An elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) meticulously plans his last heist with the insider help of a disillusioned insurance evaluator. Meanwhile, a relentless police detective closes in for the bust while the guy’s handler/fence grooms a hothead to take over the territory.

If this sounds familiar, the scenario has been tapped dozens of times since Michael Mann made Heat back in 1995. Nothing wrong with that. Hell, even Mann revisits it from time to time (Heat 2 is in pre-production).

Let’s talk about Hemsworth. He’s a good-looking guy but, and I hate to be mean (no I don’t), but his acting makes Keanu look like Oscar material. His woodenness sucks all the life out of every scene he’s in, which is most of them.

But he’s given much-needed help by a charismatic supporting cast that includes Mark Ruffalo (channeling “Columbo”) as the cop, Halle Berry as the insurance person, and none other than Nick Nolte as the fence (basically a cameo).  

Though hitting below their weight, these pros elevate the material to the watchable if not exactly memorable. But I was a tad dismayed at seeing the talented Irish actor Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inishirin, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) cast as the violent hothead. Jeez, anyone could to that.

The source material is a novel by Don Winslow, an author I enjoy. He’s done better. Bottom line: a languid, expertly made and (mostly) well-acted popcorn crime caper that offers decent suspense, good pacing and action set pieces that you will immediately forget. The cop-out ending is contrived and lame. Note: the “101” does not refer to a beginner’s course in how to do crimes (though it is pretty basic, derivative, even), but a reference to the thief’s MO of hitting targets along California’s scenic north-south highway. (139 min)