Crime 101 writer-director Bart Layton reveals his Mount Rushmore of crime genre movies: 'they're endlessly brilliant and rewatchable'

Crime 101 is ready to stake its claim for a place in the pantheon of crime films.

One of 2026's crop of new movies, Crime 101, based on Don Winslow's novella namesake, is billed as a seat-gripping heist thriller that might make for a perfect date night this coming Valentine's Day weekend. And, with Marvel actors Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, and Barry Keoghan among its A-list cast, it's certainly got the star power to get bums on seats.

According to writer-director Bart Layton, though, Crime 101's true ace up the sleeve is its nostalgia factor. Raised on a healthy diet of neo-noir, action thriller and crime-comedy films, Layton is nothing if not a crime-genre disciple.