Crime 101 Review: Chris Hemsworth Leads a Tense, Character-Driven Crime Thriller

Crime 101 caught me off guard in the best way possible.

With a powerhouse cast led by Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, and Barry Keoghan, this California-set crime drama pulls you in slowly, then refuses to let go. On the surface, it looks like a slick heist thriller. Underneath, it is something heavier. More human. More fragile.

And yes, if you are a Marvel fan, it is impossible not to briefly think of Thor, Storm, and Hulk sharing the screen. But once the story settles in, those associations fade fast.

This is not a superhero movie. This is a story about people nearing their breaking points.

A Heist Thriller That Is Not Just About the Heist

At the center of Crime 101 is Davis, played with surprising restraint by Chris Hemsworth. Davis is a jewel thief who specializes in highly targeted robberies. You could call them heists, but the film does not lean into the playful, high-energy rhythm we associate with that genre. There is no slick banter or flashy trap-door cleverness.

Instead, the crimes feel methodical. Clinical. Almost suffocating.

There is crime aplenty, but the tension builds from psychology, not spectacle.

What truly surprised me was how Hemsworth plays Davis. This is not the confident, god-like presence audiences often expect. Davis feels anxious. Controlled. Possibly obsessive. There is an underlying sense that he is barely holding everything together. The character seems to wrestle with compulsive tendencies and anxiety, and Hemsworth leans into that discomfort rather than overpowering it.

Davis is not just chasing money. He is chasing an exit. One last score. A number that lets him walk away.

Mark Ruffalo’s Detective: A Man Drowning in Decency

Jennifer Jason Leigh also delivers a sharp performance as the wife of Detective Lou Lubesnick, but it is Ruffalo who anchors the law enforcement side of the story.

Lou is not the typical hard-nosed, rule-breaking detective. His basic decency is actually his weakness. He sits near the bottom of the precinct’s productivity chart. His division is under pressure. Success rates are not good. His superiors are not pleased.

At home, things are no better. His wife is pushing for a trial separation. Lou is so detached from the idea of self-care that even saying words like smoothie or yoga feels foreign to him.

He is exhausted. Overworked. And quietly unravelling.

His mission is to catch the elusive “101 thief,” and that pursuit becomes more than a case. It becomes validation.

Halle Berry’s Sharon Colvin: Success Without Sleep

Halle Berry plays Sharon Colvin, an insurance broker who sells policies to the obscenely wealthy. She spends half her time justifying the morally gray nature of her work and the other half wondering why she cannot sleep at night.

Sharon wants to make a partner. She wants recognition. Stability. Security.

But like the others, she feels stuck.

Berry brings a quiet frustration to the role. Sharon is ambitious, but the system she works in feels hollow. The wealth she protects feels exploitative. There is a subtle moral tension that adds depth to every scene she is in.

Barry Keoghan Steals Scenes Even Behind a Helmet

Barry Keoghan plays Ormon, a rival thief and hired enforcer whose presence injects chaos into the story. Much of his performance is delivered from behind a motorcycle helmet and heavy biker gear. Often, you can only see his eyes.

And yet, his personality punches through.

Keoghan’s movements are impatient, brutish, and restless. There is violence in him, but also vulnerability. Like many of his past roles, Ormon feels like an agent of chaos carrying emotional bruises.

Even when he barely speaks, you feel him.

Bart Layton Builds Tension the Right Way

Writer-director Bart Layton deserves real credit here.

Crime 101 takes its time. It does not rush toward explosions or twists. It builds tension brick by brick. The action sequences land because the characters matter first.

Layton understands that crime thrillers work best when the audience cares about who wins and who loses.

And here, you genuinely do.

Every major character is trying to break through something:

• Davis wants out of the life.
• Sharon wants professional validation.
• Lou wants to prove he still belongs.
• Ormon wants control in a world that never gave him any.

This is a film about people trapped in jobs, relationships, and identities they are not sure how to escape.

A Slow Burn That Pays Off

If you are expecting a fast-paced, twist-every-ten-minutes action spectacle, Crime 101 may surprise you.

It moves deliberately. It allows silence. It gives characters room to breathe.

But that patience is exactly why it works.

By the time the tension peaks, you are not just watching a crime unfold. You are invested in what happens to each person. You might even find yourself wanting to protect them.

That is not something every action thriller achieves.

Final Verdict: One of Amazon MGM’s Strongest Thrillers

From Amazon MGM Studios, Crime 101 stands as one of the more compelling action thrillers in recent memory. It blends crime drama with psychological weight, elevated by a cast that fully commits.

Chris Hemsworth delivers one of his most nuanced performances. Mark Ruffalo grounds the film with weary humanity. Halle Berry adds moral tension. Barry Keoghan remains magnetic, even when half-hidden.

This is a film about breaking points. About people stuck in lives they are desperate to change.

And it lingers with you after the credits roll.