Crime 101, the acclaimed crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth and Barry Keoghan, is now streaming in the UK following its release in cinemas in February. With a stacked supporting cast including Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo, this one is for lovers of the heist genre.
The film, from writer-director Bart Layton, is based on Don Winslow’s 2020 novella of the same name, and sees Hemsworth portray a profession Los Angeles jewel thief.
Despite barely leaving a trace at the scene, a weary detective (played by Ruffalo) notices that a slew of robberies have taken place close to the 101 highway. When one job goes wrong, the walls begin to close in on the thief.
Amazon MGM Studios/Merrick Morton
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Released in cinemas in January and February in the UK and US, the crime thriller is now available to stream on Prime Video. As an Amazon MGM Studios property, it was always likely to stream earlier than usual.
In the film, Keoghan portrays a hot-headed biker who vows to destroy Hemsworth’s character. Monica Barbaro plays a love interest of the thief, while Berry stars as a disgruntled insurance broker.
Crime 101 was lauded by critics, who reserved particular praise for Layton’s direction. On Rotten Tomatoes, the crime thriller has an impressive approval rating of 89% from 185 reviews.
“Crime 101 has studied the greats of LA Noir closely and shows its homework with sleek action set pieces and vivid characterisations, receiving top marks and graduating near the top of its class,” reads the site’s critical consensus.
“It’s pacy and slick. And as you would hope from a film that makes a point of namechecking the Steve McQueen car chase classic Bullitt, the asphalt of LA’s downtown highways takes some serious punishment,” wrote The Observer.
Amazon MGM Studios/Merrick Morton
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“This is a special movie. It has a life force unlike any other crime thriller I’ve seen. It’s about characters who suffer a personal failure but emerge transformed,” noted RogerEbert.com, while Mashable called it “slick and successful”.
Time Out echoed these sentiments, opining: “It’s refreshing to see a grown-up big-screen thriller this well crafted – and one that cares for its grounded characters and their predicaments. If it comes off the road once or twice, it’s still well worth the ride.”
Crime 101 is streaming now on Prime Video.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
