Crime 101 review: Prime Video movie starring Chris Hemsworth has restrained, old school crime thriller feel

There’s something refreshing about a film that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Crime 101 arrived this week on Prime Video, after premiering earlier on the festival circuit, and it leans heavily into that old school crime thriller feel. No gimmicks, no nonsense, just a story about people making calculated decisions and dealing with the fallout. Leading the charge is Chris Hemsworth, best known for swinging a hammer around the Marvel universe as Thor, but here he dials it right back. He plays a disciplined jewel thief, the kind who treats crime like a trade rather than a thrill. It’s a quieter performance than you might expect from Hemsworth, and it works. Opposite him is Halle Berry, who brings that same steel she’s had since Monster’s Ball and the X-Men days. She plays it straight, no overacting, just a steady presence that keeps things grounded. You also get Mark Ruffalo in the mix, doing what he does best, slightly worn down, sharp, and believable as the man trying to piece it all together. The synopsis reads: “Crime 101 follows a master jewel thief (Hemsworth) whose meticulous robberies along the 101 freeway in sun-bleached LA have confounded police. A lone detective (Ruffalo) is on his tail. When their paths cross with a disillusioned insurance broker (Berry), all three face choices that will define their fates in a deadly climax with millions of dollars at stake.” The film itself keeps things tight. It’s more about tension than action. There are no massive set pieces here, no moments clearly designed just for the trailer. Instead, it builds slowly, letting the characters circle each other until something eventually gives way. That said, it can feel a touch too restrained at times. You keep waiting for it to kick up a gear that never quite arrives. Not a deal breaker, but enough to leave you thinking it could have pushed just a little harder. What stands out is how grounded it all feels. The decisions make sense. The stakes feel real. It trusts the audience to keep up, which is becoming rarer than it should be. In the end, Crime 101 knows exactly what it is. A straight down the line crime story, told properly, without trying to be clever for the sake of it. I give it a three-and-a-half out of five.