Crime 101

With a February release date, one is skeptical of films like this. Big Hollywood names starring in a heist thriller - either this didn't test well with audiences or the studio thought they had a dud on their hands. I'm not sure. What I do know is it's rare to have a film this good come out at this time of year. When I saw the trailer for Crime 101 I thought it was the trailer for Heat 2, which is apparently coming. This is not it, but it could be. Drive, Dragged Across Concrete, The Dark Knight, Hell or High Water, Emily the Criminal, and The Accountant, are all examples of contemporary crime dramas, and they are all excellent. Add Crime 101 to this list. Chris Hemsworth plays a calculating jewel thief. Mark Ruffalo plays the cop who is trying to catch him. Mark Ruffalo seems to be born to play detectives (Zodiac, Task) with his Columbo-bed-head of locs. If there ever were to be a Columbo reboot, this man is a shoo-in. Then there Barry Keoghan who plays a competing thief. Nick Nolte plays the big bad guy boss. I was happy to see Payman Maadi from the Iranian film, A Separation. Jennifer Jason Leigh shows up for two glorious minutes - she is delightful. And finally there is Halle Berry. To those folks who hand out little statues to actors at the end of the year during award season, please don't forget Halle Berry for her role here - she was fantastic. I loved this film from the opening upside-down shot. The pounding soundtrack will keep your pulse up. The characters and dialogue are are well crafted and fully formed. This is a banger. Lose your getaway car at the movie theatre parking lot and go see this on the big screen. If that's too risky, then plan your next video heist at Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

Task

It's no easy task (see what I did there) to make a limited series this good. It's exceptional. HBO's Task is a seven-part crime drama starring Mark Ruffalo as Tom, a former priest turned FBI agent. He is pulled off his desk job as a job-fair career-recruiter to lead a task force. His boss (Martha Plimpton) is short-staffed and needs Tom, even though he's going through a dark family time. He is to lead a four-person task force to track a gang of bandits who are knocking off drug houses, owned by a motorcycle club called the Dark Hearts (a Hells Angels type club). The other half of the show is Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) who is performing these robberies. There are a lot of moving parts to this show and many characters, so pay attention. The thing that distinguishes it from other crime-dramas is its level of emotional depth. The characters here are fully formed, 3D people, flawed and real. The writing is exceptional. I have loved Ruffalo since I laid eyes on him in You Can Count on Me. I think this is one of his best performances to date - an ex-priest who has lost his faith and his ability to forgive. And Tom Pelphrey, who I'm not as familiar with is equally great as a man who is trying to provide for his family but is out of his depth. This is a show about family, commitment, loss, redemption, and love. The ending of this series left me in tears. I recommend you step up and perform this Task immediately. Catch it streaming on HBO/CRAVE or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.