Crime 101: "The movie is about the haves and the have‑nots, and about the pressure to be “somebody,” this endless pursuit of status and where that can land you."

vHopeful Conversations Podcast · Mar 17, 2026 · 44m

In this vHopeful Conversation, Vanessa Hope talks with writer‑director Bart Layton about his new L.A. noir thriller Crime 101, exploring how a Don Winslow short story became a “ripping yarn” about status, corruption, and the haves and have‑nots in contemporary Los Angeles. They dig into Layton’s documentary‑driven research process, the visual language inspired by 1970s cinema and Gordon Parks, and how he crafted complex characters for Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry that both honor and subvert classic noir archetypes.

Get full access to Dream of a Better World at…