The new movie Crime 101, which just arrived on Prime Video after an underwhelming (and ultimately unprofitable) theatrical run earlier this year, has been discussed primarily in terms of Michael Mann, particularly his seminal crime drama Heat. That makes sense; writer-director Bart Layton obviously reveres Heat, and not just because he’s an over-30 dude who likes movies. This particular movie is a tribute to the bygone era of muscular yet unhurried thrillers unabashedly aimed at adults; it hardly needs a Mann level of technical sophistication to feel like a breath of fresh air. And Layton does find some contemporary notes in the well-worn trope of the seasoned criminal professional with a code of ethics and a penchant for rigorous planning; Chris Hemsworth (applying his experience from Mann’s decidedly weirder cyber-thriller Blackhat) plays that type as a rise-and-grid loner with more than a touch of social awkwardness.
But the real difference-maker,
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