First Look at Bart Layton’s ‘Crime 101’ Starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan

Here’s our first look at Bart Layton’s “Crime 101” which stars Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Monica Barbaro. The film, which releases in February, is based off of Don Winslow’s short story of the same name.

Winslow’s source material is said to have “shades of [Michael Mann’s] Heat” as it follows high-level jewel thefts that are taking place up and down the Pacific Coast, which police have linked to Colombian cartels. Detective Lou Lubesnick has other ideas, and he zeroes in on one perp, a thief looking for a final score.

Winslow’s track record on screen has been a mixed bag at best. “The Death and Life of Bobby Z” was a clunky mid-2000s actioner starring Paul Walker, while Oliver Stone’s “Savages” was flashier and more ambitious, but hampered by tonal chaos. Over the years, filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, and James Mangold have all tried, and failed, to develop Winslow’s novels to the screen. So far, Hollywood hasn’t quite cracked the code. Maybe Layton finally will.

One point of concern: February is usually a dumping ground for studios to release weaker films — so why is this one coming out so early in the year? It has a hell of an ensemble, and Layton’s last film (“American Animals”) was well-reviewed and went on to build a solid streaming following. Just food for thought.

It’s been seven years since Layton last directed a film, “American Animals,” which also starred Keoghan, and that one depicted a book heist. His other feature directing cred is 2012’s acclaimed documentary, “The Imposter.” He clearly takes his time in between projects, but hopefully this one will be worth the wait.

You can find the exclusive images below (via Esquire). “Crime 101” is set to debut in theaters February 13 via Amazon/MGM Studios.