If you stopped for an hour and dissected this film you WILL find problems, like how the audience is meant to root for borderline sociopathic criminals or how the structure isn't what they're used to... HOWEVER, if you go in just expecting to be entertained and if you have a particular fondness for hustle movies, this is one enjoyable movie. The charming but not over-the-top humour consistently keeps the story entertaining and by not following the usual structure of a movie this kind, and ultimately the one the trailer promised, it offers something new to the mix. I can see the multiple twists as a turn off for some expecting a deeper film but if you know what you're in for I think the multiple twists in the film's final act will one-after-another bring a smile to your face and even have you laughing. Will Smith harnesses his charm to success in this flick and Margot has effectively proved herself as not being a one-hit-wonder. This is not a bad film, though I do believe your enjoyment hinges on your expectations when going into it. Don't expect the next Ocean's 11, expect a charming, funny, well acted, smartly written, hustle movie that will undoubtedly be drowned out by mixed reviews from people expecting gold and can't appreciate really good silver.
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corinthiust14 March 2015The title "Focus" had potential among the quantitatively declining Con- Artist genre. Although brilliantly centered and set up with a decent cast and setting - the execution of intelligent criminal activity was poor and often justifying or explaining trickery and illusion as "he's just so good at it." - failing to satisfy the audience with an insight into the brilliance that is a con-centered plan.
I love heist movies. I love intricate con movies. I love crime movies and I'm sad to say this doesn't really come close to fitting anywhere between those genres best and brightest. Instead you're left feeling slightly amused, slightly tired, slightly relieved that it's over but kind of happy you saw it anyway - I dread to think how badly this movie would have been were it not for will smith. -
kosmasp23 June 2015Focus is not a really good movie. It's not a really bad movie either though. If you don't have a problem with Will Smith (and his relationship in this movie), you might be able to enjoy this. There are a couple of things in here, that are nicely told and shot (like the explanation or "how-to" guide).
We concentrate on Will Smith and the movie tries to keep things mysterious which works at times, though the resolution of most of those mysteries are mostly disappointing. If you don't care for that, there is light fun to be had here. The chemistry sometimes is not what the movie will or would want you it to be, but overall it's a decent con movie -
Dr_Sagan10 October 2017Just watched "Focus", a movie which made some buzz 2-3 years ago mainly because the rumored romance between the two main actors, Will Smith and Margot Robbie. I don't know what they actually did off-screen, but on-screen they have no chemistry at all.
Focus is a movie about con-artists. It doesn't try to follow the steps of "The Sting" or "Ocean's eleven", but it has the same goal, to confuse the audience on who is playing who... and here is where the problems are starting to arise...
The plot is paper thin and every con seems unnecessary and overcomplicated. There aren't that too many cons to begin with, but every one of them seems forced. A futile effort from the writers, to "amaze" the audience.
You see, to make the audience to expect a twist is basically a bad thing. Even the average viewer had, possibly, better twists in mind than those in "Focus". More plausible and more fun to watch. Here the tricks are too over-the-top in their execution to swallow, and overall unimpressive, leaving a bad aftertaste...
The movie looks colorful, but the acting is pale. Will Smith seems bored possibly because of an early realization that this movie won't work.
Overall: Not a satisfying movie, including the lukewarm ending. The twists you expecting from a con-artist's movie are there, but they are unclever and forced. Maybe its time to dust that DVD of "The Sting" from the selves...
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pantekhis_iacovos12 March 2015Focus is a con movie and it's at its best when it's trying to con you into believing you know what is going to happen. The plot unfolds at a steady pace and you are left guessing what is going to follow. There are many twists and it's hard to keep up, as you would expect.
The regular cons work best in the first half, when the movie is trying to be fun and entertaining. During the second half of the movie the plot deepens and works around character development. That's when Will Smith and Margot Robbie come to life, they are at their best when they are given more to work with and they keep the movie interesting. However the movie gets caught juggling too many cons which by the end of the movie may feel just a bit flat; but still make for an unexpected and enjoyable finale.
Definitely worth watching. PS. The directors did a good job showing the importance of FOCUS in keeping the camera Focused at the right place. -
The Will Smith redemption movie, Focus, was a bit of a step up from After Earth. He could honestly only go up following After Earth.
Focus is a better movie than I anticipated, actually that's a lie. Despite the cast my expectations were low, so I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't much of a stinker. The movie is entertaining, the story is somewhat interesting, but - of course there is a but - it could have been much better.
My main problem with Focus is that I wasn't engaged in the story, it wasn't because it's poorly written, it's not. I walked into the movie theater knowing that it was about con-artists - the marketing never hid it, if you've seen the trailer you know this. Anyway, knowing that it was about con artists and the tag-line is "Never loose Focus" I never really let my guard down and I didn't let myself believe what I was seeing. I was busy trying to figure out what the con was before it happened and that's where the movie kind of disappoint.
They did not play on the fact that the audience may be looking for clues as to what is going on. There are no real clues for the audience to find, there are very little things for you to think back on and say "That's right I saw that." They either show how it or explain it once it already happened. So if you're like me, looking for bread crumbs for you to figure out the con Focus hardly leaves any. I only got sucked into one scene and totally believed what they fed me for a little while. But much later when the big twist came I wasn't shock or surprised.
I probably would have had a better experience of the film if there were hidden clues leading up to the cons or if there was one character, who wasn't a con artist, that I could have trusted allowing me to let my guard down and get conned.
The leads, Will Smith and Margot Robbie, work well on screen. Will Smith is not his usual happy, upbeat, self in this movie but it suits the character. As for Margot Robbie, she plays the sex symbol cliché well without letting herself get trapped by it. She's more than a dumb, interchangeable pin up, she showed it in The Wolf Of Wall Street and also in interviews you quickly get that she knows how and when to wield the power than she has. She's talented and it shows in the movie.
Focus is a decent movie, it lacks refinement but it's entertaining, Smith is slowly getting back on top after the stinker that After Earth was. -
SnoopyStyle20 July 2015Master con-man Nicky 'Mellow' Spurgeon (Will Smith) is intrigued by amateur thief Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie). He shows her a few moves. She tracks him down later which he expected. She begs him to be her mentor and he lets her into his crew running cons in New Orleans. However at the end, he leaves her behind. Three years later, he's running a con and is surprised to see Jess again in Buenos Aires.
This is meant to be a fun caper movie and it is just that at times. I really like Margot Robbie whenever she plays up her fun side. Will Smith could smile a little more and have a bit more fun. They seem to have fun flirting but the movie needs more moments of fun. This pairing has potential which is not fully realized. -
ThereelscoopwithKK23 October 2023I am a huge fan of Will Smith's acting and adorable Margot Robbie, she's stunning and is in my mind the best female actress out there by far. She's improved a lot since this film was made even.
Although the concept of watching grifters operate was interesting it just couldn't ever seem to elevate or establish a solid story. Instead you watch just kind of waiting and expecting Smiths character and Robbie's character all in love. The awkward part about it though is that despite that being what the film is going for, I don't really see any on screen chemistry between Smith and Robbie. At the very least it feels very artificial.
The scene at the football game is epic though. That scene alone made the film worth watching for me. Brilliantly set up and acted by all involved. In fact I'd recommend you skip the movies and just watch that scene on YouTube. -
"Focus" blends two different movies in roughly equal measure. One is a movie about con men, scam artists and hustlers, in the tradition of "The Sting," "Ocean's Eleven," "House of Games" and "Shade." The second movie is a romantic comedy between two people who are strongly attracted to one another, but who cannot and do not trust each other.
The movie about con men is brilliant. The hustles and scams are clever and cleverly executed with excellent skill and tradecraft. Dramatically, the double-blinds and double- crosses are well executed. The players con their marks, one another and the audience with finesse and aplomb. The cinematography, choreography and editing are crisp. The reveals are plausible within the film's cosmos of reality.
The romantic comedy is not bad. One can understand and believe the attraction between the two characters. Will Smith's character is hunky, clever, confident, successful and wealthy. Margot Robbie's character is gorgeous, sexy, vulnerable, clever and charming. But the major plot points in this boy finds girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back subplot seem contrived, while the intriguing aspect of their relationship (How can two con artists with a history of deceiving one another learn to trust one another?) isn't explored in a satisfactory manner. Instead we get a breakup for reasons that are never explained, a repeated gag involving a wallet, and a massive coincidence that leads the audience to believe one of them has a hidden agenda involving the other. The relationship between them works best when they are conning one another, but it needs resolution.
Technically, the film is beautifully done. Cinematography, locations, wardrobe, make-up, editing, audio -- everything is polished. It's a movie that merits a second or third viewing, not only to see the cons played out, but also to appreciate some of the subtle foreshadowing. -
quincytheodore27 February 2015Will Smith is back in Hitch: How to Get the Girl, Also Some Cash. There's overwhelming opulence, exotic setting and beautiful ladies at display here for the grand dramatization of thievery. It showcases a glamorous lifestyle, riches and ladies, portrayed by the charismatic leads. However, the movie recycles this material too often and having too much investment in lovey-dovey banters does wear the tension thin.
Story follows Nicky (Will Smith), a veteran thief who meets with Jess (Margot Robbie), an aspiring thief. Together they embark on a swindling journey, manipulating people and each other into giving what they want. Led by the charismatic Will Smith, Focus boasts an interesting anti-hero. He's very versatile, able to perform in comedic as well as more serious tone. Robbie has a wide range of acting too, she seems natural although sometimes leaning heavily on femme fatale cliché.
This is at heart a romance movie, with the backdrop of felony, not the other way around. The liaison aspect is scrutinized deeper than the actual thefts. This should be fine as both Smith and Robbie are capable leads, but it tends to lose momentum after the many times it uses "He loves me, he loves me not" gimmick. It's more of a light relationship than an intense trickery exchange, while pretty entertaining it's barely enough to keep the suspense.
The film possesses a stylish colorful cinematography. Design for costume and the vista are very suave, something out of a page of rich people magazine. It offers fantasy celebrity nuance, a brighter side of crime, so to speak. Its choice of soundtracks reflects it as well, playing classy tunes to serenade heist and courtship. While the plans might not be masterful, there are some good plot twists to unveil here.
With fascinating set and actors Focus is a decent drama film, but to reach thrilling suspense it needs to focus more on plundering instead of plowing. -
Horst_In_Translation14 January 2017"Focus" is an American 100-minute movie from 2015, so by now it is two years old. It was written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, a duo of filmmakers who have collaborated for a really long time and this resulted in some good and some not so good works apparently. I guess this one here is somewhere in-between, maybe closer to the "not so good". It features Will Smith and Margot Robbie as the lead actors and while both are really big names, I still don't see that great talent in both of them, especially Robbie. They aren't bad actors, but they are also far from convincing unfortunately when their characters require true range and depth and they can only partially make up for these shortcomings with their great deal of charisma. Then again, they fit nicely in here because this movie (and the script in particular) are also about make-believe. The two filmmakers I mentioned earlier definitely need a lesson in subtlety. There are many many scenes and moments, and eventually the entire film, where they go way over the top and not in a good way at all. The first meeting between the two protagonists is a good example. Yes they want to depict that teacher-student relationship and show us how skilled Smith's character is, but all those tricks, all that he steals from her is just too much. Half of the items would really have been enough. This is a bit of shame as the "angry boyfriend" scene before that was actually not too bad. And there are more food scenes like the one with BD Wong (he gave a nice supporting performance and is probably among Asia's best in Hollywood right now), which was somewhat fun to see and the best thing is you don't even have to care about American Football to appreciate it because I sure don't.
But these bright moments are quickly made up for and the negative element wins eventually. It's all so pompous, pseudo-intelligent and exaggerated that it's almost impossible to appreciate the film as a whole. Robbie and Smith are just means for the story and they also do not manage to elevate the script. The weakest moment of the film is probably the ending. I was tempted to give it a better rating before that final scene with Smith's character's father, but let's be honest here. A dad who shoots his son in the chest (even with the medical justification) is just too much and this is where the film really loses it all and hits rock-bottom. I guess you can check this one out if you really care a lot about the world of con men, but it is still not a satisfying take and elaboration on the subject either. So maybe only check it out if you are a huge Smith and/or Robbie fan. Otherwise skip it and you are not missing much, especially not in terms of realism and fraud as the biggest trick pulled off in here was to make audiences believe this is actually a convincing work. Thumbs down. -
joshwebster9417 March 2015Not really sure how this film has got some poor reviews. It was clever, funny and overall kept my focus (Pardon the pun).
Will Smith is fantastic in this film, not being an over-exuberant character, which I feel some people were expecting in this film. His on screen relationship with Margot Robbie was very good, and I feel she has not got as much credit for this film as she deserves.
Some fantastic camera shots, and great locations add a little bit extra to this film.
I would advise not listening to reviews and going to see it for yourself and making the decision on your own. Enjoy! -
rprince-832-629427 February 2015-Focus (2015) movie review: -Focus is a crime flick that follows con-man Nicky, played by Will Smith, as he meets and trains a new counterpart Jess, played by Margot Robbie, in the ways of being a con-artist. This comes complete with twists, trust issues, rich people, and all kinds of Oceans 11 style problems.
-For what it was, I really enjoyed Focus. It has a few small problems, but was good.
-The story felt original and was hard to predict, making the twists even better and more shocking. Even if they were a tiny bit forced.
-The pace was really good for the first half, and the second half. But the first half is all fun and the second half is all plot. Neither was bad, but the second half was less fun.
-The acting is really good. Both Will and Margot did a great job! -The characters are deep and interesting. Will Smiths character especially had a lot to offer in the way of charisma and twists.
-The music was fitting and some of it was memorable.
-Another thing I liked was seeing the inside of the whole con-man thing you see in movies. Like stealing watches looks so much cooler in this because they explain it.
-Really the negatives are small. There are some inconsistencies and some added drama that takes the audience out of reality alittle, but it was compelling, well-made, and entertaining! There is not that much else to say, because Focus is worth seeing in theaters! -It is rated-R for some language, a moderate, but not heavy amount, and some brief sexual content. A PG-13 amount probably. -
sterlingwritesit11 July 2015Ordinarily, I like to take my time writing reviews, looking for at least one interesting element to discuss. Focus won't be getting that respect from me. Its runtime was (mercifully, a little less than) two hours I will never get back.
I don't want to lay the blame with Smith or Robbie, who both do good work here. The issue has to do with construction. Simply put, the script fails to sell us on the movie's central romance, which appears to boil down to "you're fun to hang out with and to screw, so of COURSE we're soulmates." Without the foundation of a believable (or even comprehensible) relationship, this movie ends up being empty. In addition, the script meanders and doesn't really kick into high gear until over an hour in.
Bottom line: The charisma of its leads can't save it. Skip this! -
HarvardLawSchoolsFinest11 March 2015First off , Will Smith absolutely played his course with these playboy roles. Im not buying it anymore dude. Secondly Margot is gorgeous but she is too gorgeous to play a believable femme fatale. I felt the acting was outstanding for obvious reasons. But the films two stars weren't right fits for the parts i feel like. Big names , great faces, add the amazing chemistry and this should have taken off as a great movie. But it hasn't and I think the missing element was the fact that Will in unbelievable and so is she.
If the characters are not believable you do not have a movie. But i will say it was well made, well acted and it wasn't too drawn out. I actually really liked it till i realized maybe a Ryan Gosling and a Mara Rooney could have been a nice mix or a female that has an edgy look mixed with the James Bond look. Idk , this just didn't do it for me at the end of the day.
Great intelligent intellectual story, Above average screenplay,Great locations and filming dynamic-- automatically 7 star movie.. -
Seraphion15 March 2015The story itself for me is nothing new since it's not as good as other con movies like the Ocean series. The second emphasis on the romance feels little bit thwarted in focus compared to the grift and con crime focus. What makes this movie interesting is instead the live action depiction of the smaller time pickpocket teamwork and the attention grabber scenes. Those really gave this movie a differentiation and set this movie apart from other con artist movies. The acting overall is just a decent job. Will Smith did quite okay here, he used his usual character as the one in Hitch. Margot Robbie did also quite nice here since her last appearance at Wolf of the Wall Street and About Time.
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MediaPanther26 February 2015Throwing his hat into the ring of the con artist sub genre, Will Smith stars as Nicky Spurgeon in Focus. These types of film are never easy to do well because like a magic trick, the audience has to always be in the dark. Or to put it another way, the film (or magician) has to be one step ahead of the audience. If you know it's a magic trick or some type of confidence game going on, you might try to figure everything out instead of just going with it. In the case of Focus, the reveal is a pretty good one.
With that being said, if you are a fan of Will Smith then that's great. Some people think it's hard to think of him as a character and not as himself. So be it, then in this case you have Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) to scrutinize as well. She comes along early in the film as a would be, up and coming grifter that insists on learning the finer points from Nicky. She's a quick learner and soon becomes part of his crew and more. This is where things get fuzzy because you're unsure if everyone is on the up and up.
The filmmakers that brought you Crazy, Stupid, Love have assembled a fine cast (Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, BD Wong) that take on interesting and integral parts of this jigsaw. It would be a shame not to mention Adrian Martinez as Nicky's main man Farhad. If Focus is considered a Ro-Com, then Martinez is definitely the comic relief. Robbie's performance should not go unnoticed by any stretch either. Although she's still a newcomer and not hard to look at, she more than holds her own with a blockbuster star of Smiths caliber. One can only hope that she doesn't get pigeonholed as the bombshell girlfriend/wife, etc.
Focus is an interesting mix of romance, crime, suspense, comedy, formula one racing, football, New Orleans and Buena Aires. That all sounds like a good time. And it is. -
ArchonCinemaReviews1 March 2015Focus is an entertaining and comedic enough film - doesn't hurt the filmmakers to exploit the beauty of the actors and locations in the film.
If you think too much about the film Focus, the film begins to unravel as the glaring pitfalls and weaknesses pile up well after the film concludes.
Jess (Margot Robbie) is an ingénue thief, boosting wallets and watches in New York City. When her latest mark Nicky (Will Smith) turns out to be a veteran con man, she rebounds quickly and pleads to be his apprentice. Nicky declines and is on his way to his next crime of fast handed deception. Not taking "No" for an answer, she follows him and takes part in a high stakes scheme, falling for Nicky in the process. But you know the saying, there's no honor amongst thieves and there's little trust too.
Within Focus there are moments of fast paced fun that allows the audience to get lost in the movie. And then there are juvenile sub-par jokes by writers/directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa that pull you right back out of the movie and into the stiff chairs of the movie theater. In the end, the balance between these two types of moments is about half and half.
Most of these moments include Jess, who it seems neither men knew how to write. She is awkward, unpolished and at times bordering on foolishly and unprofessionally stupid. The character shows no growth, despite being under the mentorship of Nicky, which is improbable and unbelievable. However, when Jess is across from a table from Nicky's sidekick Farhad, played by the scene stealing Adrian Martinez, or in an ensemble action scene she is a fast-learner and worthy member of the group. This character shows the flaw and lack of clear vision in Focus that causes it to fail at being spectacular or even very great.
The writers and directors of Focus fail to find the a consistent tone or mood in the film or even the film's niche, sometimes action, sometimes romance, sometimes fun caper and other times idiotic comedy. The film could have done without the romance, since Smith and Robbie have about as much chemistry as shoe polish.
Focus's faults are exacerbated by the poorly paced plot that relies upon telling rather than showing, a lazy tactic typical of a substandard story and script. It saves itself by having ridiculously good looking and well dressed lead actors set in the richest locations imaginable, once again letting the viewer get lost in the film living vicariously through the leads.
This isn't to say that Focus is a bad movie, the audience I was with laughed consistently and regularly at the film and even waited with baited breath when things went awry. The problem is, it is far from perfect or even close to the same level as the filmmakers' previous project. -
masonsaul10 August 2022Focus delivers plenty of shocking twists, solid humour and extremely impressive production values from beginning to end, making it a great thriller even if the romance side of the film feels a little underutilized and overly safe.
Will Smith plays squarely to his strengths, resulting in a performance and character that's naturally funny and charming. Margot Robbie has great chemistry with Smith and is able to be equally funny and charismatic.
The direction by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa is fantastic, the film is one of the cleanest and slickest in recent memory with methodical camera work. The soundtrack is really good, especially since some of the songs chosen serve a clever narrative purpose. -
Focus is the newest Will Smith movie, and with his recent track record many moviegoers will likely stay away from this film. However, Focus is actually a fun film with many twists and turns. The acting is excellent, and the movie is an overall joy, though it is not perfect by any means. The following is my review of Focus.
The film was written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who are known for writing such films as Bad Santa and I Love You Phillip Morris. The film follows master conman Nicky(Will Smith) as he plans on making some big money conning at an American Football event similar to the Super Bowl(the term Super Bowl nor any NFL trademarks are actually used in the film). Along the way to this big event he runs into Jess(Margot Robbie), and she desperately wants in on this big con job Nicky has planned. As I mentioned above this film has some excellent twists and turns, so I really don't want to get into deep details of the story. The film continues over the course of the next few years, ending with a really good climax. Ficarra and Requa deliver a good story, but it does have it's issues. For example some of the twists are so absurd that you wonder if they simply pulled them out while shooting the ending. It seems thrown together rather loosely. Without the proper buildup the film had, this film would have fallen at or below an average film. Overall though Ficarra and Requa do a good job on this film, and most should enjoy this story.
The film was also directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Both of these directors worked in the past on films like I Love You Phillip Morris and Crazy, Stupid, Love. The film is not some big action film like many of the films Will Smith tends to do. Though it does interject some much needed comedy, and Smith is excellent at delivering this in that aspect. The film is shot wonderfully and looks amazing on the big scene, though I can't honestly say that there is a wow moment that makes this a must see in theaters. The acting is also another major aspect that this film excels at. Will Smith and Margot Robbie work fabulously together, and their chemistry only grows throughout the film. This is a good sign for their upcoming film they are working together on. Anyway, even the secondary actors like Brennan Brown, BD Wong, Gerald McRaney, and Adrian Martinez are such a joy to watch, and I would have to say BD Wong steals the show in his big scene of the film. So really watch out for that one. The directors really did a fabulous job with these talented actors, and they really deserve much credit in that aspect. Overall Ficarra and Requa do a fabulous job in the directing department, and really makes me look forward to their future outings as directors.
The film was composed by Nick Urata who worked with Glenn Ficarra and John Requa in the past on Crazy, Stupid, Love and more recently worked on the 2014 film Paddington. His work on this film is not that impressive at all. It seems like a go through the motions type of score. Urata's score doesn't add much depth at all to the film, and since I'm someone who really enjoys the score aspect of a film, this is a big disappointment here. I cannot honestly say the score was bad or awful, but it was average at best.
In closing, Focus is a fun film with an overall good story even if the story gets absurd at times. The film is shot great, and the acting is top of the line from all the stars of the film. Since I watched this film at a matinée showtime spending only five dollars, I would have to say it was well worth the money seeing this in theaters. If you aren't lucky enough to see this film for a cheap price, then the best thing to do is wait for home video where this film is a must own.
7/10 -
margaret-mcglynn20 June 2015Let this movie serve as a cautionary tale for dummies who want to make a con artist movie—Don't. You are out of your depth.
This movie made no sense. The romance in it made no emotional sense and was not set up properly. The twist was obvious, and made no sense. See instead: The Grifters, The Sting, House of Games, Oceans Eleven, The Spanish Prisoner, Film Flam Man, Match Stick Men.
Whoever in New Orleans agreed to have this shot there did not read the script. It portrays New Orleans as the leading American city in which to get your valuables jacked.
If you believe someone could pull your wedding ring off your finger without you noticing it, you will maybe like this film.
If you still insist on seeing this, check your logic at the door or be prepared to be angry. Don't say you weren't warned. -
Anurag-Shetty14 March 2015Focus tells the story of Nicky(Will Smith), who is a conman. Nicky takes a woman named Jess(Margot Robbie), under his wing. He teaches her all about conning people. Eventually, they go their separate ways. A few years later, when Nicky is trying to pull off his latest conning scheme, Jess shows up. This makes Nicky's plans go haywire.
Focus is an entertaining movie. All the set pieces in the film where Nicky & his team, con people in various ways are an absolute delight to watch. The scene at the football match is one of the most unpredictable sequences in the movie. I liked the fact that the makers of the film showed us the downsides of conning & not just the upsides of it. The highlight of the film is the electrifying chemistry between Will Smith & Margot Robbie. Smith & Robbie look very natural as an on screen couple & they seem to enjoy each other's company. They must have had a blast making this movie. Will Smith is brilliant as Nicky. Smith exudes charm & panache as the title character. Margot Robbie is great as Jess. Robbie looks gorgeous & delivers another good performance after her role in The Wolf of Wall Street. Adrian Martinez is hilarious as Farhad. Gerald McRaney is spectacular as Owens. Rodrigo Santoro is good as Garriga. BD Wong is impressive as Liyuan. The supporting characters are effective too. Focus is not a must watch in theaters. However, watch it if you are free & want to watch an awesome movie with firecracker chemistry between Will Smith & Margot Robbie. -
ksf-228 August 2021Will Smith and aussie Margot Robbie as Nicky and Jess. They had met while she was trying a con on Nicky, but it didn't work. So he teaches her the tricks of the con. Nicky brings her into his crew of pickpockets. For a while. Then he sends her away. When she (accidentally) shows up in his next con, she may screw up his perfect plan cashing in at a racetrack. Who's playing who? Co-stars Brennan Brown, BD Wong. Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney (Coach!) pretty good stuff. Not spectacular, but good! Shows on Roku channel. Written and directed by the team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. They seem to work together on many projects.
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No one had heard of Margot Robbie until 'The Wolf of Wall Street' came about. Now, it seems that every Director wants her in their film. How could they not; when she enthralled audiences everywhere with an exceedingly rare female role in a film. A character that is determined and strong willed. Don't get me wrong Robbie is entitled to further roles, I just cannot shake off the feeling that the Directors pulled off a con involving her, so that she could become the female lead in 'Focus'. It should be noted that never has a title had less relevance for a feature film. Because if anything the majority of this film is out of focus and you can include the script in that statement as well.
It's not all bad though. The first thirty minutes is entertaining. However, I mean this in a, if you leave your brain at home way. Don't think too much and you may have a blast, but that's only if you never use your brain during a film. If you do, then there's the door, I suggest you walk through it.
Nicky is a con artist played blandly yet again by Will Smith, who has only ever been well cast in a film once – 'Men in Black'. He takes up Jess played by Margot Robbie mustering her acting talent and trying as hard as she did in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' to impress. She becomes his protégé, con artist and lover. They try to become romantically involved and it does not work out. Nicky eventually tracks her down to win back her affection and talent as a con artist.
Unfortunately, cracks in the film appear frequently, too large to brush aside and ignore. Consider the opening scene where Nicky tries to bed Jess. It works to his advantage and all of it happens according to his plan. But, we as an audience do not buy it. He barely knows the girl and not five minutes of chit chat has taken place, when they decide to get down to business. I know he is Will Smith and all. I'm sure he has women falling at his feet. But this seems rather far-fetched. Especially when this love turns out to be more than a one night stand and they are fully fledged romantically. The decisions that they partake seem rash, perhaps it was this lack of character development that led me to become distanced from the film in the process.
The script thinks it's very clever and is far too cock sure. This brings to mind another film about deception, trickery and cons. That made no sense at all in the slightest and was all too lacking when it came to character motivation and plausibility. 'Now You See Me'. Both of these films are firmly rooted in the nineties, with old jokes and plot twists so dumb it would have a toddler second guessing the events of the film. Another comparison to be made is that they both possess visual gleam. Take that away and they are just cheap parlour tricks to conceal their true identity.
If I am putting my points across to you again and again, then I'm sorry. But at least it parallels the repetitiveness of the film itself. What starts out as clever movements of characters who steal wallets and other personal belongings from random citizens grows tiresome quickly. Seen one con and you have seen them all. Don't get me going again about the romance that has been stamped on so that couples will flock to the cinema. Do we ever feel involved in their emotions? Do we feel for the characters? Do we in fact buy their romance at all for a second? The answer to all of them above is a definite no! The con clearly is on with 'Focus', not on the oblivious characters, but by and large on the audience themselves. How long can you watch the same old, same old trickery on screen that never changes? It drags and drags and drags. Gets old quickly see? Want a dull Will Smith? A flavourless story? Dumb plot twists that make no sense for a climax? You can have it all. Just do not expect witty dialogue, engaging scenes or interesting characters for that matter. Now excuse me while I burn all copies of the film. -
mayurpanchamia945 March 2021It's unusual as Focus is both underrated and overrated at parts. Will Smith comes as Nicky an Con artist with emotion, but same acting from him seeking sympathy is what we have seen before. So is Margot Robbie too stands in the same measures as we have seen earlier whatever she does. Brennan Brown is nice to watch.
Starts smooth but ends like a falling sandwich, it has the elements but in trembled in the end. But it's watchable. Obviously expectations are always high when such a star cast is there but again not all sandwiches are memorable. But all sandwiches are tasteable. So is this movie Focus, no need to watch it with Focus.
Available on Netflix.