Crime 101 4K 2026

Bart Layton has directed a crime drama that reeks of Michael Mann from a mile away. The film is solid, stylish, and very actor-driven—even despite some rough edges in the script that prevent it from earning top marks.

The protagonist is Mike Davis, a professional thief played by Chris Hemsworth, who works cleanly, without unnecessary violence, and has long since saved up enough to retire. But, as is customary in this genre, retirement isn’t an option: one last job, a psychopathic rival, a cop, and a woman who shows up at the worst possible time.

I don’t want to single out anyone from the ensemble cast, because no one falls short. Chris Hemsworth continues to prove that he’s not just a massive body with a hammer. His character—a thief—is quiet, reserved, and at times awkward. Mark Ruffalo plays a principled detective who long ago stopped being the tough cop from action movies—or perhaps he never was one to begin with. He’s stooped, gentle, and always wears a half-smile, but he steps up when it counts. As for the female roles—Monica Barbaro and Halle Berry are both well-cast. Barbaro plays a girl who doesn’t know who her boyfriend really is, and there’s a certain truth to that awkwardness. Berry plays an insurance agent who got involved in something that wasn’t her business and is now trying to extricate herself from it.

The romantic subplot between Hemsworth’s and Barbaro’s characters is the film’s weakest element. It’s there, but it feels like a mandatory, half-hearted addition. The chemistry between the actors isn’t exactly absent, but it’s insufficient for the level of drama the filmmakers are trying to build. And the ending… well, let’s be honest, the ending is a bit silly. Leighton apparently didn’t want to repeat Mann’s *The Grudge* so much that he overcomplicated things. The resolution leaves you more perplexed than it does with that lingering aftertaste that’s the whole reason people watch movies like this.