Crime 101 (2026)

Crime 101 — Release Date: 13 February 2026.
Written and directed by Bart Layton, starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry, and Monica Barbaro. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Raw, Working Title Films, and The Story Factory, the film is an American crime thriller adapted from Don Winslow’s 2010 novella of the same name.

Set within the disciplined, rule-bound world of high-end crime, Crime 101 explores the collision between meticulous criminal methodology and relentless law enforcement pursuit. The story is rooted in a code—an informal but rigid set of principles governing how professional criminals operate to avoid detection. When a series of crimes threatens to violate that code, attention turns to a small circle of suspects who understand that deviation invites collapse.

At the centre of the narrative is Mike Davis, a figure operating within this carefully controlled ecosystem, whose actions draw the scrutiny of veteran detective Lou Lubesnick. As the investigation deepens, the film traces the tightening net between hunter and hunted, emphasising observation, patience, and psychological pressure over spectacle. The tension arises not from excess violence, but from the erosion of control as rules begin to fail.

Bart Layton’s adaptation favours restraint and precision, aligning with Don Winslow’s stripped-down approach to crime storytelling. The film’s structure foregrounds process—surveillance, pattern recognition, and incremental escalation—allowing character behaviour to drive momentum. Law enforcement is portrayed as methodical rather than heroic, while criminality is framed as a fragile system sustained by discipline and secrecy.

The ensemble cast supports a layered narrative populated by investigators, intermediaries, and figures operating on the margins of legality. Their interactions form a network of competing motives, alliances, and pressures, reinforcing the film’s interest in systems rather than individual dominance. Performances are calibrated toward realism, with emphasis placed on verbal exchanges, silences, and moral fatigue.

Shot in Los Angeles, Crime 101 uses its urban setting as a functional backdrop rather than a stylised character, reflecting the film’s procedural focus. Edited by Jacob Secher Schulsinger, the pacing mirrors the incremental logic of the investigation itself.

Positioned as a grounded crime thriller, Crime 101 prioritises tension built through structure, discipline, and inevitability. The film continues Bart Layton’s interest in blurred ethical boundaries and institutional behaviour, offering a controlled, character-driven study of crime governed by rules—and the consequences when those rules are tested.