Butler's Cinema Scene

Taron Egerton, ChalizeTheron

“APEX” My rating: B- (Netflix)

95 minutes | MPAA rating: R

Almost as diverting as it is unnecessary, “Apex” gives us Charlize Theron in yet another action-heroine role, this time battling a psycho killer in one of Australia’s mind-boggling national parks.

Jeremy Robbins’ screenplay borrows heavily from the Meryl Streep survival flick “The River Wild” while referencing ideas from the various filmic incarnations of the 1924 novel The Most Dangerous Game.

In the vertigo-inducing intro Sasha (Theron) and her squeeze Tommy (Eric Bana) are scaling a terrifying cliff face towering over a Norwegian fiord.  She wants to forge ahead; he advises caution.  Disaster ensues.

Months later Sasha shows up in a remote Aussie wilderness; apparently she’s trying to escape her demons by kayaking solo down a rapids-heavy river.  Except she has drawn the attention of Ben (Taron Egerton), a local  whose chatty demeanor masks demons of his own. 

What ensues is a life-and-death chase through some of the most spectacular scenery ever captured on film. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher was obviously inspired by the landscape of New South Wales’ Blue Mountains, where the shoot took place.

Theron is her usual capable self.  But Egerton is genuinely disturbing.  His Ben is a font of smarmy friendliness with a core of cold-blooded malevolence.  In retrospect it’s obvious that his turn last year in in the mini-series “Smoke” was a sort of dry run for the two-faced character he plays here.

Baltasar Kormakur’s direction is taunt and creepy, slowing sowing seeds of premonition that bloom into outright panic. Pulse-pounding stuff.

Chris Hemsworth

“CRIME 101” My rating: C+ (Netflix)

140 minutes | MPAA rating: R

The buzz on Bart Layton’s “Crime 101” was that of a crime drama in the same league as Michael Mann’s “Heat.”

Well, the films have a lot in common.  Both are stories of cops and robbers in L.A.  Both have a whole slew of characters played by an A-list roster of talent. Both aspire to epic status.

But Layton is no Michael Mann.  “Crime 101” is an OK ride, but it never gets close to the heights of “Heat.”

Chris Hemsworth is Davis, whose specialty is robbing jewelry stores and couriers carrying diamonds and other valuable stuff. He’s a real pro who plans carefully and prides himself on never physically harming his victims.

He’s also socially backwards, a guy who tries so hard to remain anonymous that he has abandoned his personality in the process.  In other words, he’s a lonely S.O.B.

His M.O. has attracted the attention of LAPD detective Lou (Mark Ruffalo), a vaguely seedy fiftysomething.  With no personal life to speak of, Lou dedicates his existence to identifying the man behind a series of jewel heists that invariably occur along the 101, the superhighway that bisects the city.

The plot is set in motion by a rift between Davis and Money (Nick Nolte) the aging crook who finances his capers. They break up their partnership, but Davis isn’t aware that Money plans on going ahead with their last planned job, taking on a blond psycho with violent tendencies (Barry Keoghan).

And then there’s the high-end insurance company agent (Halle Berry) whose insider knowledge of the rich and famous make her a font of useful info for a criminal mind.

Toss into the mix brief appearances by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tate Donovan and you’ve got plenty of acting talent.  But the results are just so-so.

| Robert W. Butler