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Naturally, Chris Hemsworth is mostly well-known for his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he’s also excelled in a few other arenas. For one, there’s comedy, which has always been an integral element of his work as Thor. But outside of Thor he’s also been the one gut-busting element of some admittedly weak members of the comedy genre, e.g. Ghostbusters and Vacation. But like comedy and super heroics, Hemsworth has shown himself to be a natural in crime capers. And now, he’s proved that even further with the release of Crime 101, based on the excellent short novel by Don Winslow, the best part of his collection Broken.
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The question is, of the four crime movies of which Hemsworth has been a part thus far, which is the best? Is it Crime 101?
4) Ca$h
Ca$h is very much one of those extremely bland crime thrillers that wasn’t nearly good enough to secure theatrical distribution, so it ended up in Redbox kiosks instead. And, really, the only reason it even got that was because Hemsworth was in the middle of blowing up, as this came out in between his bit role in Star Trek and his MCU debut as Thor.
It’s a movie with an uninvolving plot that doesn’t justify its runtime. Hemsworth is left stranded as an overwritten yet simultaneously bland character who is never given anything interesting to do. Not even Sean Bean can excel in a villain role.
Stream Ca$h on Hulu.
3) Blackhat
It was nice to have Michael Mann and his neon-lit, atmospheric music trademarks, but Blackhat is sadly no Thief, Manhunter, Heat, or Collateral. However, it is better than his cinematic adaptation of his own Miami Vice.
Unless you absolutely love the world of cybercrime, it’s going to be very hard to feel but so involved in Blackhat. It moves at a snail’s pace, has a relative dearth of action sequences, and suffers from muddled storytelling that loses the viewer more often than it keeps them engaged. It’s not a movie with many fans and, considering just how hard it tanked at the box office (it wasn’t the easiest thing to market to a wide audience), it wasn’t a movie worth making, even if it does feel timely here and there.
Stream Blackhat on Prime Video.
2) Crime 101
For fans of Winslow’s works, Crime 101 is particularly well-regarded. It tells a consistently compelling story and builds a crew of likable, believable characters in about 55 pages. Even still, excellent novellas (or short novels, as Winslow puts it) don’t always make for excellent movies, which is why the generally solid reviews for the cinematic adaptation proved to be a pleasant surprise.
And the reviews are well-earned, because all of the expansions Burt Layton’s movie makes to the source materials are worthy ones. We feel the central quartet’s goals and wants intertwining more here. And, while the subplot with Monica Barbaro’s Maya feels to some as though it’s shoehorned in, it helps flesh out Hemsworth’s Davis from a short story character to a big screen protagonist. There are more Winslow adaptations on its way (including The Force)…here’s hoping they keep this enjoyable ball rolling.
1) Bad Times at the El Royale
Drew Goddard has directed two movies and both of them have made excellent use of Hemsworth. In The Cabin in the Woods, his death marked a shift from “We’re in a typical slasher” to “Oh, we are most definitely not in a typical slasher.” In Bad Times at the El Royale, he’s relegated to the third act, but when he arrives, he arrives with a bang.
As charismatic cult leader Billy Lee, Hemsworth makes you understand why people would follow him. He’s alluring, captivating and, when he wants to be, terrifying. But Bad Times doesn’t rank as one of Hemsworth’s best films just because of him. It’s also a wonderful recreation of the ’60s and features an almost labyrinthine plot that never loses the viewer’s focus. It was also something of a breakthrough for Cynthia Erivo, Lewis Pullman, and Cailee Spaeny. That factor alone is more than enough to make it important.
What is your favorite Hemsworth crime movie? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
