There’s something electric about watching two powerhouses finally face off. This time they are not in capes or in a multiverse, but on opposite sides of the law. Crime 101, the upcoming Amazon heist thriller, throws Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo into a gritty cat-and-mouse game that blurs every moral line in sight. And if the trailer is any indication, we’re in for a sleek, high-tension ride along Los Angeles’ most unpredictable battleground, the 101 freeway.
Directed by Bart Layton (American Animals), the film isn’t interested in cheap thrills. It’s the kind of story that breathes danger and charisma in equal measure, wrapped in sun-drenched heat and freeway noise. And with Hemsworth producing, Ruffalo chasing, and Halle Berry stepping in to complicate the game, Crime 101 feels more like a chess match with guns than your average cops-and-robbers story.
Hemsworth steps into the role of Davis, a career thief who moves through the city like a ghost, sharp, disciplined and utterly unfazed. His heists are quick, surgical and almost poetic in their precision. He doesn’t leave chaos behind, but he does leave a question mark. You can practically hear the gears turning as he blends into freeway traffic, a man who’s mastered the art of disappearing in plain sight.
But there’s one man who’s starting to see the pattern. Mark Ruffalo plays Detective Lubesnick, a cop who’s spent too many nights staring at maps, tracing routes and looking for rhythm in randomness. He’s not chasing a criminal, he’s trying to decode a mind. Ruffalo gives Lubesnick a quiet intensity, the kind of cop who doesn’t raise his voice, but somehow still makes the room feel smaller.
And then there’s Halle Berry as Sharon, an insurance broker who’s drawn into the storm. Smart, composed and clearly aware that she’s playing with fire. Her connection to Davis feels personal, dangerous, maybe even mutual. In Crime 101, trust isn’t a currency, it’s a weapon.
From the first scene, the trailer oozes tension. Hemsworth’s Davis cruises the LA freeway, sunglasses on, voice calm but almost detached. The camera doesn’t treat him like a hero or a villain. He’s more like something in between. The lighting flickers between golden dusk and the artificial glow of city headlights, like the story itself can’t decide what’s pure and what’s tainted. Ruffalo’s voice-over cuts through like gravel: “I’m getting close.” It’s not a threat, it’s a promise. Each line lands heavy, setting the tone for a chase that feels less about bullets and more about psychology.
And then there’s Berry, holding her own with that quiet confidence that only she can deliver. “What have you read about me?” she asks, and Davis smiles, just slightly. It’s the kind of exchange that makes you wonder who’s really reading whom.
What makes Crime 101 stand out isn’t just its cast, it’s the way it treats crime as intellect, not impulse. Davis doesn’t steal for money, he steals because he can. Lubesnick doesn’t chase for justice, he chases for clarity. And Sharon doesn’t choose sides, she survives between them. Here, Los Angeles is a living, breathing character. The 101 freeway becomes the film’s pulse. A stretch of concrete where morality and momentum collide. Every frame looks sun-soaked but cold, glamorous yet empty. It’s the perfect playground for people who think they can outsmart the system.
Bart Layton, who turned true crime into visual poetry with American Animals, brings that same unnerving realism here. He doesn’t glamorise the heist, he humanises it. You feel the adrenaline, the quiet calculation, the moment before everything unravels. Crime 101 isn’t about good versus evil, it’s about control. Who has it, who loses it, and who’s pretending they never wanted it in the first place. With its sleek cinematography, sharp dialogue, and morally murky characters, this Amazon thriller looks ready to bring brains and tension back to the heist genre.
Set to hit Prime Video on February 13, 2026, the film promises not just action but atmosphere in a stylish game of pursuit where every move counts. And if this trailer is anything to go by, Hemsworth and Ruffalo are about to remind us why some rivalries don’t need superpowers to feel epic.
