Crime thrillers come and go, but few draw on a literary pedigree that feels inherently cinematic.
When they do, they bring to life the sharp writing of the original material, buoyed by magnetic performances from Hollywood’s finest and the unique lens of a visionary director to build a kind of tension that only really works when you’re sitting in a dark room, fully locked in.
That’s exactly what Crime 101 delivers, and it’s set to hit Australian cinemas exclusively on 12 February.
Based on Don Winslow’s novella of the same name, this is a movie adaptation of a revered work mere years after the book first hit the shelves, pulling in Hollywood heavyweights like Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo, with Barry Keoghan playing a volatile wildcard on the edges, to remind audiences of the inherent thrill of the cinema experience, one insane jewellery heist at a time.
Set against the sun-bleached sprawl of Los Angeles and the unrelenting pull of the 101 freeway, the film follows an elusive jewel thief played by Hemsworth, a man operating by a strict personal code: Never work with addicts. Never get greedy. Never hurt or kill anyone.
His life is defined by a professionalism that, you’d hope, would mean he never gets caught. Without giving anything away, this criminal’s CV quickly begins to unravel as the rules are eventually broken.
Running parallel is a dogged LAPD detective, played by Mark Ruffalo, who has spent years chasing the same man with very little success.
It’s the classic cat-and-mouse play that gives this 2026 title such a hugely compelling narrative. Yet through Winslow’s razor-sharp and tense prose, their duel adds layers of psychological fixation that are simply written to be played out on the biggest screen.
Crime 101 is an unapologetically cinematic and stylish thriller with a steady tension that doesn’t arrive all at once. It creeps in, scene by scene, until the audience is on the edge of their seats and the stakes feel inescapably high.
It’s also the first time we’re really seeing Australian icon Chris Hemsworth fully lean into this flawed antihero role. Of course, we’re no strangers to the stellar IMDb page of one of Australia’s most decorated exports, known more for playing the strapping protagonist ready to save the day.
Yet, in Crime 101, Hemsworth reveals a completely different side. Still smooth, but methodical. His thief is intelligent, disciplined and emotionally armoured, which makes the cracks that appear all the more compelling. Australian audiences will no doubt be left to question how quickly they found themselves rooting for the criminal.
That control begins to fracture when his path crosses with a disillusioned insurance broker, played by Halle Berry, a woman standing at her own personal crossroads after spending years underwriting the excess of Los Angeles’ elite and protecting vast amounts of wealth that was never hers.
Where Hemsworth’s character embodies commitment and control, Berry sits at the opposite end of that spectrum, pragmatic and acutely aware of the compromises required to survive inside the system.
Behind the lens, the film’s writer and director Bart Layton gives Crime 101 its unique edge, with expertly choreographed heists that build an uneasy tension and unpredictable edge long before the first rule is broken.
But that’s no surprise; best known for American Animals and The Imposter, Layton is a natural fit for the material, having built a career exploring criminal psychology and morally flawed characters through his work, and, of particular importance here, heists that hang in the balance.
In Crime 101, the all-star cast, supported by Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte, gives this defining story Hollywood gravitas and scale, turning one of contemporary literature’s most gripping crime novellas into a taut, grown-up thriller that’s destined for the biggest screen imaginable.
We’re only at the start of 2026, but with Crime 101 hitting Australian screens on 12 February, this precise all-action adaptation is quickly shaping up to be the thriller of the year.
