Before Crime 101, Director Bart Layton Made An Underseen Inventive Crime Thriller

Director Bart Layton figures to make a name for himself with his latest crime thriller, "Crime 101." It features a star-studded cast headlined by Chris Hemsworth ("Thor"), Halle Berry ("The Union"), and Mark Ruffalo ("Task"). It's been a long time coming, as Layton hasn't directed a movie for eight years. For those who want more after soaking this one in, fortunately, Layton made another outstanding crime flick several years ago, one that was woefully underseen in its day.

"Crime 101" centers on an elusive jewel thief (Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway has mystified police. He eyes the score of a lifetime with the help of a disillusioned insurance broker (Berry) as a relentless detective (Ruffalo) is closing in. /Film's Chris Evangelista called "Crime 101" an "enjoyable crime thriller throwback" in his review. This is going to put his work on a lot of people's radar.

His previous narrative feature effort was also in the crime genre and takes the form of 2018's "American Animals," a quasi-true story about an audacious real-life heist. It centers on four friends who live an ordinary existence. But after a visit to Transylvania University, they came up with the idea to steal the most valuable books from the library. What results is a fascinating, wholly unique cinematic look at one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history.

At the time of its release, the movie was largely ignored in theaters, making just $4 million at the box office. This, despite the fact that it was very much embraced by critics, currently boasts an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It may not quite be one of the all-time great best heist movies, but it's easily one of the most underrated.

"American Animals" also features a star-studded cast headlined by Evan Peters ("Monster"), Barry Keoghan ("Saltburn"), Blake Jenner ("Paradise City"), and Jared Abrahamson ("The Penguin"), who play the real-life criminals behind the heist. The late, great Udo Kier was also on board. Keoghan also stars in "Crime 101," making for a reunion.

Part of what makes this movie so interesting is that it incorporates the real-life criminals via documentary footage, making for something wholly unique. Writer/director Bart Layton, in an interview with /Film about "American Animals" in 2018, explained how he arrived at the unique concept after corresponding with the boys in jail:

"I thought, 'Is there a way to include them in the film in a way that it definitely isn't in any shape or form a documentary, but it also isn't just that classic thing that we've all seen a million times?' Which is, you see the caption 'based on a true story' at the front, and then at the end, you see a bunch of photographs of the real people. It's such a cop out."

The result is engrossing, with all of the elements one wants from a heist movie, presented in a way we've never quite seen before. Layton came from the world of documentaries and had a knack for blending that footage with the narrative seamlessly to make something truly distinctive.

What went wrong in 2018? MoviePass signed on to distribute the movie at precisely the wrong time. This was when MoviePass was in the midst of a downfall that was worse than you ever realized. It was the right movie in the wrong hands. Now feels like the perfect time to circle back to this overlooked gem.

"Crime 101" is in theaters now.