When life isn’t fair, should you settle your score through some extralegal channel? And, if so, does that make you a bad person?
Questions Asked in Crime 101, a star-packed Amazon Theater release featuring the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, Monica Barbaro, Barry Keoghan, Jennifer Jason Leigh (!), and a guy who looks just like Nick Nolte.
In addition to the many Hollywood A-listers, the movie also features the city of Los Angeles itself, as we travel the city by car and by air, for better or worse, throughout the film. Indeed, the wide, panoramic overhead shots reminded me as much of as Midsommar (poor L) as the camera turned the city upside down–or at least pour something out of it. I’m guessing there is a metaphor there. Not exactly a love letter to the City of Angels, but not hate mail, either.
The movie definitely pays more than a little homage to Robert Altman, interweaving character arcs and story lines for Hemsworth, Berry, and Ruffalo. Hemsworth plays the master criminal with the heart-of-gold, targeting opportunities with minimal risk of violent confrontations. His character is written as the lost child longing to be normal. His non-violent proclivities don’t necessarily square with his enabler (that is Nick Nolte (!)).
Berry, meanwhile, works for a firm that provides personal risk insurance for the types of high-end clients that Hemsworth targets. Although she’s been at it for 11 years, her partnership is in the balance.
And then there’s Ruffalo, the rumpled detective with some strong theories and a low clearance rate, and his theory doesn’t seem to square with his commanding officer. His character arc brings the second major Question Asked — what if, instead of being an infallible homicide detective, Columbo was actually a 21st-century good-but-not-great cop on the LA bunco squad? The answers here are a more than a little unsettling — would he still bowl, or perhaps take up yoga? Would he be a cat person? How about his nephew, Andy Parma? L&D reveled in the Columbo parallels throughout. Ruffalo excels in the role, though I’ve seen him better.
The rest of the cast playing fairly straight-forward supporting roles. Except for Keoghan, who is perfectly cast as the smarmy blond nihlist dude. Unsettling, for sure.
All in all, two big ups from L&D. Probably won’t make the year’s best list, but closer to ***1/2 than **1/2 on the star chart.
L&D Report 