There are crimes with purpose and there are crimes that are connected. When moving parts come together, the truth can be complicated. Accuracy is what counts! From the mind of director Bart Layton, come his newest feature Crime 101. In this film, the conflict is a revolving landscape of purposeful doorswhich open to a ride that does not stop. With the setting in California, there are many truths to unfold and a conspiracy to piece together. Overall, the story is based upon how the characters approach the scenarios. The clock starts ticking thesecond the movie starts in Crime 101.

It is an all-star cast that is just above average when it comes to pacing and flow. The film begins with a slew of meditation and mindfulness and then jumps into blindsided crimes. The invigoration caused by the conspiracy and conflict in authority turns matters into a boxing match. Layton is not afraid to throw the complex conflicts on the table and keep the tables spinning with curiosity. When one event is still in motion, others continue to arise.

The main character is a master criminal, Davis (Chris Hemsworth). He flies below the radar and maintains the lowest profile to settle the biggest scores possible. Despite turmoil, he continues to do the deeds to get the pay. There is also a real estate broker named Sharon (Halle Berry). She is pushing herself to go above and beyond to make her clientele happy until she realizes the answers she gets are shady. In addition, there is a detective that is in a bind, Lou (Mark Ruffalo). The trail of Davis and the odds of Sharon are tied together. This causes a more stressful situation for Lou because he is completely burned out and consistently on thin ice.

The film maintains its angles through strategic timing. That is where the joy is. At times, it may feel like a bore, but it is effective. When another criminal comes around it becomes instantly bonkers. The other criminal is Ormon (Barry Keoghan), a motorcyclist eager to land heists to prove he is worthy. There is another heist in the making, but how dangerous is it for all these characters to be interconnected? The question of trust is what the Tetris tactic of surprises masters in Crime 101.

Do not expect explosions but instead more in-depth trails, especially through the performances of Hemsworth and Berry. Their characters have incredible stressors hovering over them. Their feelings of immense frustration, while they’re also trying to score big, lead to a landscape that is mentally compelling. Layton creates an interesting portrait in which his characters are dealing with so much. This part of their portrayal does not come around easily, yet I felt the film was successful in making the dynamics all make sense. This was possible because the persona of scoring is based upon hiding the criminal-side and being able to handle an array of unexpected conflicts that are life-threatening and enticing. A stellar crime with thrilling aspects that keep the central conflict intact. Three out of four stars for Crime 101.