Crime 101: An Effective Crime Drama with Familiar Elements (4K)

The Film:

Much like the horror genre, crime drama is another one of those types of films where it's a little difficult to come up with something truly original, so much so that you pretty much have to go to "Inception" lengths to really pull any surprises. There's a basic mix of ingredients, the details of which you can change around a bit in various ways, but it's basically going to come down to how well the characters are developed and the amount of excitement that can be built up around the crimes being committed. In a bit of a surprise twist, BAFTA-winning documentarian Bart Layton ("The Imposter") has decided to try his hand at one with "Crime 101," utilizing a cast filled with big names to tell it, but will he be able to deliver where it really counts?

As the film opens, we witness professional thief Mike (Chris Hemsworth), whose MO is non-violence and staying close to the 101 freeway, pull off a heist for $3 million in diamonds, during which he gets grazed by a bullet. This causes him to call off an upcoming heist, which leads his handler (Nick Nolte) to hire Ormon (Barry Keoghan), who has no qualms about violence, to do it instead. After Ormon pulls the job off in quite a violent manner, Mike cuts ties with his handler completely, who then tasks Ormon with investigating Mike's next heist, which involves an insurance broker named Sharon (Halle Berry). With an LAPD Detective (Mark Ruffalo) on his trail after putting the string of robberies together and Ormon trying to steal the deal, Mike will have to be extra vigilant in order to pull off this latest job.

Indeed, the confines of crime dramas do usually make it rather hard to deliver anything particularly unique, which makes it no surprise that you'll very likely notice a lot of commonalities or straight-up borrowing of certain elements from other films of the sub-genre that have had a major influence on the filmmaker. In the case of "Crime 101," it becomes quite clear that writer/director Bart Layton is a big fan of Michael Mann's "Heat," which is one of the most highly-regarded films of its kind, borrowing many of its structural & character details for his own project.

We have a film that gives about equal time to the criminals and the detectives on their trail, while also showing both sides attempting to have personal relationships, which is naturally difficult for either to have. We even have a criminal that works with a code of ethics, one that tries to limit the physical violence and tries to get the audience to sympathize with them. That said, even with its influences rather clearly shown throughout, Layton does a fine job of fleshing-out the standard characters of his own "Heat"-esque outing, while throwing in plenty of thrilling sequences along the way to keep the story moving swiftly enough.

The only somewhat intrusive issue that pops up is that Mike's relationship ends up serving no real purpose other than to bring the film to a somewhat annoying halt, which is ironically the same issue that "Heat" has in regards to Robert de Niro's character. It's understandable that Layton would want to use a relationship scenario to try and make us sympathize with the character even more, but it really would've been best to leave it on the cutting room floor (to use an old phrase) as it's handled in a rather clunky manner. In fact, excising it completely would've brought the over-extended 139-minute runtime down significantly and helped the film flow much better.

Overall, while it doesn't give you anything particularly revelatory or surprising in the realm of crime dramas, Layton has managed to craft a decent entry in the sub-genre, one that utilizes a great cast (which includes an Oscar winner and five Oscar nominees), plenty of exciting action, and some decent twists & turns to deliver a satisfying experience. It may not come anywhere close to its obvious influence, but if you're looking for a mildly intriguing & entertaining thriller, it will likely do the job just fine.

Video/Audio:

"Crime 101" comes to 4K in a 2.39:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of outstanding quality, presenting a beautifully sharp & clear picture throughout its entire 139-minute duration. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos-TrueHD audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, MGM has done a wonderful job in both departments for the film's 4K debut.

Special Features:

None.

Conclusion:

Bart Layton's "Crime 101" may not offer anything particularly original in the realm of crime dramas, while making it quite clear what its main influence was, but it still manages to deliver a fun & exciting thriller with engaging, fleshed-out characters and a few intriguing twists & turns, ultimately making for an entertaining outing that gets the job done.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on 4K starting tomorrow.

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