We’re three weeks away from Bart Layton’s “Crime 101” hitting theaters. The film, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Monica Barbaro, is based on Don Winslow’s short story of the same name — here’s the recently released trailer.
A few days ago, “Crime 101” was officially stamped with an R rating by the MPA — and more intriguingly, I’m hearing the film clocks in at a hefty 145 minutes. Considering the novella it’s based on is just 50 pages long, they’ve really stretched this story. Director Bart Layton is best known for two films: the documentary “The Imposter” and the indie heist drama “American Animals.”
Winslow’s source material is said to have “shades of [Michael Mann’s] Heat,” as it follows high-level jewel thefts 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 for the screen. So far, Hollywood hasn’t quite cracked the code. Maybe Layton finally will.