Set to be released in theaters and IMAX everywhere on February 13, Crime 101 is a suspense thriller heist film starring Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, and Mark Ruffalo. It’s based on the novel by Don Winslow and directed by Bart Layton.
I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of the film at Regal in New York City last Monday, and of course, with any of these types of releases that I have the pleasure of covering for JoBlo, I went in as blind as possible — and I was absolutely floored by this movie.
Released by MGM/Amazon, you might think this could have been a movie sent straight to streaming on Prime Video, but the studio made the right decision by making this a theatrical experience. Key word: experience.
This film is easily the first great movie of 2026, and quite honestly, I loved it more than any film I watched in 2025. I don’t like giving movies a 10 out of 10 rating because the cinema snob in me hates doing that. I was actively trying to find reasons not to give this film a 10, and as I was watching it, I couldn’t find anything that hinders the movie in any way.
It’s suspenseful throughout. You root for all the characters (which will absolutely make you feel conflicted). The movie unfolds properly as it progresses, and even though it isn’t wall-to-wall action, when the action scenes hit, they’re cranked past eleven. The film also has one of the most satisfying endings I can remember.
So I hope you enjoyed this little mini-review, because I’m urging everyone to see it on February 13.
Chris Hemsworth & Halle Berry Interview
After having one of the best theatrical experiences I can remember, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two of the film’s main stars, Chris Hemsworth (who saw my tweet reaction to the movie and shared it on his social media) and Halle Berry.
We talked about the movie, the action, the cars, and of course their characters. It was wonderful speaking with the two of them, and in the interview you can absolutely see how much fun they had making this film.
And yes… I had to address the elephant in the room. With Avengers: Doomsday coming out in December, I had to ask whether we might see Thor and Storm together, especially since most of the original X-Men are returning for the massive comic book team-up.
Bart Layton on Theatrical vs. Streaming
Due to scheduling conflicts, I wasn’t able to sit down with director Bart Layton in person, but we made it work via Zoom.
Not only did we talk about the film’s cast and action sequences, but we also discussed the importance of releasing this movie in theaters rather than sending it straight to streaming.
Check out the full interview below!
