME 101, Mike (Chris Hemsworth) is a skilled, clever thief who has managed to pull off many jewel robberies without hurting anyone or leaving any evidence behind. Los Angeles police detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) thinks there may be a pattern to the robberies, as they all take place near the 101 highway in Los Angeles. After an accident on his last job, Mike knows he must prepare one last big score. He teams up with insurance agent Sharon (Halle Berry) to learn more about a courier who's coming to Los Angeles with $5.5 million in diamonds, as well as the $5.5 million in cash that will be used to pay for them. Unfortunately, Mike's backstabbing partner has sent the volatile, motorcycle-riding Ormon (Barry Keoghan) to intercept Mike.
Is It Any Good?
This smart, enthralling crime thriller is a little too neat at times, and it runs very long, but it uses the extra time to deepen its main characters and make their actions mean something. Crime 101 is directed by Bart Layton, who had his breakthrough with the documentary The Imposter, about a confidence scam, and then adapted his skills to the hybrid documentary thriller American Animals, about the real-life theft of rare books from a university library. Here, he has moved on to pure fiction (the movie is based on a novella by Don Winslow, of Savages fame), but he retains a sense of reality, both in the way the film portrays the livable space of Los Angeles and in the inner lives of its characters.
Mike has a romantic subplot in which he tries to form a relationship with Maya (Oscar-nominee Monica Barbaro), but his lifestyle prevents him from telling her anything real about himself. It's unimportant in terms of the crime story, but it's essential in letting us know just who Mike actually is. Jennifer Jason Leigh appears in only one scene as Lou's soon-to-be-ex-wife, but it's a crucial one in letting viewers know more about who Lou really is. Sharon is also given key moments of character insight, such as waking up each morning to see "poor sleep" reports from an app on her phone. Only Oscar nominee Keoghan is given the short end of the stick, with his one-dimensional "psychopath" role; as good an actor as he is, he can't do much with it. And things get very tidy in the third act, which, if not exactly challenging, is at least satisfying. In the end, Crime 101 gets away with it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Crime 101's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Did you find yourself identifying with or relating to Mike, even though he's a criminal? What makes him sympathetic?
How does the city of Los Angeles become a character in this story?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 13, 2026
- Cast : Chris Hemsworth , Halle Berry , Mark Ruffalo
- Director : Bart Layton
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Amazon MGM Studios
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Book Characters , Transportation ( Cars & Trucks )
- Run time : 140 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, some violence and sexual material/nudity
- Last updated : February 24, 2026
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