“Crime 101” Is a Moody Exercise in Michael Mann Lite

In the absorbing new thriller “Crime 101,” a man tells a woman that, if she wants to get in touch with him, all she has to do is post a beach pic to her Instagram account. Circumstances require that they keep their interactions a secret, and this will be their way of communicating in code. The film itself, which is set in Los Angeles, is replete with coastal imagery, though what these visuals signal isn’t especially cryptic: for all three of its protagonists, the beach is either a dreamed-of destination or a cherished refuge. A slippery jewel thief, Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth), hides out in a luxury apartment overlooking the Pacific. Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), a Los Angeles Police Department veteran, aspires to have an ocean view himself one day, which comes as no surprise to Sharon Coombs (Halle Berry), an insurance broker he’s meeting with. “Why else,” she asks, “would anybody want to live in this town?”