Grade:B-
Starring Will Smith, Focus is a crime drama directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love) where Smith’s character, Nicky Spurgeon, is a veteran con artist that takes a promising young con-woman (Margot Robbie) under his wing. Jess Barrett first encounters Nicky after he sniffs out a ruse she is orchestrating, embarrassing and schooling both her and her partner.
Not long after, in a thrilling scene that lets the audience see behind the smoke and mirrors, Nicky gives Jess a brief tutorial on the art of distraction and pickpocketing. Before she can scold him for taking her ring, he has got her wallet, a hand in a place where it has no business being and then he has her ring again. As she is a quick study, this is something she becomes very adept at.
Eager to impress him, and get in on his next con, she follows him to New Orleans where she is tested by his operation of misfit swindlers in order to make the team. It is interesting to see her play the doe-eyed and clever student with a crush on an equally entranced teacher.
This is where the movie is at its best. Jess is the window for the audience, allowing the viewer to peak into that shadowy world and experience it for the first time as she does. Whether you have intentionally stolen something or not, having the courage—or audacity— to take something from someone requires bravado. So, vicariously watching these people do it as a profession is a foul thrill.
The first act culminates in a million dollar scheme at the Super Bowl with a fantastic emotional pay off. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, who both starred in the co-directors’ rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love, were considered early on for the roles of Nicky and Jess.
The two are very much opposite from the likes of Smith and Robbie. While both are Hollywood It girls in their own rights, it is hard to see Stone as the femme fatale that Jess later becomes. Gosling and Smith are charming male A-listers whose careers have been momentarily stalled by questionable choices—Smith for Men in Black II and After Earth, and then Gosling for his independent directorial attempts.
Focus is a mixed bag of genres, equal parts intriguing caper and tepid romantic comedy. At times it can be serious but most of the time the rapport between the actors is loose and seems improvised.
There are many rules that come along with their trade—among them, “die with the lie” is one of my favorites. As Nicky instructs Jess in the beginning, “At the end of the day, this is a game of focus…you get their focus, you can take whatever you want.” Apparently, when he said that, he was alluding to the audience’s money and time.
The first act is the distraction; the remaining acts are the swindle. While the tagline on the poster says “Never lose focus”, it does exactly that. Focus can essentially be split into two films. There is dazzling first film that somehow manages to be easy-going and nail-bitingly tense.
And then there is the second which drags on, making the run-time stretch on longer than its allotted 104 minutes. Those last two acts are where Focus ironically fails at following its own rules.
After being separated for three years, the former student and master have a strained reunion in Buenos Aires. Nick is in the middle of a huge con involving a scheming race-team owner (Rodrigo Santoro) and Jess, “allegedly” on the straight and narrow, is the girlfriend of said race-team owner. Things get interesting from there, but ultimately slow down.
Pretty soon I was craving the intensity that was bundled up so well in the first 30 minutes. In particular, I found myself waiting for that moment showcased in the movie’s trailer, where the man plows his SUV into Smith and Robbie’s candy red sports car like a mad dog foaming at the mouth.
The moment does not disappoint, and things seem to amp back up from there—if only for a short while. In the end, the over-reaching final twists, an uninteresting pretty boy villain and an anti-climactic ending hurt the movie’s overall potential.
Although it is beautifully shot, stylish and smooth, the only saving grace for the baffling tail end of Focus is the great chemistry between not just the leads but the crooked performances of the supporting cast as well.
They are all so good that they make you forget that in reality, there is nothing likeable about the ensemble. They steal from the rich and…well, the steal from the poor, too. Nicky’s tech wiz buddy, Farhad (Adrian Martinez), adds life to every scene that he overtakes with his crude and uncensored humor.
Smith lays on the charm, putting in one of the best performances he’s had in years—Hancock and I am Legend excused because they have their own special appeal. It is safe to say he has his groove back.
Smith and Robbie can next be seen in David Ayer’s (Fury, End of Watch) Suicide Squad in 2016 which features an all-star cast of villains.
Zhana Johnson
Senior Features Editor
About Post Author
