Movie: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Caution Spoiler Alert

 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Came out; 2017

Time; 1 hours 55 Minutes

Watched: HBO Max

Rated: R for violence, language throughout and some sexual references

IMDB Rating; 8.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 90%

Popcorn Meter 87%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Frances McDormand as Mildred

Woody Harrelson as Willoughby

Sam Rockwell as Dixon

Caleb Landry Jones as Red Welby

Sandy Martin as Momma Dixon

Peter Dinklage as James

Story Line;

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI is a dark comedy/crime drama from Academy Award nominee, Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner, Frances McDormand) makes a bold move; she rents three billboards leading into her town, each with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby (Academy Award nominee, Woody Harrelson), the town's revered chief of police. And when Jason Dixon (Academy Award winner, Sam Rockwell), one of Willoughby's officers--an immature mama's boy with a penchant for alcohol and violence--gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated

Thoughts:

She's credited in the very bottom, but Samara Weaving has a small part in this movie which she nails. She is the reason why this movie was even on our radar

In light of the subject matter this movie was funny and series at the same time.

It had such a “bad thing happened in a small town” feel, where the police aren't great at solving “real” crimes.

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) is grieving the sexual assault and murder of her teenage daughter Angela (Kathryn Newton) seven months prior. Angry over the lack of progress in the investigation, she rents three abandoned billboards near her home, which in sequence read "R***D WHILE DYING", "AND STILL NO ARRESTS?", and "HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?" The 3 Billboards are right next to the road as it enters the town of Ebbing, one after the other. It is impossible for anyone entering the town not to see the Billboards or what is written on them. The Billboards had been last rented out in 1986.

Mildred approaches Red, the owner of the Billboards and understands the laws around what can or cannot be said on the Billboards. She rests the Billboards for a year and pays Red $5000 as rent for the first month.

The billboards upset the townspeople, including Sheriff Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) and racist officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell). They attract attention, so Bill Willoughby, the local chief of police, visits Mildred, but is unable to persuade her to take them down, even by revealing he has terminal pancreatic cancer.

Willoughby is a good man, but Mildred is not willing to let the matter slide. Willoughby says that he cannot do anything as the DNA found on Angela's body does not match any known criminal nationwide and there is not even a single eyewitness. Mildred wants the DNA of every person in the town tested to find the killer. Willoughby says that citizen civil rights do not allow for that, and the killer could also simply be passing by the town. He renews his efforts to solve the case but does not get anywhere.

Many townspeople are upset by the billboards, including Jason Dixon. Mildred and her depressed son Robbie (Lucas Hedges) are harassed and threatened, but she stays firm, to Robbie's chagrin. Robbie is subjected to bullying at school on account of the Billboards. Father Montgomery (Nick Searcy) admonishes Mildred for abandoning church and says that the whole town supports her on Angela, but nobody supports her in her campaign against Willoughby. Mildred accuses Montgomery of being culpable for the actions of the Church (including priests having underage sex with boys), and compared the Church to a street gang and a club where the members protect each other.

While Willoughby is sympathetic to Mildred's frustration, he finds the billboards an unfair attack on his character. Angered by Mildred's lack of respect for his authority, Dixon threatens Red (Caleb Landry Jones), who rented her the billboards, and arrests her friend and coworker, Denise (Amanda Warren), on trivial marijuana-possession charges.

The billboards have further strained Mildred's relationship with her son, Robbie, and she recalls that her last interaction with Angela was an argument (during which she lashed back by saying she "hoped she was sexually assaulted"). Her abusive ex-cop ex-husband Charlie ((John Hawkes) confronts her about the billboards and ends up revealing that, shortly before Angela's murder, he had turned down her request to come live with him. Charlie blames Mildred for their daughter's death.

Mildred's dentist is sympathetic to Willoughby and menaces her during an appointment (by trying to extract her tooth without any painkillers), so she drills a hole in his thumbnail. Willoughby brings her in for questioning. Milred maintains that she did not attack the dentist and that his hand slipped and he injured himself. During the interview, Willoughby coughs up blood. He has her released and is hospitalized. He leaves the hospital against medical advice and spends an idyllic day with his wife Anne (Abbie Cornish) and daughters, before committing suicide to spare his family from watching him die slowly.

Before his death, Willoughby wrote several letters, including one to Mildred. Anne delivers it, interrupting an unknown man who was menacing Mildred at work. In the letter, Willoughby tells Mildred that she was not a factor in his suicide, asserts he was dedicated to finding Angela's killer and reveals he secretly paid to keep the billboards up another month.

Dixon reacts to the news of Willoughby's death by assaulting Red Welby and his assistant. This is witnessed by Willoughby's replacement, Abercrombie (Clarke Peters), who fires him.

The billboards are destroyed by arson. Mildred retaliates by tossing Molotov cocktails at the police station, which she believes is unoccupied for the night. However, Dixon is there to read a letter left for him by Willoughby, advising him to let go of hate and learn to love as the only way to realize his wish to become a detective. Dixon escapes with Angela's case files, suffering severe burns.

Mildred's acquaintance James (Peter Dinklage) witnesses the incident and provides Mildred with an alibi, claiming they were on a date. Dixon is put in the same hospital room as Red, to whom he apologizes.

Discharged from the hospital, Dixon overhears the man who threatened Mildred bragging in a bar of an incident similar to Angela's murder. He notes the Idaho license plate number of the man's vehicle, then scratches the man's face to get a DNA sample, passively accepting the resulting beating. At home, he removes a sample of the man's DNA.

Meanwhile, Mildred goes on a date to thank James for the alibi. Charlie enters with his 19-year old girlfriend Penelope (Samara Weaving), and admits to burning the billboards. Mildred instructs Charlie to treat Penelope well and leaves. Unnerved that she retaliated against the wrong target, Mildred abruptly calls off the date, but James misinterprets her decision as embarrassment to be seen with him and leaves the restaurant incensed.

Abercrombie informs Dixon that the DNA sample is not a match and the man was overseas on military duty at the time of Angela's death. Dixon gives Mildred the disappointing news and, believing the man to be guilty of some other sexual assault, the pair plan a trip to Idaho to kill him. As they set out, Mildred confesses that she set the police station on fire, which Dixon had already assumed. They both express uncertainty about their mission, but Mildred says they can decide what to do along the way

Sources

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Movie: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Caution Spoiler Alert

 

The Fantastic Four: Final Steps

Came out; 2025

Time; 1 hours 55 Minutes

Watched: Disney Plus

Rated: PG-13 for action/violence and some language

IMDB Rating; 6.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 86%

Popcorn Meter 90%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards

Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm

Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm

Ralph Ineson as Galactus

Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal ~ Silver Surfer

Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman

Story Line;

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic herald, then Silver Surfer. And if Galactus' plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren't bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal

Thoughts:

I really liked the Gothic, Tim Burton style feels of this one

It also reminded me of the movie The Incredible s with the superhero's cast out

It was both original movies in one with some different story lines mixed in

It wasn't bad, the graphics were good but the CGI for Ben looked weird

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

On Earth-828 in 1964, the world celebrates the fourth anniversary of astronauts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm becoming the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four after they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission. Since then, the team have become celebrities and fought supervillains, while Reed's inventions have progressed technology and Sue's diplomacy via the Future Foundation has led to demilitarization and peace for much of the world. When Reed and Sue reveal that they are expecting a child, the world prepares for the new arrival and questions whether the child will also have superpowers.

Months later, the Silver Surfer comes to Earth and declares that it has been marked for destruction by Galactus, a planet-devouring cosmic being. Reed studies the disappearance of other planets and verifies this claim, and the team decides to return to space to stop Galactus from coming to Earth. They track the Silver Surfer's energy signature and, using faster-than-light (FTL) travel, arrive at a new planet just as it is destroyed by Galactus's ship. The team is captured and brought to Galactus, who reveals that he has an insatiable hunger that has driven him to consume planets for eons. Galactus senses that Reed and Sue's unborn child has an immense cosmic power and could take on his hunger, freeing himself from it. He offers to spare Earth in exchange for the child, and induces Sue to go into labor. The team refuses the offer and escapes from the ship. Using the gravity from a neutron star, which destroys their FTL system, the team delays the chasing Silver Surfer and propels themselves back to Earth. Sue gives birth to a boy, Franklin, on the way.

On their return to Earth a month later, Reed reveals the details of their encounter during a press conference. Their decision to save one child over the billions of other people on Earth leads to a public outcry, with many calling for Franklin to be sacrificed to Galactus. Johnny begins to decipher the Silver Surfer's native language using his interactions with her and some deep space transmissions Reed intercepted from her planet. They also have transmissions from planets that Galactus destroyed. As Galactus draws near and protests against the Fantastic Four escalate, Sue takes Franklin to meet with protesters. She explains that they will not sacrifice their child, but they will also not give up on the rest of humanity, regaining public trust. Using a teleportation system that he has been working on, Reed devises a plan to build large teleportation bridges across Earth so they can transport the entire planet to another solar system where Galactus cannot reach them. Through the Future Foundation, Sue organizes the world's nations to build the bridges and conserve the energy needed to use them.

As the bridges are being activated, the Silver Surfer returns and begins destroying them. Johnny stops her from destroying the last bridge in Times Square and reveals what he learned from the transmissions: her name is Shalla-Bal and she became Galactus's herald to spare her world, Zenn-La. Hearing transmissions from planets she helped destroy, Shalla-Bal expresses remorse but refuses to help and flees. Using Franklin as bait, the team plans to lure Galactus to the last bridge and teleport him away. Sue negotiates with Harvey Elder to evacuate New York City's citizens to Subterranea, his underground city. Galactus makes his way through the city and captures Franklin, avoiding the trap. Sue uses all of her power to push him towards the portal with a force field while Reed rescues Franklin. Johnny attempts to sacrifice himself to give Galactus a final push into the portal, but is stopped by Shalla-Bal. She pushes Galactus into the portal herself and it closes behind them. Sue dies from her efforts, but is revived by Franklin. The team later goes on a new mission as the world celebrates their fifth anniversary.

In a mid-credits scene set four years later, Sue is reading to Franklin at home and goes to get a different book. She returns to see him interacting with a man in a green cloak who is holding a metal mask

Sources

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Movie: The Running Man (2025) Caution Spoiler Alert

 

The Running Man

Came out; 2025

Time; 2 hours 13 Minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rated: R for strong violence, some gore and language

IMDB Rating; 6.4/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 61%

Popcorn Meter 77%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Glen Powell as Ben Richards

Alyssa & Sienna Benn as Cathy Richards

David Zayas as Richard Manuel

Grey Townley as Decker

Karl Glusman as Frank

Story Line;

A desperate contestant enters a globally broadcast death game where hired killers track participants across international borders. Cameras document every chase, every near miss, every kill. Audiences vote, sponsors intervene, and survival becomes performance art. The hunted runs while the world watches, entertains itself, and waits for the inevitable collapse of flesh against choreography

Thoughts:

This was ok. It wasn't my favorite

Quit different than the original and the book, but it turned out to be decent

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

In the near future, the United States is ruled by the Network, an authoritarian media network. Most viewers live in poverty with little access to healthcare, and the Network placates the masses with trashy, violent game shows and reality television. The most popular program is The Running Man, hosted by Bobby Thompson, in which "runners" can win $1 billion by surviving 30 days while being hunted down by the Network's five hunters, led by the mysterious Evan McCone, as well as ordinary citizens. Given $1,000 and a 12-hour head start, runners are required to film themselves every day, or else forfeit their earnings but still be hunted.

Ben Richards, a blue-collar worker in the slums of Co-Op City, is unable to afford flu medicine for his two-year-old daughter, Cathy, after being blacklisted for union activism. Ben tries out for the Network, intending to join a less dangerous show, but is unexpectedly chosen for The Running Man along with Tim Jansky and Jenni Laughlin. Executive producer Dan Killian convinces Ben to join by offering him a safe house for his family and an advance for Cathy's medication. As the hunt begins, Ben acquires disguises and travels to New York City. Checking into a hotel in disguise, Ben watches the live feed of hunters killing Tim. As he flees to Boston, Ben begins to experience paranoia that gradually gets worse as the hunt continues.

In Boston, the hunters and soldiers track Ben to a hostel and shoot at him, leading to an explosion that kills eight soldiers. Anti-Network activist Bradley Throckmorton shelters Ben at his home, attempting to expose the Network's propaganda and deceit. Ben sends a video denouncing their action, but the broadcast content is replaced with a foul-mouthed deepfake of Ben, angering the public including Bradley's mother, who kicks him out of the house.

Bradley sends Ben to Derry, Maine, to meet Elton Parrakis, a fellow activist who prepares to lead Ben to a bunker for the remainder of his run. Ben stops Elton's mother from alerting the authorities, but Elton does so anyway, dispatching them with booby traps to avenge his father. Ben and Elton flee in a buggy, but McCone kills Elton. Ben crashes the buggy into another Hunter on a bridge and escapes into the river below. Jenni is killed, leaving Ben as the sole remaining contestant, while his survival has earned the support of the poor and working class.

Traveling north, Ben discovers that a land development has paved over the bunker. Escaping surveillance drones, he commandeers a passing car and takes the wealthy driver, Amelia Williams, hostage. Amelia realizes the truth about the Network's propaganda after seeing televised deepfakes of herself and agrees to help Ben. Reaching an airfield, they take off in a jet to Canada, guarded by McCone. Killian calls to offer Ben his own show as the Network's newest hunter if he kills McCone and the remaining hunters, broadcasting footage of them murdering Sheila and Cathy to drum up support for Ben.

Enraged, Ben kills the hunters posing as the flight crew, and McCone reveals himself as a former runner who took Killian's deal after nearly winning the first season. Killing McCone, Ben sends Amelia to safety with a parachute and Elton's revolutionary pamphlets. Killian gives Ben the chance to accept his new show on live TV, but Ben instead pleads for viewers to hunt down Killian and his fellow executives. The Network redirects the jet to their headquarters, airing a deepfake of Ben threatening to crash into the building, and the plane is shot down.

Sometime later, Bradley posts a video disputing the network's story, revealing that the plane's black box was recovered with an unaltered recording of Ben's conversations with Killian, inciting a rebellion against the network. Ben, who survived due to the plane's auto-eject function, has become the face of the revolution and reunites with his family, whose deaths were faked by Killian. As the next season of The Running Man begins, Bobby senses the audience's hostility and quits, leaving Killian to host. As a riot breaks out, Ben emerges from the crowd and shoots Killian.

Sources

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Lady Gaga & Mall of America (MOA)

 Has there ever been that one artist that you just have to see?

That's been Lady Gaga for me. I just love everything about her. She talented as a triple threat: She can sing, dance, play instruments and act! Ok, so that's more than triple but you get the idea. 

I didn't actively follow her. We were having a conversation at the bar one night and I was asked who my bucket list concert was: That was easy for me, Lady Gaga

A google search found The Mayhem Ball Tour in St Paul Minnesota, which is 4 hours away and from there, tickets were purchased and a plan was made for April 9, 2026. 

The drive there was like nothing, we spent hours at the MOA and checked into our VBRO house. From there my daughter and I were dropped off at The Grand Casino

Our show was set to start at 8, we were a little nervous since she had cancelled her last day in Montreal Canada due to being sick. The show started at 830 and went on as planned

The feeling of being there was absolutely amazing and literally brought tears to my eyes. We had "cheap seats" so we were side stage in the nosebleeds, but I don't regret a thing about that. This was high energy from the jump and Lady Gaga proved that age is just a number!

My phone wasn't working right in the dark, but please enjoy my pictures!

Here are some MOA Pictures: Mostly from Sea Life

The super funny rules from our VBRO House

Hopefully my video's will add. My phone kept giving me issues (probably because it's an IPhone 13 lol) if you'd like to watch the actual concert from someone much closer, please check out: Live Music - YouTube

Movie; Anaconda (2026) Caution Spoiler Alert

 

Anaconda

Came out; 2025

Time; 1 hours 39 Minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: PG-13 for violence/action, strong language and some drug use and suggestive references

IMDB Rating; 5.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 47%

Popcorn Meter 75%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Jack Black as Doug McCallister

Paul Rudd as Ronald Griffin Jr

Steven Zahn as Kenny Trent

Thandiwe Newton as Claire Simons

Daniela Melchior as Ana Almeida

Selton Mello as Santiago

Ice Cube as Himself

Jennifer Lopez as Herself

Story Line;

Four film obsessives drag themselves into the Amazon on a shoestring dream: make a spiritual sequel to a schlocky 90s horror classic nobody asked for. Doug is the engine, a guy whose genuine talent has been slowly suffocating under wedding reception footage. Griff has the rights and the actor's hunger but not much else. The rain-forest is indifferent. The snake is absent. What the film is really about is the distance between loving movies and actually making one, and whether passion alone can paper over every logistical, financial, and interpersonal crack that opens up the moment you leave home with a camera and a bad plan

Thoughts:

This was so much better than I expected!

Yes, it's named Anaconda, Yes, it has giant fake snakes like the original movie did but there's so much of a throw back to it. I thought this movie was hilarious

The ending was perfect and exactly how it should have been

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

Childhood friends Doug McCallister, Ronald "Griff" Griffin, Kenny Trent, and Claire Simons are all dissatisfied with the way their lives have gone. When Griff, a television actor struggling to find work at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, reveals that he has obtained the rights to one of their favorite films, Anaconda, the group secures a loan and travels to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil to make a low-budget indie version of the film.

The group are joined by Ana Almeida, a woman who claims to be the daughter of the boat rental operator they've been working with. While shooting, Griff accidentally kills Heitor, the semi-tame snake they were using. Griff and their snake handler Carlos Santiago venture into the jungle to find a replacement, but Santiago is attacked by a massive anaconda that terrorizes the jungle.

Doug decides to add Ana as a character in their film and begins focusing mainly on her, creating friction with Griff. A Sony film crew, which also claims to be remaking Anaconda, passes by. Doug angrily confronts Griff, who admits that he lied about buying the legal rights to the franchise. After an argument, Griff leaves to join the other crew, but arrives there after the anaconda has left the set in ruins and abandoned, having killed many of the cast and crew.

Meanwhile, Ana reveals herself to be an illegal gold miner on the run from police. She is apprehended by a police officer who has been tracking her, but Griff reappears and shoots the officer in the leg, assuming him to be a villain. Ana kills the officer, holds the friends at gunpoint, and demands that they gather gold for her until Claire successfully defeats her and takes the gun away from her, but then the anaconda drags Ana underwater, killing her and allowing the friends to escape.

As the friends try to make their way home, Doug is swallowed whole by the anaconda. Kenny, Griff, and Claire later discover his lifeless body, which they use as bait to distract it, presuming him to be dead. Doug suddenly awakens as the anaconda is approaching him and narrowly escapes.

The friends return to the wrecked film set and encounter Ice Cube, one of the Sony actors, who helps to hold off the snake and equips the team with weapons before heading out to rescue any surviving crew members. The friends attempt to kill the snake with pyrotechnics, but when that fails, Griff shoots propane tanks with a flare gun to blow up the anaconda's body, and Doug delivers the final blow to its head.

The group finishes their film, but cannot secure theatrical distribution as Sony sends them a cease-and-desist letter. Griff later re-lands a role in the S.W.A.T. TV series and marries Claire. Doug is visited by Jennifer Lopez, who liked his film and invites him to direct an actual reboot. Meanwhile, Santiago is revealed to be alive.

Sources

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Movie: The Wrath of Becky (2023) Caution Spoiler Alert

 

The Wrath of Becky

Came out; 2023

Time; 1 hours 24 Minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for strong bloody violence and gore, pervasive language and some sexual references

IMDB Rating; 6.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 89%

Popcorn Meter 77%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Lulu Wilson as Becky

Seann Willian Scott as Darryl

Denise Burse as Elena

Jill Larson as Darryl Sr.

Michael Sirow as Anthony

Aaron Dalla Villa as DJ

Matt Angel as Sean

Courtney Gains as Twig

Story Line;

Two years after she escaped a violent attack on her family, Becky attempts to rebuild her life in the care of an older woman - a kindred spirit named Elena. But, when a group known as the "Noble Men" break into their home, attack them, and take her beloved dog, Diego, Becky must return to her old ways to protect herself and her loved ones

Thoughts:

There's a movie named Becky that does come before this but we didn't find that out until after we watched this one. It doesn't affect how this movie is, it's just basically a sequel that can be stand alone

This was a fun movie to watch, especially with Seann William Scott!

It reminded me of the money Kick-Ass

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

Three years after the harrowing ordeal with four Neo-Nazis that killed her father, 16-year-old Becky continues living life off the grid while escaping from successive foster homes and honing her survival skills. Picked up while hitchhiking, Becky and her dog Diego eventually settle in with a matronly woman named Elena, who treats Becky like a responsible daughter and does not pry about her past.

Anthony, DJ, and Sean, three members of an extremist group called the Noble Men, stop at the diner where Becky works as a waitress. Angered by their insulting misogyny, Becky purposefully dumps a hot cup of coffee in Anthony's lap, so the three men secretly follow Becky home. Despite claiming he only wanted to scare the girl, Anthony ends up shooting Elena in her head, knocking Becky unconscious, and kidnapping Diego upon breaking into the house. After Becky recovers, she vows to find her dog and take revenge on the men.

Remembering that the men previously mentioned meeting with someone named Darryl, Becky finds two local addresses linked to that name. The first location leads Becky to an elderly woman identified as Darryl Sr. The second leads Becky to a remote cabin where Noble Men cell leader Darryl hosts a meeting with Anthony, DJ, Sean, and another militia member known as Twig. Becky sneaks into the cabin and finds evidence that a town hall protest planned for the next day will actually be an armed insurrection against Senator Hernandez. Becky also steals a secret thumb drive containing membership information on everyone associated with the Noble Men.

Becky leaves a cellphone on Darryl's doorstep that she uses to taunt the men. Becky's arrival forces Anthony, DJ, and Sean to confess to kidnapping her dog, but they do not say anything to Darryl about having murdered Elena.

Darryl makes Anthony go after Becky. Becky leads Anthony into a hidden pit in the forest. She then rigs Anthony with a grenade trap that blows up his head when Darryl reopens the front door. After Darryl turns his gun on them to demand the truth about Becky, DJ and Sean reveal Elena's murder. Realizing the rally will actually be a violent insurrection, Sean has a change of heart and tries abandoning the group, but Darryl breaks his neck. Fearful of both Becky and Darryl, DJ drives away.

Becky calls Darryl to continue taunting him. Becky threatens to expose the plot against Senator Hernandez and also reveals that she stole Darryl's incriminating thumb drive. Twig goes outside looking for Becky. Becky fires a crossbow bolt through Twig's cheeks. Their protracted faceoff ultimately ends with Becky using a machete to hack Twig to death. However, Darryl uses a tranquilizer dart to take Becky captive.

Becky wakes to find herself tied to a chair. Darryl shows Becky that he stole her keepsake key, and that a hidden shaft inside the key's cylinder contains engraved numbers he presumes to be coordinates. Revealing herself to be Darryl's mother as well as the secret mastermind behind the Noble Men, the elderly woman Becky previously met as Darryl Sr. arrives at the cabin. Darryl Sr. uses Becky's dog to taunt Becky while demanding to know where the thumb drive is.

Becky breaks free from her restraints. Darryl leaves the room to recover after Becky sprays him with mace. Darryl Sr. moves to shoot Diego, but Becky throws a knife into her forehead. Darryl Jr. chases Becky into the forest outside. Becky leads Darryl into animal traps that pin his legs and clamp around his throat, killing him. Becky retrieves her key. Becky returns to the cabin for Diego and discovers that Darryl Sr. survived. Darryl Sr. tries to shoot Becky, but is unable to aim properly due to her head injury. Becky has Diego maul Darryl Sr. to death.

24 hours later, CIA agent Kate Montana interviews Becky about the thumb drive and singlehandedly taking down a Noble Men cell. Agent Montana offers to recruit Becky and Becky agrees. Montana then asks if Becky is ready to find out what her key belongs to.

DJ tries to get back on the road after his truck breaks down. Dressed in a black suit, Becky drives up to the scene in an official law enforcement vehicle. She then blows up DJ and his truck with a rocket launcher

Sources

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Movie: Crime 101 (2026) Caution Spoiler Alert

 

Crime 101

Came out; 2026

Time; 2 hours 20 Minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rated: R for language throughout, some violence and some sexual material/nudity

IMDB Rating; 6.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tomato Meter 89%

Popcorn Meter 85%

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Chris Hemsworth as Davis

Mark Ruffalo as Lou

Barry Keoghan as Ormon

Peter Banifaz as Ben Haddad

Halle Berry as Sharon

Jennifer Jason Lee as Angie

Tate Donovan as Monroe

Andra Nechita as Adrienne

Story Line;

Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, CRIME 101 weaves the tale of an elusive thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose high-stakes heists unfolding along the iconic 101 freeway have mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime with hopes of this being his final job, his path collides with a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads, forcing the two to collaborate. Determined to crack the case, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) closes in on the operation, raising the stakes even higher. As the multimillion-dollar heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are forced to confront the cost of their choices - and the realization that there's no turning back

Thoughts:

If you liked the movie The Departed with Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio you will like this one

You have a thief, a detective and an insurance adjuster. Who's good and who's not? The lines are crossed and they all meet at the end. It's very very slow.

I was frankly bored watching this. They could have cut so much out and still had a good movie.

CAUTION; Spoiler Alert

In Los Angeles, Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is an elusive and disciplined jewel thief, carefully planning robberies to avoid violence and DNA evidence while escaping via U.S. Route 101. Intercepting a diamond delivery carrying decoys, he steals $3 million in genuine diamonds, but is shaken after being grazed by an unexpected bullet. He calls off a planned robbery in Santa Barbara, but his fence, Money (Nick Nolte), enlists volatile young biker Ormon (Barry Keoghan) instead.

LAPD Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) links the diamond theft to Mike's string of unsolved robberies and suggests a lone suspect is responsible, but his theory is dismissed. Preparing another heist, Mike pays Devon (Devon Bostick), a hacker, for information on Sharon (Halle Berry), a high-end insurance broker. Long undervalued by her firm, Sharon is further frustrated when a new colleague closes a lucrative deal with the wealthy Steven Monroe (Tate Donovan). After Ormon violently carries out the Santa Barbara job, Mike cuts ties with Money, who directs Ormon to intercept Mike's next heist.

The lonely Mike strikes up a romance with a stranger, Maya (Monica Barbaro), after she rear-ends his car. Soon after, he realizes he is being tracked by Ormon, who threatens Devon into revealing that Sharon is connected to Mike's plan. Sharon rejects Mike's attempt to recruit her as an accomplice, and Mike spots Ormon, confronting him after a high-speed chase; realizing he has been sent by Money, Mike warns Ormon to stay away. Separating from his unfaithful wife after a lengthy marriage, Lou finds himself joining Sharon's yoga class. He discovers the car Mike used in the diamond robbery, and a trace of blood inside matches Mike's juvenile record with his birth name, James.

Denied a promotion to partnership yet again, Sharon agrees to help Mike. Demanding a $3 million share, she provides inside information on an illicit diamond purchase Monroe has arranged to make with $5.5 million in cash, for his upcoming wedding at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Lou is suspended for refusing to help cover up the police shooting of another jewel thief, but continues his investigation and tracks down Mike's foster mother, Anne (Deborah Hedwall). Ormon viciously interrogates Sharon, who turns to Lou for help and admits everything, and quits her job after excoriating her boss. Wary of Mike's secretive nature, Maya ends their relationship after he reveals he will be leaving town.

The briefcase of diamonds arrives with a courier and Mike takes the place of his security guard, unaware Lou is posing as the courier himself. During the drive to the hotel, Lou mentions he likes older sports cars. At the hotel, the two of them deliver the briefcase to Monroe and his fiancée in the wedding suite. Mike seizes the cash at gunpoint, but Lou retrieves a gun from the case and reveals himself as a police officer. Their standoff is interrupted by Ormon, entering the suite disguised as a hotel employee. Demanding the case, he shoots and wounds Monroe, but Mike kills Ormon before he can shoot Lou. Allowing Mike to escape empty-handed, Lou uses knowledge of financial crimes Monroe has committed to force Monroe and his fiancée to support his story as he frames Ormon for Mike's robberies.

Having stolen the decoy gems taken into evidence from Mike's earlier heist, Lou swaps them with real diamonds from the briefcase, which he gives to Sharon to start a new life. Via a cryptic photo sent via text, he discovers Mike has left him his vintage Chevy Camaro, and Mike sends Maya a childhood photo of himself, asking her for a second chance.

Sources

IMBD

Rotten Tomatoes

Wikipedia